An Overcoming Love from Heaven
“Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head” (Psalm 21:3, KJV). At first glance, this verse by David is a bit puzzling. The word ‘prevent’ is usually associated with a hindrance, yet the biblical word for “prevent” signifies a completely different meaning. It means “to…
How the Spirit Brings Joy
The Holy Spirit drives out all fear from us — fear of failing beyond redemption, of being cut off from God, of losing the presence of the Holy Spirit — by implanting his joy in us. We are to go forth rejoicing as David did, because God has assured us that we will prevail. So…
Is My Heart Critical or Discerning?
Criticism is not one of the fruits of the Spirit. Being a critic is for people who go to movies and get paid to write things in newspapers. Being critical or judgmental of other believers is a mentality that only limits you. There are times when we notice that something is different about others and…
Being Brought to Christ
The Lord has great joy that the cross has provided us with open access to himself. Indeed, the most glorious moment in history was when the temple veil was rent in two on the day that Christ died. At that moment, the earth trembled, the rocks split and the graves were opened. It was at…
The Welcome of the Father
Jesus told the parable of the prodigal as a teaching tool to get across a great truth. This parable is not only about forgiveness of a lost man. Even more so, it is about the delight of the father who greets his son. You know the story. A young man took his portion of his…
The Good and Bad Fears
A young man was given a job at the local zoo, and one day the zookeeper came to him and said, “I need you to go clean out the lion’s cage.” The young man looked at the zookeeper and said, “No, sir.” The zookeeper insisted, “You’ll be safe. This lion is tame, and it’s been…
The Father’s Delight
There are two sides to Christ’s work at Calvary. One side is to the benefit of man, and the other side is to the benefit of God. One benefits the sinner, while the other benefits the Father. We are well acquainted with the benefit on the human side. The cross of Christ has provided us…
Longing for Our Heavenly Home
I confess to you that there is one thing I fear more than any other thing in my life: the sin of covetousness, a love for the things of this world, a lust for more and better material possessions. Covetousness has enslaved the hearts of many Christians. People can’t seem to get enough, and their…
Living Out the Gospel
Here’s one of the most frustrating passages of scripture for me: “Behold, a man from the crowd cried out, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him…. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered,…
Don’t Go Without Full Instructions
Let’s go to Exodus 4. Moses has seen this burning bush and talked with God. Shoes have come off; he’s standing on holy ground; he’s seen two miracles. Now God gives him an assignment to go back to Egypt, and now the 80-year-old senior citizen is about to go into the journey of his life…