The renowned novelist, Charles Dickens, pronounced the Biblical story of the “Prodigal Son” [Luke 15] as the best short story ever told. Think of how this story might have ended. The prodigal son might have prospered and remained in the far country. That is what he envisaged when he initially left home. [...]
Devotional "The Lord taketh pleasure in His people." Psalm 149:4 How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people's interests which He does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to Him. Not merely does He think of you, believer, as [...]
“Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” [Genesis 4:26] This is undoubtedly the age of instant communication. In my lifetime, society has gone from the telephone as a domestic novelty to today’s indispensable ‘smart phones’ that seem to govern every moment of every day for many people. World events [...]
Devotional “Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14) Our English word “visit” has come to mean a social call, but not so in the Greek, where it can mean to inspect, to look upon in order [...]
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” [Isaiah 49:16] Recently in our town, some people found a newborn baby stuffed into a bag and left in a doorway to die. Though maternal instinct is proverbially strong, mothers can and do forget their suckling children. And if mother-love can break [...]
Devotional Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Romans 10:1 We tend to regard certain people as being “beyond hope” and assume they must, of necessity, continue in their grooves as they are and die unrepentant and unredeemed. We just shake our heads over [...]
“But now is Christ risen from the dead.” [I Corinthians 15:20] In a dramatic, miraculous event, Paul met Jesus Christ on the Damascus road. So real was the appearance of Christ to him that thereafter he preached Christ crucified and risen from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is the great capstone [...]
Devotional “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1) The wise believer revels in the fact of Christ’s resurrection. Some things in Scripture may be easier to identify with and apply, including Christ’s substitutionary death, but it [...]
Today is Palm Sunday, the day that commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It is normally regarded as a happy day when the people are praising the Lord and shouting their “Hosannas,” which means, “Save, we beseech Thee.” Many of the people thought He was the Messiah. Their interpretation [...]
Devotional “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27 Bearing one’s cross means something quite different from bearing the ordinary burdens and troubles of life. These are common to all men, but the privilege of taking up and carrying the cross is the unique [...]
“The books, but specially the parchments” [II Timothy 4:13] The end is drawing near for God’s valiant servant Paul. He writes his last epistle from Rome, and closes it with a simple request for his cloak to be brought from Troas, along with his books and parchments. In his unconverted days Paul was [...]
Devotional How constantly our Master used the title, the "Son of man!" If He had chosen, He might always have spoken of Himself as the Son of God, the Everlasting Father, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Prince of Peace; but behold the lowliness of Jesus! He prefers to call Himself the Son of [...]
