From the Puritan prayer book The Valley of Vision– Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.Let me learn by paradoxthat the way down is the way up,that to be low is to be high,that the broken heart is the healed heart,that the contrite spirit is the rejoic...  Read More

The phrase, “Short and sweet” may apply to the shortest verse in the Bible which says that, “Jesus wept,” John 11:35. How sweet is it to read where the untouchable One was touched? It may also apply to another of the shortest which says, “Pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. This is simple instruction. It is a short and sweet exhortation in the middle of many other short and sweet exhortat...  Read More

If I ever lose my joy in the Lord I’m done for. Ultimately, since my joy is rooted in a life to come that’s been attained for me in Christ (1 Peter 1:4) I cannot actually lose it at all; all I can do is lose a proper perspective on it. In this life joy is fleeting; in heaven joy is not fleeting. The certainty of what’s to come is where my hopes must fully rest. This is a perfect sub-example of bui...  Read More

Romans 8:31 reads, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” The immediate context of the statement is in regard to the salvation of the believer. Because God has eternally predetermined to save an individual (see vv. 29-30) if a person is now living in Christ and walking worthy of such a calling, he or she is to glean direct strength from the understanding tha...  Read More

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” There’s an addendum to this among many today. It’s that while nothing can “snatch” you o...  Read More

At the outset of every letter that we’re certain the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament he uses a phrase that reflects his love for the church. In all 13 letters in the Pauline Corpus, with only slight variation he writes, “…Grace to you and peace from God our Father…” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalon...  Read More