<p><b>"the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge".  </b> Just as we each one differ from another, so does the way the Lord chooses to bring us to Himself. It is His dealing with Ruth and her response that makes the Book of Ruth what it is. She was courted ... Read more

<p><b>"everlasting life".  </b> The desire we have to live is clear evidence that death is foreign to our make-up. Yet the moment we are born it has been said that we begin to die. Death and the after-life are topics rarely mentioned - so, folk are quite ignorant of what lies beyond the grave. But ... Read more

<p><b>"be filled with the Spirit".  </b> Only possible if there is an emptiness first - 'swept and garnished' is now a glorious experience through the atoning work of Christ. Those who walk in the Spirit do not fulfil the lust of the flesh. The flesh wars against the Spirit anyway, but the victory Christ gives ... Read more

<p><b>"supposing he had been dead".  </b> Those Satan-inspired fellows made a great mistake when they left Paul for dead, after stoning him. He got up out of the dust and blazed the Gospel trail all the way to Rome. Look at some of Satan's other grave errors. He assumed Jesus was finished when he had ... Read more

<p><b>"Observe the commands of the Lord your God".  </b> We consult a road map when taking a journey and pay attention to signposts erected en route. We read the instruction manual for a new piece of equipment. Why is it then that most people take little or no time to find out what God has ... Read more

"the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit". Those who are born of the Spirit must exhibit the life of the Spirit. In this chapter the Apostle Paul makes it clear that there are numerous ways in which the Spirit may be seen in a life. All have one purpose - ... Read more

"I can see that you are a prophet". We like to think that this is the conclusion reached by all who spent time with Jesus. The way He spoke, His miracles, His very presence was different from any other. But if all we see is a prophet or mouthpiece of the voice of God we ... Read more

"we had sailed slowly many days". Though the leisurely days of sail are long since past for the necessary journeys of life, we do find ourselves in a backwater sometimes and with no power to get out of it quickly. Sickness, sorrow, working for someone else are some of the situations beyond our control. Missed ... Read more

"This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country". This news has now reached every country and been translated into almost every known language and dialect. The Authorised Version uses the word 'rumour' - a word that graphically describes the way men and women gossiped the news - 'Have you heard' they would ... Read more

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you". We have a wealth of testimony upon which we can draw for assessing any situation in which we find ourselves. The Lord has been guiding and blessing His people all down the centuries. When tempted to ask whether the Lord will come to our ... Read more

"go and learn". Some things cannot be appreciated all at once - the truth of them has to sink in or be wrought out in everyday life. Christian faith is an experience not a theorem. Its truth must be taught as a precept but one that needs to be put into practice. Jesus could raise ... Read more

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised". The more you get acquainted with the Lord, the more you desire to praise Him. Drawing near to God brings an awareness of the awe and wonder of His presence. In heaven the Lord is surrounded by the praise and adoration of a heavenly host. On ... Read more

"If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? ". A question asked in all sincerity by a servant of the Lord who was genuinely perplexed. A question only dared to be voiced because Gideon thought he spoke to a man, not an angel - yet the better for being voiced. ... Read more

"this man really is the Saviour of the world". Many may have offered to get this woman out of the mess into which she had fallen: but they were not able even if sincere. Maybe some were even evil in their intentions. Now she had found the Saviour of the world and it was making ... Read more

"The Lord sends poverty and wealth". Two extremes that most of us shun. Poverty is most unpleasant and especially so to those who have known plenty. Wealth is a rather precarious situation - it does not procure the things in life that matter and it brings responsibility that none but a few can properly manage. ... Read more

"if I build again the things which I destroyed". The edifice of sin and rebellion that the selfish heart has erected, sometimes over many years, can be destroyed in a moment. But given time the same evil designs can reappear again. Destroying the works of the Devil does not eradicate his desire to regain a ... Read more

"They all asked, 'Are you then the Son of God? ' ". Some may have asked by way of jest: the religious leaders who apprehended Jesus would be sarcastic. For others it was something to say and none of them really knew the importance of what was taking place. But they all asked: it was ... Read more

"The report I heard … is true". In a society where so-called spin-doctors distort or even deny the truth, it is difficult to know what to believe. Such was the report that reached the ears of the Queen of Sheba that she did not believe it. But her curiosity was aroused and she discovered that ... Read more

"you are precious and honoured in my sight". This is God's word regarding His chosen people of Israel and we know it is the regard He has for all who receive the salvation offered through His Son. In the Book of Revelation we read of the Bride, the Lamb's wife, having a brilliance like that ... Read more

"The bridegroom was a long time in coming". It is two thousand years since Jesus spoke these words in His Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. All these years God the Father is preparing a Bride - the church of Christ - for His Son. Few would have thought the advent of the bridegroom ... Read more

"they shall not be ashamed that wait for me". Waiting can be frustrating in everyday life. It should promote patience but it takes a lot of discipline to turn our times of waiting into times of profit. Waiting upon the Lord is quite different. For one thing, you know He will answer you and come ... Read more

"One sows and another reaps". It has always been that way and our modern and scientific age has made little change. While we sometimes think we see a project through from start to finish, in fact someone else generally gets the benefit from our effort, just as we benefit from the effort of those who ... Read more

"(the man) who finds great delight in his commands". Many find God's commands irksome to do if they attempt them at all. The prevailing wind in so many cases is to go and say and think as we will. Men try to show that life can be lived without bothering God or finding what He ... Read more

"she came behind him". Why did this woman come behind Jesus. Could it be because her faith was so strong that there was no need to confront Him? Her faith was in Jesus. She saw no need to explain her plight; she realised it was unnecessary and it would be humiliating anyway. Almost certainly she ... Read more

"No king is saved by the size of his army". At first you'd think he might be, but any king who thinks so neglects one important factor - God's interest in the matter. You may know the Old Testament story about the king of Syria who found he could never take the king of Israel ... Read more

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them". A distinguishing feature of a united family is that when one suffers, all suffer with them. An affront or insult to one, is an affront or insult to all. So it is with the body of Christ. In our day of shrinking distances and speedy ... Read more

"In the beginning God". And anything that reckons to begin without God is sure to fail. The Bible is the book of the Lord. It reveals the mind of God to the heart of man and is a signpost accurately directing man back to the path from which he has wandered. Our world is God's ... Read more

"God has granted you all those who sail with you". That is, they will not perish in this hurricane. This was part of the promise God gave to His servant Paul when He told him he would reach Rome safely. How many times must those without thought for God receive special favour because of the ... Read more

"he who does not believe the Son shall not see life". Life as we know it now is not the best God has for us. The sorrow and suffering as a result of the sin and evil in the world make that very plain. And then this life is very short. Call it life if ... Read more

"Surely the day is coming". It is the Day of Judgment when punishment will be meted out to the evildoer. This is God's word and it stands in spite of any opinion to the contrary. Unbelief either in God or in His word does not alter the truth. Unbelief only deprives a person of God's ... Read more

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak". Becoming strong in the faith carries with it the responsibility to help weaker brethren. You don't ask a man why he has fallen: you lift him to his feet again. And if you can catch him before he falls and prop him ... Read more

"the speck … the log". Jesus' complaint addressed to His hearers was that they magnified the speck until it was larger than a log and ignored the log to the extent they considered it no more than a speck. This practice has not died out. The speck or blemish in our brother's character so aggravates ... Read more

"They zealously affect you, but not well". Zeal should not be mistaken for truth. Many are keen to lead us astray, usually for their own ends. Some are so enslaved that they seek nothing other than gain for their master, the Devil. You do not need to look far to find those whose keenness has ... Read more

"But what did you go out to see? ". Folk will look at what interests them. The crowd on this hill were there to see or hear any new thing that was going. The inhabitants of Gadara went out to see what was done to the demoniac who lived in the tombs. The mass visitors ... Read more

"only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life". No better analogy of the Great Judgment Day than that the books will be opened. In our age of information technology it should be no surprise to realise that God keeps a record of all that has taken place. The gospel message has been ... Read more