"you, O Lord my God, brought me back from the depths alive". Jonah's experience is a sign of Jesus' resurrection from the grave - back from the depths to newness of life. It is also a picture of salvation - man has sunk to the depths of despair for his sin and rebellion but God ... Read more
"out of her poverty". You are never so poor that you have nothing to give to the Lord. This lady proves this to be true. It can be easy to say that if only we had more we would give more to God. The reality is that we'd probably be like the rich people who ... Read more
"I have placed my cause in your hands". Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet but could equally well be described as suffering and brave! He was ridiculed and scorned so much because he spoke God's message to the people, that at one point he said he was going to cease. But God's message was ... Read more
"David ran quickly towards the battle line to meet him". Some possible reasons why David ran to kill the giant, Goliath: 1. He wanted to get on with what God had given him to do. 2. He knew the sooner that job was done the sooner the Lord would be glorified and the enemies put ... Read more
"a reason of the hope that is within you". That hope is of eternal life and salvation through faith in Jesus and the reason for that hope you should be ready and prepared to give to any who ask you. In so many cases we are afraid to testify to our faith when in a ... Read more
"the half of my goods I give to the poor". Zacchaeus had obviously heard about Jesus but he had not had a personal encounter. He wanted to see Jesus and did so from the branches of the tree he climbed. Now Jesus was going to his house: it was to be life-changing. Once in the ... Read more
"they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away". They 'burned them' as the AV says. Some things that are left to you are a snare and a hinderance and this is the best treatment to give them. Anything that detracts you from doing God's will is not worth storage space. ... Read more
"Sing unto the Lord a new song". You can only do this when you have a new heart, for the song of the Lord is known only by the children of the Lord. It is the song of the forgiven sinner. The song of praise for what the Lord has done is a refrain known ... Read more
"The woman said to him, 'I know the Messiah is coming' ". Until she met Jesus, the woman in Samaria lived in a 'one day it will happen' world. Many are like her today. She knew the Messiah was coming, but it seemed too far ahead to really affect her. And the very One to ... Read more
"we are not carrying on a worldly war". But we are fighting, all the same. The Christian wrestles with principalities and spiritual forces of evil that are attacking his own life and also hindering the success of his testimony affecting the lives of others. Those who hold there is nothing to being a Christian could ... Read more