Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

For Reading and Meditation:     Isaiah 5:18-25

We pick up from where we left off yesterday with the thought that "wrath" is not a defect in the divine character; rather, it would be a defect if wrath were absent from Him. Those who see God's wrath as petulance or retaliation, inflicting punishment for the sake of it, or in return for some injury received, do not...

For Reading and Meditation:     Romans 1:8-25

For many of us "wrath" conjures up the idea of being out of control, an outburst of "seeing red," a sense of wounded pride or just downright petulance. It is quite wrong to take those ideas or feelings and impose them on God. God's wrath is never out of control, never capricious, never self-indulgent, never irritable,...

For Reading and Meditation:     Matthew 5:21-26

"God';s wrath," said George MacDonald, "is always judicial. It is always the wrath of the Judge administering justice. Cruelty is always immoral but true justice - never." Those who experience the fullness of God's wrath get precisely what they deserve. That may sound hard, but it is...

For Reading and Meditation:     Luke 16:19-31

The final state of those who die without availing themselves of the forgiveness God offers them at the Cross is eternal banishment from God's presence. The Bible calls this "hell." "There is no heaven with a little hell in it," said George MacDonald, meaning that the God who is passionately for righteousness and...

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:     Romans 11:1-24

We continue reflecting on the meaning of grace. Illion T. Jones, a famous Welsh preacher, said that "The word 'grace' is unquestionably the most significant single word in the Bible." I agree. But it must be understood right away that grace is a characteristic of God which is exercized only toward those who are seen as...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ephesians 2:1-10

We are acknowledging that in order to understand "grace" we must see it in relation to a Sovereign. As one writer puts it: "Grace is bound to be sovereign since it cannot by its very nature be subject to compulsion." That is why we often refer to it as free grace. There is no reason for grace but grace. I believe the...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ephesians 1:1-14

What is it in the heart of most men and women that rejects the idea of God's free and generous offer of salvation? It is pride, the deadliest of all the deadly sins. Bernard Shaw, an example of a modern-day thinker, said: "Forgiveness is a beggar's refuge. We must pay our debts." But we cannot pay our debts. As our...

For Reading and Meditation:     1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Is it any wonder that throughout the history of the Christian Church men and women have found the thought of grace so overwhelmingly wonderful they seemed unable to get over it? Grace was the constant theme of their prayers, their preaching, their writing - and their hymns. Take this for example: Great God of...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ezekiel 11:1-15

The final aspect of God's nature that we examine is His knowledge and wisdom. I link these two characteristics together because really it is almost impossible to consider one without considering the other. This is true of all God's attributes, but perhaps more so of the two we are now about to consider. The...

For Reading and Meditation:     Psalm 145:1-20

We ended yesterday by saying that the fact God knows everything ought to strengthen our faith and cause us to bow in adoration before Him. Yet how little do we reflect on this divine perfection. Those who are inclined to rebel against God hate this aspect of His Being and would do away with it if they could. They wish...

For Reading and Meditation:     Genesis 16:1-16

What matters most - that I know God or that God knows me? I think in a sense the latter. For my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. Just as the knowledge of His love for me causes the scales to fall from my eyes and turns the machinery of my soul in His direction, so my knowledge of how...

For Reading and Meditation:     Romans 16:17-27

The subject of God's knowledge must be linked to His wisdom, and it is this aspect of the divine nature that we consider now. What does the Bible mean when it describes God as wise? It means the ability to use knowledge to the best possible ends. This ability is found in its fullness only in God. God is never other...

For Reading and Meditation:     Romans 8:28-39

What is God's great goal in the universe to which His energies are devoted? We have it in our text for today.The Living Bible puts this best and I have no hesitation in saying that although it is not regarded as a true translation (it is rather a paraphrase), its rendering of