"Does a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life? ". Life is as valued by the beggar as it is the prince, though in vastly contrasting ways. The world is valuable but in real terms only if you can enjoy and benefit from it. If you have to barter ... Read more

"The hope of the righteous shall be gladness". Hopes and aspirations can change quite considerably as life goes on. When we think of some of the things we hoped for we wonder where our sense was. Hope can fade - in later years it generally does: to see it fade in a younger person is ... Read more

"Who has determined the course of history? ". God determined history and carried it out. Sending His Son into our world He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. The Incarnation, when God took upon Himself our likeness in the Person of His Only Son, altered the course of history for all time. Men no longer look forward ... Read more

"Search the scriptures". Jesus spoke these words to those who were teachers of the Law and should be fully conversant with Scriptures. They read these Scriptures but not with enlightened vision. So they did not recognise Christ when He came. All men need to be careful they do not treat the Scriptures as an old ... Read more

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down". The faith was in the hearts of Joshua and the Children of Israel who marched around the city day after day for a whole week. They encompassed the city seven times the seventh day, blew their trumpets and shouted with a great shout. Not an arrow was ... Read more

"Great peace have those who love your law". Great peace ensues once a soul recognises God's law, and especially when that soul hears God speaking through His word. The trespasser must always be wary of the landowner catching him, the transgressor of being found out. Neither can ever really be at rest. Religion wherever and ... Read more

"now he commands all men everywhere to repent". These words are taken from the Apostle Paul's sermon on Mars Hill Athens, after he had seen the altar they had erected "to the Unknown God." He told of the true God's dealings with men in time past. Now, since Jesus came, God is looking for those ... Read more

"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged". These were God's words to Joshua and that made all the difference. We are afraid and become discouraged because we do not know and cannot see God's plan. God says "Do not be afraid" because those who follow Him have nothing to fear. Fear will be fuelled ... Read more

"faith as small as a mustard seed". The disciples had asked Jesus to increase their faith. It was as if they thought Jesus was responsible for their level of faith. Jesus put the onus back on them. It is not so much about how much faith we have but rather what we do with the ... Read more

"we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard". You can't keep quiet: what has happened directs your mind and governs your tongue. You know that if God can bless you, He can bless anybody and you tell them so. It has been so wonderful to experience the Lord at work that you ... Read more