1 Peter 5:1-14

For Reading and Meditation:     Hebrews 4:1-16

We turn now to consider that facet of God's character which we describe as "grace." Grace is more than a synonym for love; it is a characteristic of the Deity which is quite close to love (and mercy) but yet deserves to be seen as different and distinctive. I heard an old Welsh preacher say: "Grace is a word with a...

The Lord knows all His people, their persons, wants, and trials; He thinketh upon them to benefit, deliver, and supply them. He keeps His eye upon them in all places, at all times, and under all circumstances.

He has them in His hand, and will not loose His hold. He looks upon them always as His own; the objects of His love, the purchase of His Son's blood, the temples of the Holy Spirit.

They are precious in His sight. He knows they are weak, fearful, and have many enemies. He...

IT is of great importance, to have and to cherish right views of our own littleness and insignificance; of our vileness and unworthiness; and of our own absolute and constant dependence on the mercy of our God. To possess a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price; that so we may be humble under cross providences, considering our sin and ill-deservings,how we have requited the Lord; seeing the hand of God working all in all; acknowledging Divine providence, let who...

Satan is the Christian's unwearied foe, he is the enemy of all righteousness, and aims at our destruction. He is especially the enemy of our faith--comfort--prosperity--and usefulness.

He is our enemy before God, and he gets access to our hearts; he excites to sin, accuses of sin, and terrifies for sin. We are called upon to resist him, stedfastly believing God's word, faithfulness and love. Stedfastly believing what Christ is to us, as Satan's grand opponent.

Is Satan a deadly...

"Humble yourselves therefore order the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 Peter 5:6

This is tantamount to a promise: if we will bow down, the LORD will lift us up. Humility leads to honor; submission is the way to exaltation. That same hand of God which presses us down is waiting to raise us up when we are prepared to bear the blessing. We stoop to conquer. Many cringe before men and yet miss the patronage they...

You have seen the arch of heaven as it spans the plain: glorious are its colours, and rare its hues. It is beautiful, but, alas, it passes away, and lo, it is not. The fair colours give way to the fleecy clouds, and the sky is no longer brilliant with the tints of heaven. It is not established. How can it be? A glorious show made up of transitory sun-beams and passing rain-drops, how can it abide? The graces of the Christian character must not resemble the rainbow in its transitory beauty,...

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel-"HE careth for me." Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to

"Lie passive in God's hands, And know no will but his."

O child of...

The Bible is full of paradoxes, that is, truths that seem contrary to what we would normally suppose or truths that seem to contradict one another. G. K. Chesterton maintained that paradox is truth standing on its head to attract attention. Here are a few of the paradoxes trying to attract our attention.

We save our lives by losing them; we lose our lives by loving them (Mark 8:35).

We are strong when we are weak (

The Bible is fairly full of tokens of God's marvelous care for His people. During Israel's forty-year trek through the wilderness, they ate food from heaven (Exodus 16:4), had an unfailing supply of water (1 Corinthians 10:4), and were equipped with shoes that never wore out (Deuteronomy 29:5).

It is the same in our wilderness journey. To prove this,...

It is important to know the devices of our enemy, the Devil. Otherwise he is likely to take advantage of us.

We should know that he is a liar, and has been from the beginning. In fact, he is the father of lies (John 8:44). He lied to Eve by misrepresenting God, and he has been doing it ever since.

He is a deceiver (Revelation 20:10). He mixes a little truth with error. He imitates or...