"shall be saved". Call upon the name of the Lord - in faith, of course, otherwise it is not a sincere call - and you will be saved. It is a present hope of a future salvation - saved from the wrath to come - and a present experience of sin forgiven. No longer condemned ... Read more

"And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went". King David's life was a busy one. In an age that in many respects is far removed from ours, he busied himself about the Lord's business. Yet in his energetic campaigns to subdue his enemies he did not lose the blessing of communion with the Lord. The ... Read more

"Your word, Lord, is eternal". God's Word is eternal - not the pages of the Bible, but the revealed counsel and plan of God found in the Bible and conveyed to us by the Spirit of God. Those who will not accept what they cannot see are devoid of faith and miss God's blessing in ... Read more

"treasure hid". The kingdom of heaven is like hidden treasure because men are meeting it every day, yet do not know it. There are some who appreciate something of the wonder heaven must hold yet do not know where to begin looking for it. From others it is hidden by what seems like scales over ... Read more

"The Lord was ready to save me". Hezekiah had let his life get into a mess. Perhaps not so noticeable on the outside, but enough for God to give him notice to put things in order. For this reason Hezekiah called on God to save him. The Lord mercifully did so, with the result that ... Read more

"rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you". There is great strength and blessing in recognising what the Lord has done for you. Moses was instructed by God to bring this truth before the Children of Israel and to rejoice is what God's Word would have us do in ... Read more

"And this is eternal life". Man has been created with both the desire and propensity to live. Most people do not want to die. Man knows he must die, but he thinks about that as little as he can! This zest for living displays itself in a number of ways. One aspect is the way ... Read more

"feed me with the food that is needful for me". A glance at the first part of this verse from the Words of Agur will show that he asked to have neither poverty nor riches. Both can be equally damaging. The writer wanted the Lord to give him just that diet that would enable him ... Read more

"David perceived that the Lord had established him king". David had been both hero of the people and hounded by the monarch since he left the sheepfold. He had led a band of crooks and debtors who came to serve under him in the wilderness and for a year or so had gone over with ... Read more

"Neither was there any among them that lacked". These words obviously apply to material comforts. When the number making up the Early Church was small this was the case. Today the picture is somewhat different though persecution in some parts makes brethren glad to adopt the same policy. Christians are today scattered around the world ... Read more

"who loves to be first". Diotrephes became the cause of much upset within the local Church because of this unchecked desire. The way of the world is to push oneself, trample on others and shout the loudest - if you want to succeed. But things are different in Christ's kingdom. Those wanting to be great ... Read more

"We'll go with you". Not always the wise thing to say, for even the best can be misguided and to go with them would be a mistake. On the other hand companionship, especially when it is extended to those who are cast down, is a kindness. It was when the other disciples agreed to go ... Read more

p>"Even those who challenge God escape". There are those who deliberately flout God's laws and seem to get away with it. As Malachi said, 'the evildoers prosper', whilst those who do right often suffer oppression and hardship. You may have experienced this sort of injustice personally or with someone close to you. The cry of ... Read more

"Why this waste? ". The disciples confused hoarding with saving, and using with wasting, when they made this unkind remark about the woman who poured her flask of costly fragrant oil upon their Master. What use is the most treasured and valuable possession stored away? Its only real use is that when the opportunity arises ... Read more

"too wonderful". The Psalmist cannot find words that adequately describe the Lord and what He has done for him. First, he tries to describe how the Lord knows all about him. Then he shows us how impossible it is to flee from the Lord - He is in the uttermost parts of sea and earth, ... Read more

"I am better off dead than alive". Have you ever heard such nonsense? - and from a prophet of the Lord, too! Yet Jonah has not been the last to adopt this attitude. He, like many others since, did not get his own way in the path God had chosen for him and so became ... Read more

"now they have no excuse for their sin". Modern translations use the word 'excuse' for cloak or covering. Jesus is teaching that His coming swept away any excuse man felt he was able to make for his sin. There is no excuse for the sinner continuing that way because Jesus' blood cleanses from all sin. ... Read more

"and increasing in the knowledge of God". The Christian life is a progression and ever moving forward. Not least in this advance is an increase in the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is the greatest of sciences. Those seeking after God are ever discovering new areas: their path is strewn with blessing at ... Read more

"they came to Elim". The place called Elim to which the children of Israel came shortly after they left Egypt in what was to be 40 years' wandering in the desert speaks of 1. refreshment and never ending supply - there were twelve springs of water 2. peace and safety - seventy palm trees provided ... Read more

rehearse the matter before Him when you come in prayer. Neither does it mean that our heavenly Father will give us what we need without having to ask Him. In fact the New Testament clearly states that we do not receive because we do not ask. It does mean that there is something more important ... Read more

"in him we live, and move, and have our being". Our every breath is given by Him! Many would like to pursue a course through life independent of Him. Yet by saying they do not believe He exists in no way do they remove the truth of their dependence upon Him. The knowledge that He ... Read more

"in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion". In the world of sport, "pavilion" is associated with the field of play. Life can be likened to a field of play and can be very tough for the players. The more rough the game, the more the player appreciates the pavilion to ... Read more

"when Jesus saw great multitudes". Many measure success according to the size of the multitude. But the motive behind the assembling of the great multitude on this occasion is important. In the previous verse we read that Jesus had healed all who came to Him. When He saw the crowd increasing in number He gave ... Read more

"As the offering began, singing to the Lord began". These words describe the time when Hezekiah restored the temple and its offices that had fallen into disrepair during the reign of Ahaz. There was a personal sanctifying of the Levites and a thorough cleansing of the temple building and the offerings ordained by God began ... Read more

"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

"The spirit of Elijah is resting upon Elisha". This was how the company of the prophets described the transference of power from one to the other when Elijah was taken up into heaven. These words tell us that God has His chosen vessels ready to fill every vacancy that occurs when a servant of the ... Read more

"your sorrow shall be turned into joy". Jesus does not promise His followers exemption from sorrow. He does promise that whatever sorrow they experience will be turned into joy. It is a mistake to assume that if you walked closer to the Lord you would have no cause for sorrow: likewise it is wrong to ... Read more