Just Like Ruth

Image of a beautiful woman

There are certain key moments in life when a decision made will transform a life and define a destiny. We often refer to these as “defining moments.” Hua Mulan putting on her aged father’s armor and going in his stead to battle because he was too old to fight; Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat in 1955 to …

The Stoop of Grace (Part 2)

photo of a man praying

The Stoop of Grace (Part 2) Titus 2:11-14 To live soberly, righteously, and godly, the Christian practice is not made up of “don’ts” alone there must be doing good as well as eschewing evil. (CCC HYMN 13 verse 1 line 3) is sincerity proved and the gospel adorned. We should live soberly with respect to ourselves, in the due government …

The Stoop of Grace (Part 1)

Photo image of a man on his knees praying

Titus 2:11-14 In the birth of Jesus, God burst upon our sin-darkened world and the whole drama of God’s redemptive plan for the human race was personified. Here we have the grounds or considerations upon which all the foregoing directions are urged, taken from the nature and design of the gospel, and the end of Christ’s death. From the nature and design …

Don’t worry, Trust God

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In September 1988, the popular hit song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was penned and released by Bobby McFerrin. It was composed in full acapella combined with feel good lyrics and a catchy, whimsical whistling melody. The message of the song is that no matter how unpleasant a situation gets, do not worry and just be happy. While a great classic, …

God Speaks

image of a young woman praying to God

I Kings 19:11-12 When we pray we should be quiet in order to hear the voice of God speaking to us. But how often is God’s voice drowned out by the chaos of our busy lives? God’s manifestation of himself to Elijah, he saw no manner of similitude, any more than Israel did when God talked to them in Horeb. But, he heard a …

A Leap Of Faith

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Luke 1:41, The baby lept in her womb, it is very probable that she had been several weeks quick (for she was six months gone), and that she had often felt the child stir but this was a more than ordinary motion of the child, which alarmed her to expect something very extraordinary, it is the same word that is used in Genesis 25:22 for …

Countermeasures

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I John 4:4-6 In these verses the apostle encourages the disciples against the fear and danger of the seducing anti-Christian spirit. Suffering is a universal language. We can’t escape pain. Plans go wrong. Troubles come. Our bodies wear out. We live in a fallen world, and sometimes the pressure paralyzes us. He assures us of a more divine principle You are …

To See Or Not To See

Image of a person standing in the dark next to a staircase

In Matthew 6:23-24, Jesus turns from the comparative durability of the two treasures to the comparative benefit to be derived from two conditions. The contrast now is between a blind person and a sighted person, and so between the light and darkness in which they respectively live. The eye is the lamp of the body. This is not literal, of …

The Rock in the Lake

ripple on a water surface

Several years ago I watched an episode of Xena, The Warrior Princess and at the final scene of the particular episode, Xena and Gabrielle arrive at a lake. Turning to Gabrielle, Xena said, “See how calm the surface of the water is?…That was me once.” Xena then throws a rock into the lake, both looking at the ripples that formed …

The Rule of Law

An image of rocks piled on top of each other

In 1 Timothy 1:3-11, the fundamental principle that the law is for the lawless applies to every kind of law. For example, the reason we need speed limits is that there are so many reckless drivers on the road. The reason we need boundaries and fences is that it is the only way to prevent unlawful trespass. And the reason …