Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer...let your requests be made known unto God – Philippians 4:6Prayer is the means God has given us for unburdening our souls. This is important to consciously, biblically affirm. Otherwise, we may feel weighed down with anxiety, with guilt, with …
The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own – Acts 4:32 This picture of the early Christian church shows, in a nutshell, the source of their power to impact the world around them. First, they …
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God – Ephesians 5:21 In the very same sentence in which Paul has just admonished us to be filled with the Spirit (v.18), he then gives the striking command to submit to each other in the fear of God. The demand is remarkable because of the image …
Thou shalt teach [these words] diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up – Deuteronomy 6:7 God could hardly have given us a more vivid illustration of thorough teaching, …
Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths – Psalm 25:4 The psalmist assumes two things in his short, but potent, prayer. First, he assumes that God has a way, a path, for him to take. God has an opinion about his life and he needs to know what it is. He realizes that God is interested in the …
The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord – Isaiah 29:19 Meekness is not a momentary decision, but a way of life. Someone has described biblical meekness as “putting the bit in your own mouth and handing the reigns over to God.” It is an humble attention, and receptivity, to the will of …
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving – Colossians 4:2 Two commands are given in this short directive from the apostle Paul: continue and watch. First, we are to continue, or persevere, in daily and fervent prayer to God. But as we do continually pray, Paul reminds us, we must …
The Lord God…forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty – Exodus 34:6-7 We are here informed of two attributes of God which seem to be completely contradictory. On the one hand, he is described as forgiving. No matter what the transgression, no matter …
Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever – Revelation 5:13 Listen to yourself. This is you, being quoted by the apostle John, as he views the final judgment of the world and the triumphant return of Jesus Christ. At …
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross – Colossians 2:14 Two things must not be missed: first, Jesus is the one doing the nailing at the cross. While it is true that he allowed the Roman soldiers …