Hebrews 4:15-16

For Reading and Meditation:     Lamentations 3:19-27

Now we come to the turning point of the seventy-third psalm - the point where the psalmist takes the first step toward the resolution of his problem. We must not forget that the purpose of this psalm is to show us how the writer solved his problem, so that when we get into the same kind of difficulty we can apply...

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...

For Reading and Meditation:     Psalm 139:1-24

We continue exploring the fact that God is not only powerful, but personal. The constituent parts of personality are predicated of God on almost every page of the Bible. "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind," said the Lord to Eli in

For Reading and Meditation:     Hebrews 4:12-16

Yesterday we ended with the case of the woman who said that she didn't know how to mourn, when in reality her problem was she didn't want to mourn. Whenever we are unwilling to face a negative emotion, it implies that we are not in control of it, but that it is in control of us. Christians are often taught to pretend...

For Reading and Meditation:     John 8:31-47

Jesus publicly made the challenge: " Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" Here we are face to face with a kind of person who had not been seen since Adam in his pre-fallen condition - a man without sin. The disciples had shared every kind of experience with Him that mortals can share, had seen Him at all hours of day...

The mercy of God is His pity, lovingkindness and compassion on those who are guilty, failing, distressed or needy. The Scriptures emphasize that God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4) and plenteous in mercy (Psalms 86:5). His mercy is abundant (1 Peter 1:3); it is great unto the heavens (Psalms 57:10). "For as the...

"We have not a high-priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses," would be more literal, but would not be more beautiful. The statement is in the negative, and seems to summon us for a moment to consider what our condition would be, if we had a high-priest incapable of sympathizing with us. We may also view it as conveying a reproach to those who act towards Christ as though he were such a high priest. They do so when the keen sense of their...

Matthew 3:13 to Matthew 4:11

The beginning of Christ's ministry was marked by two important events - His baptism and His temptation. These were thirty silent years, without any manifestation of Divine power, except the beautiful, sinless life which Jesus lived. We must think of those years, however, as part of the...

Matthew 3:13 to Matthew 4:11

The beginning of Christ's ministry was marked by two important events - His baptism and His temptation. These were thirty silent years, without any manifestation of Divine power, except the beautiful, sinless life which Jesus lived. We must think of those years, however, as part of the...