Month: September 2011

In the short Epistle of Jude there are many who fall from grace. There are individuals like Cain, Balaam and Korah as well as groups including Israelites, Sodomites and even angels! But as far as the saints are concerned we have One who is able to keep us from falling, or stumbling, all the while we are here on earth and who will eventually present us faultless before His presence with exceeding joy. That is a joy we now share as we praise Him for His faithfulness to us.—Roy Hill

Do you tell the Lord about everything in your life that concerns you? Do you expect him to be interested in what might be the small and relatively unimportant details? He wants you to bring everything to Him, and it is His answers in the small things that makes us appreciate His intimate nearness and faithfulness. —Brian Russell

The presence of the Lord is no place for lightness. There are some who claim such intimacy with the God of Heaven, the Father of Glory, that they feel free to use the language of the street in His august presence. Have we known Him as did Jacob? Have we seen Him as did Isaiah or John? Our unique and wonderful relationship with Him as His children does not absolve us of the responsibility, indeed the joy, of ascribing to Him His due honour. He asks, “If then I be a Father, where is Mine honour?” (Mal. 1:6). —J. B. N.

Have you given your child to God? Abraham rose up early and made preparation; he expended time and effort in obedience to God’s command to bring his son to the place where God would provide Himself a ram in the stead of Isaac. It is not enough just to point our children to Christ, we must walk together with them to the place of worship and sacrifice. — D. Pickup

Some people think that the book of Revelation is a closed book. It is not. It should be considered an open book as it unveils and reveals the Lord Jesus Christ. Think of the things the Lord opens in this book. A door is open (Rev.4:1), then the temple of God is open (Rev.11:19), next the temple of the tabernacle is opened (Rev.15:5). Finally, heaven itself is opened (Rev.19:11). Why not open the book and enjoy the blessing today? —Rex Trogdon

At both His birth and His burial, loving hands tenderly wrapped Jesus' body—a poor woman of Bethlehem, in strips of cloth and a rich man of Arimathaea, in clean linen cloth. Humiliation marks both scenes, as does a sense of wonder. The Lord of glory found in an animal feeding trough. The Prince of life found in a stone tomb. Will we ever be able to fathom the steps He took in becoming our Saviour?—Pete Smith

By God’s power, spoken through the prophet Elijah, a prolonged drought (not even the falling of dew!) had descended upon Israel. Bread and water were in short supply. So God sent His prophet to abide by the brook Cherith, for his water supply. So God used ravens, normally scavenger birds, to feed him bread there and then the brook dried up! God’s resource for His servant was taken away because of God’s own actions. How would you respond if you were Elijah in that situation: faith in God or rebellion? God tries our faith, sometimes to a seeming extreme. But He has said: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” —Doug Kazen

This verse is a great comfort. Many believers today are going through times of intense pain and suffering, either in body through illness or in heart from other causes. The emotional pain that burdens the soul and the pain of losing those we love can often be intense. How much we can endure knowing we have something wonderful ahead—the assurance of an eternity where pain will be banished forever! —Jim Paul

The Nazarite was a person who voluntarily separated himself to do something extraordinary for God. He was not to cut his hair, a sign of his total subjection to Jehovah. Completing his vow, his hair was offered to God on the altar under his peace offering. At the Judgement Seat of Christ, our earnest desire to serve God in an extraordinary way, and the reproach we bore for His name’s sake, will be laid upon the altar of the love of God. The reward will be ours! —R. Surgenor