The genuineness of faith is proven by difficulties. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “the trial of your faith” (KJV) the Greek word here means “testing”, and the NKJ says “genuineness”. Peter here alludes to gold which is one of the most enduring metals, yet it must be refined by fire to remove impurities and prove its […]
God was the world’s first Gardner when He “planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” Genesis 2:8. The garden was apparently man’s home, and it produced everything he needed to sustain him, verse 9. In turn man was also to become a Gardner with the commission […]
The Bible compares our life to that of a flower, and there are flowers for every season; as the springtime breaks upon the earth it brings with it an abundance of beauty and fragrance. In a similar manner as Christ breaks forth in our life we are called to bring forth His beauty and fragrance […]
In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus teaches us about His return, likening it to a Hebrew marriage. The betrothal had been made, then during the engagement period the bride stayed at home with her parents and prepared her trousseau while the groom went to prepare a home for them. Jewish weddings usually took place at night, beginning […]
Psalm 121 begins with “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help” KJV. The punctuation in this version may be a little misleading; I rather like the ESV “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” What was in the Psalmists mind when […]
Perhaps Psalm 23 is the best known chapter in the Bible. It compares the loving care and provision of Father God to His children with that of a shepherd caring and providing for his sheep. He leads the sheep to places where every need they may have is supplied. The phrase ”He restores my soul” […]
Sorrow Turned Into Joy Following the death of a loved one there is great sadness and sorrow among family and close friends. It was no different when Jesus died, even though He had tried to forewarn them and tell them He would rise again (John 16:16-24; Mark 8:31) they had failed to grasp and fully […]
In Psalm 23:6 the Amplified Bible says, “… through the length of days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.” This could possibly be applied to eternity, but I think the application is for this life. So how do I enter into His holy presence? There is only one […]
Have you noticed the beauty of the flowers, and the lovely fragrances with which they fill the air? So exquisite and versatile that they grace weddings and banquet tables; they are sent to bring cheer and hope to sick rooms; and they appear in the time of death to bring comfort and uplifting to those […]
The Resurrection of Jesus was an essential part of God’s redemptive plan and work, occurring on “the first day of the week”, Matthew 28:1-8. The first day of the week is the eighth day of the weekly cycle, and the number eight in the Scripture is associated with new beginning. The Old Testament era of […]