“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” (I Kings 18:21) According to the word of Elijah to King Ahab, God had withheld rain, causing a great drought in Israel. Three years had passed, and Ahab was seeing Elijah’s face for the first time since the message of judgement was delivered. “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” These are the words with which the King greeted th

“Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands

“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:23) In every believer there are two principles, and they are at war with each other. The Christian is therefore a great riddle to those who observe him, and he is equally an enigma to himself. “He is discerned of no man,” not even of himself. In considering this confession of the Apostle Paul, Spurgeon remarked, “I quest

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (I Peter 1:7) This epistle is addressed to believers in general, who are strangers in every city or country where they live. Due to their allegiance to God and His Son, they are treated as foreigners on earth because they are “not of this world.” No matter if they have lived in the

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.” (II Peter 2:9, 10a) The Lord’s ability to deliver His own is not mere theory, but a demonstrated reality confirmed across the sweep of redemptive history. God has never been outmaneuvered by the complexity of our trials or overwhelmed by the opposition w

“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14) Jesus is currently traveling around Judea, preaching, prophesying, and making disciples, who were then baptized by His followers. As is tradition, the Pharisees in Judea were not happy with this

“These things write I unto thee…that thou mayest know how thou oughest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (I Timothy 3:14, 15) Paul’s assertion here may seem somewhat counterintuitive considering that the Church is built upon the truth. The Church’s Founder, Who is “full of grace and truth,” and is Himself the truth, stated that His purpose for coming into this world was to “bear witness unto the

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Ecclesiastes is the third of the Bible’s four wisdom literature books and probably the most unique among them, in terms of writing. Unlike the others, the whole book is one continued discourse or sermon transcript which consists not just of words, but of actual solid matter and important teaching. The author of the book is Solomon. The

"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) “As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.” (John 18:6) The place is the Garden of Gethsemane, and the occasion is our Lord’s betrayal. A mob with orders from the high priest has come to seize Him. Judas steps forward and places the pre-arranged identifying kiss of betrayal on His cheek. Peter

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) The fear of the Lord is the principle of true piety or devotion to His cause above all, and as I’ve said before, this “fear” describes the concept of reverence or obedience to God, resulting in worship and service. Not a servile fear of punishment, hell, wrath, or damnation, but a humble fear of respect. We respect God as a father; His power, His love, and His forgiv

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24) “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death:…for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrew 11:5) In Hebrews 11, which is sometimes referred to as “the Faith Chapter,” first mentioned are “the elders” (Vs. 2) or the “ancients.” Abel, Enoch, and Noah are all entries taken from the antediluvian period. These, as all others who are named, are witnesses t

“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.” (Proverbs 12:1) This verse purports that those who strive to attain knowledge (whether it be Biblical or general), will delight in the instructions given to them. This person will yearn to bear the fruits of their training or instruction. Those who seek to stomp out these convictions in themself or others are akin to a dumb brute beast, completely devoid of sense. The difference between man a

“…and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper and the nether springs.” (Joshua 15:18-19) To even the most avid student of biblical history a continuous list of geographical boundaries can make for rather tedious and wearisome reading, their importance notwithstanding. Therefore, to come upon something like the account of Caleb’s daughter, and her re

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?“ (John 11:25-26) Lazarus of Bethany, a devout follower of Christ, had fallen sick and was nearing death. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus and explained how their brother was ill and would pass quickly if He didn’t hurry. They refer to their brother as “he whom

“In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.” (Isaiah 54:8) Whatever is promised in this chapter belongs to all who are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet concludes the chapter by saying, “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” (Vs. 17) The matchless promises, assurance, and blessings are the property

“Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13) Currently in Acts, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. Paul had heard warnings for months not to go there; the Christians in Tyre and Caesarea specifically warned him. Once the prophet, Agabus, came down from Judea to meet them at Philip’s house, where he also warned him, even Paul’s own followers began

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) Jesus first rescued Peter from sinking into the water, and then He asked this question: “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” He did not begin His dealings with Peter’s emergency with censure and inquiry. When a brother is in trouble, let us first help him out, then we can reprove him for having gotten himself into it, if it seems ne

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1) In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, he seeks to confront them and address their issues, as any successful head coach would. Scripture was originally written without chapter divisions, and thus, this verse is best understood to conclude Paul's thoughts in chapter ten. So, in 10:33, Paul described his desire to please everyone in everything he does. Paul did not mean that pleasing other peop

“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.” (Acts 27:23, 24) Paul was put into a ship, - into a ship among thieves and other criminals, - into a ship among sailors and soldiers, who were not known as the best of men in those days, but he was put there for their good. This we can lay down as a general theory, that there

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) The Holy Spirit, in His character as a witness, not only bears witness for Christ, but He also witnesses to the children of God. This He has made clear in His Word: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself...” (I John 5:10) “Hereby know we that dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” (I John 4:13) “Who hath also sealed us, an