King David in instructing Solomon on building the Temple in 1 Chronicles 28:9 offered this counsel, “know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal (complete, friendly) heart and with a willing mind…If you seek Him He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off […]
There are several times in the Gospels where Jesus had encounters with storms at sea. Keep in mind that two of the things symbolized by the sea are life and people; and some of the things symbolized by storms are adversities, opposition, and difficulties. In Matthew 14:22-23 Jesus sent His disciples on a boat trip […]
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…” that is we have the treasure of Jesus Christ with the light, knowledge, and power He brings within these earthen vessels of clay, which like all vessels made of clay are weak and very fragile. In Romans 7:18 the Apostle said […]
In Ephesians 6 beginning with verse 10 the Apostle guided by the Holy Spirit lays out stipulations for the battle we as God’s children are engaged in. He uses the metaphor of a first century Roman soldier in full battle array pointing to the spiritual counterpart for each piece of armor that we must have […]
In 1 John 5:4 the Spirit of God tells us, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” It is very interesting and helpful to look at some of the Greek words used in the original writing. “Whatever” in verse 4 […]
The inspiration for today’s thoughts comes from Isaiah 26:7-9, “…the desire of our soul is for Your name…With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early…” God has created each of us with three distinct parts, spirit, soul, and body. It is the […]
1 John 2:17 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it.” The world referred to here is not the physical substance upon which we walk and call earth. Rather it is the arrangement or decoration of the age under the domination of Satan, 1 John 5:19 and St. John 14:30. Satan will […]
In addressing different age levels in the church – this should not be understood in regard to physical age, but as to their spiritual maturity – they are commended for their progress in the Lord, 1 John 2:12-14. This is also an incentive to focus on and to continue in this growing maturing process, and […]
In Revelation 2:7, Jesus promises, “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” The first time we see this tree is in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis 2:9, where “…the tree of life also (was) in the midst […]