“And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” (Acts 27:22-25) At this point in chapter 27, Paul and his constitue

“And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.” (I Kings 5:17) Solomon began the building of the Temple of God at the foundation. With this unseen but vital part of the structure he spared no expense or effort, but laid great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones. This house, when finished, would be one of the great wonders of all time. People of rank would make long and arduous journeys to see t

“There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.” (I Kings 8:9) At this point in the book of I Kings, the dedication of the Temple built by Solomon is detailed. Earlier, Solomon made clear his desire to build the house his father, David, had intended to build for the Lord. David was unable to construct this house because of the wars o

“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (I Corinthians 15:8-10) In this chapter, Paul emphasizes to the church that believing the Go

“And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.” (Mark 16:2-4) These devout women were on their way to the tomb to perform that loving service for which they had before made preparation but had to postpone due to the Sabbath. When

“And they called Rebeckah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” (Genesis 24:58) “This man” in the text is Abraham’s servant, whom he had sent on an extremely important mission. This trusted servant was to go to the country from where Abraham came, and to his kindred, and take a wife unto his son, Isaac. (Vs. 1-4) The errand could not have been more weighty, for in Isaac would the covenant seed be called. (Rom. 9:7) The fulfillment of the

“My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:” (Proverbs 6:20-23) Proverbs is all about passing on wisdom from father to son. Physically, of course, f

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1, 3a) James’ askes, “What is your life?’ To James’ point, life is very fleeting, “It is even as a vapour, that appeareth for a little time.” (James 4:14) Truly life is brief and passing quickly, nevertheless it is God’s most precious gift. Sadly, this most precious gift is various

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:” (Amos 8:11) The book of the prophet Amos chronicles the coming judgment Israel had incurred under King Jeroboam II, who led them into social apathy and the worship of Canaanite gods, all of which resulted in rampant injustice and neglect of duty. God couldn’t take it anymore and used the Prophet to deliver Hi

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34) Our Lord placed great emphasis on brotherly love, and for good reason. Love for the brethren is seen as sure proof that we have truly passed from death to life. (I John 3:14) Through His Apostle we are exhorted to “Let brotherly love continue.” (Heb. 13:1) This is more than affection; it is love in action. It entertains strangers. “Be not forgetful

“How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?” (Exodus 10:3) Pharoah is the quintessential proud man, i.e., his prefect type and image. With the very mention of his name, our minds immediately recall his arrogant response to Moses’ initial appeal to let God’s people go: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” Pharoah, as an abusive, oppressive despot with almost unlimited power and authority, who had become intoxicated with the “worship” of his subjects, me

“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.” (Proverbs 4:4-6) The book of Proverbs explores what it means to truly live well in God’s world, offering practical advice for readers of all ages. Chapter 4 is a fatherly exhortation from Solomon, urging

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19:25, 26) When the faith of a child of God is desperately tried it falls upon the truth and justice of God. Saints, when in dark times have been led to great discoveries of comfort. Here Job found an argument for his own comfort. If he should die under slander from his accusers, he was certain

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (II Corinthians 12:10) The Corinthian church is currently directionless. They were fighting with each other, as well as with the apostle who had planted the church. Paul wrote this deeply personal and emotional letter to reaffirm their relationship. This epistle followed a particularly painful visit and a severe le

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14) Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi sometime between AD 60 and 62, during his first Roman impriso

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children...” (Ephesians 1:5) “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) The evangelical doctrine of adoption, which coincides with justification at one point, and with regeneration at another is, in a sense, the crown and glory of God’s redemptive plan. The admission of fallen, sinful men through the grace of adoption

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal. 4:4, 5) “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” (Eph. 1:5) The word “adoption” comes from a root, which means, “the placing of a son.” It came to mean what it still means with us, namely, the transfer from one family to another, a

“Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.” (Song of Solomon 8:14) The Song of Songs describes the love of Jesus Christ to His people, and it ends with an intense desire on the part of the Church that the Lord Jesus should come back to her. The last word of the bride to her beloved one is “Speed your return, make haste and come back.” Is it not striking that as the last verse in this Book of Love sounds this note, so

“Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.” (Jeremiah 15:19) The discussion between Jeremiah and the Lord in Chapter 15 occurs during the inevitable decline of Judah, before the Babylonian exile. If you remember, we previously discussed how this punishment served as the conseq