"Be happy and glad". Christ's desire for His followers is that they should be happy and glad. The cause and quality of this happiness is different from that of the world. Many things in this world make a person happy, yet it is limited and transient. The followers of Jesus risk insult, persecution and evil ... Read more
"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me". God knows everything about everybody: nothing is hidden from Him. Every hair on your head is numbered. It is not just detail but knowledge of all that is past, present and yet to happen. God does not predict the future He determines and sets it. Greater still is ... Read more
"they spoke the word of the Lord to him". The meal the apostles had with the jailor and his family after their release from prison was not the most important thing. The jailor bathed the apostles' wounds and necessary though this was, it was not what mattered most. Most important was that they ministered the ... Read more
"he sent them into his vineyard". This world can be likened to the Lord's vineyard. We have not been placed here to dream out our lives in idleness or luxury. We have to dig the soil and sow the seed, be it in time or dedication or sacrifice, if we are to reap an eternal ... Read more
"I will feed them in a good pasture". Sheep of the Great Shepherd are assured of the very best if they will feed where the Lord leads them. Such provision is made irrespective of the distance they had wandered or what persuasion was needed to bring them back. Punishment does not extend to deprivation of ... Read more
"fruitful in every good work". Jesus told His disciples He had chosen and ordained them that they might bring forth fruit. The Apostle Paul's prayer was that fruitfulness should extend to all the good we do. It is God's pleasure to give a measure of fruitfulness in every department of a Christian's life and service. ... Read more
"you have kept the good wine until now". These words spoken by the master of the wedding feast accurately describe the experience of every disciple who walks close beside His Lord. For the Christian, today must be the best yet, though we are assured that better still is yet to come. Use all past experience ... Read more
"But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord". David no doubt thought he had sewn up the matter. The whole thing was over as far as he was concerned. The incident makes a sorry picture of failure and intrigue. Nobody acted honourably except Uriah and he lost his life as a result. David ... Read more
"The Lord is righteous in all his ways". Recognising this truth enables us to accept and thank Him for all He sends and the way He leads. We cannot see far ahead. We need either consciously, as in the case of a believer, or unconsciously in the case of those who do not know the ... Read more
"Enter by the narrow gate". Those seeking the way into the kingdom of heaven make a big mistake when they look for massive pearly gates. These are reserved to hang at the entrances to the New Jerusalem. It is a small gate, easily missed, you should be looking for. Jesus said, 'Few there be that ... Read more