Esau
for one morsel of meat sold his birthright
Esau
for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Heb. 12:16)
It is often possible to barter lifes best values for a momentary gratification of physical appetite.
That is what Esau did. He had come in from the field tired and hungry. At that mome ... read more
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. (Prov. 14:13)
Nothing is perfect in this life. All laughter is mingled with sorrow. Every diamond has a flaw. Each person has some character defect. In all of life, theres a worm in the apple.
It is good t ... read more
Even so, Father
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. (Matt. 11:26)
In almost everyones life there are things which he never would have chosen, which he would like to be rid of, but which can never be changed. There is the matter of physical impairme ... read more
Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die
Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)
One day some Greeks came to Philip with the noble request, Sir, we would see Jesus! But why did they want to see Him? P ... read more
Father, I have sinned
Father, I have sinned
(Lu. 15:21)
It was not until the prodigal son returned repentant that the father ran out to meet him, fell on his neck and kissed him. It would not have been righteous to administer forgiveness until first there was repentance. ... read more
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (1 Cor. 1:21)
Some in the church in Corinth were trying to make the Gospel intellectually respectable. The ... read more
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom. 8:18)
Taken by themselves, the sufferings of this present time can be appalling. I think of the gruesome suffering ... read more
For now we see through a glass, darkly
For now we see through a glass, darkly
(1 Cor. 13:12)
At few times in our Christian experience is this so evident as when we come to the Lords Table to remember Him in His death for us. We see through a glass, darkly.
There seems to be a thick ... read more
For the equipping of the saints
For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, (Eph. 4:12, NASB)
A revolutionary insight! The gifts in Ephesians 4 are given to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry. As soon as the saints can carry on, the gift can move on.
Th ... read more
For the word of God is living and active
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. (Heb. 4:12a NASB)
A Christian university student was witnessing to another student who was from a liberal seminary. When the believer quoted a verse, the seminarian said, ... read more
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:10)
While it is true, as we have seen on the previous page, that th ... read more
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom. 10:13)
No one can ever really call on the Name of the Lord without being saved. This call of desperate earnestness never goes unanswered. When we get to the end of our own resou ... read more
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Lu. 9:24)
Basically there are two attitudes we believers can take toward our life. We can try to save it or we can purposefully los ... read more
Freely ye have received, freely give
Freely ye have received, freely give. (Matt. 10:8)
Fritz Kreisler, one of the worlds greatest violinists said, I was born with music in my system. I knew musical scores instinctively before I knew my ABCs. It was a gift of Providence. I did not ac ... read more
go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone
go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. (Mt. 18:15b)
Someone has done or said something which has offended you or bothered you in some way. The Bible says to go and tell him his fault, but you dont want to do it; its too difficult.
... read more
God is love
God is love. (I John 4:8).
The coming of Christ brought a new word for love into the Greek languageagape. There was already a word for friendship (philia) and one for passionate love (eros), but there was none to express the kind of love which God s ... read more
God
is rich in mercy
God
is rich in mercy. (Eph. 2:4)
The mercy of God is His pity, lovingkindness and compassion on those who are guilty, failing, distressed or needy. The Scriptures emphasize that God is rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4) and plenteous in mercy (Psa. 86:5). His ... read more
God
knoweth all things
God
knoweth all things. (1 John 3:20)
The omniscience of God means that He has perfect knowledge of everything. He has never learned and can never learn.
One of the great passages on the subject is Psalm 139:1-6, where David wrote: O Lord, thou h ... read more
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psa. 145:3)
The thought of God is undoubtedly the greatest thought that can occupy the human mind. Great thoughts of God ennoble all of life. Small thoughts of God dest ... read more
he began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord
he began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. (Acts 11:23 NASB)
There is an alarming tendency in some Christian circles to fawn over men because they are scholars, even though they are disloyal to the Person of Chris ... read more
He careth for you
He careth for you. (1 Pet. 5:7)
The Bible is fairly full of tokens of Gods marvelous care for His people. During Israels forty-year trek through the wilderness, they ate food from heaven (Ex. 16:4), had an unfailing supply of water (1 Cor. 10:4), a ... read more
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. (Num. 23:21)
The hireling prophet, Balaam, spoke a remarkable truth when he said that the all-seeing God could not see sin in His people, Israel. What was true of Is ... read more
he spake unadvisedly with his lips
he spake unadvisedly with his lips. (Psa. 106:33)
When the people of Israel grumbled about the lack of water at Kadesh, God told Moses that water would flow if he would speak to the rock. But Moses was fed up with the people by now, so he lashed out ... read more
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mk. 16:16)
If this were the only verse in the Bible on the subject, we might justifiably conclude that salvation is by faith plus baptism. But when there ar ... read more
He that believeth shall not make haste
He that believeth shall not make haste. (Isa. 28:16)
In an age of supersonic travel and highspeed communications, in a culture where hurry is the watchword, it brings us up short to learn that haste is seldom used of God in a good sense in the Bible. ... read more
He that is not against us is for us
He that is not against us is for us. (Luke 9:49, 50)
At first this seems to flatly contradict our previous verse, but there is no contradiction. There the Savior was speaking to the unbelieving Pharisees and saying, If you arent for Me, youre agai ... read more
He that is not with me is against me
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (Matt. 12:30)
The Lord Jesus spoke these words concerning the Pharisees. They had just committed the unpardonable sin, attributing His miracles to Beelzebub, t ... read more
He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption
He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.(Gal. 6:8)
No one can sin and get away with it. The results of sin are not only inescapable, they are extremely bitter. Sin may look like a harmless pussy but it eventually devours like a ... read more
he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter
he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter. (Isa. 53:7b)
I once saw a lamb die. It was a most moving, most awful sight.
As it was brought to the place of execution, it looked especially lovable. Children would have loved to cuddle it. The young of ... read more
He will destroy them
He will destroy them
so that you may drive them out and destroy them. (Deut. 9:3 NASB)
In all of Gods dealings with mankind, there is a curious merging of the divine and the human.
Take the Bible, for example. There is the divine Author, and ther ... read more
Hear, ye children
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. (Prov. 4:1)
In the first four verses of Proverbs 4, Solomon describes how good advice can and should be passed down from one generation to another. He tells how his fat ... read more
Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth
Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. (Psa. 12:1)
Faithful people are an endangered species; they are rapidly vanishing from the human race. If David mourned their demise in his day, we often won ... read more
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)
Love is that quality in God which causes Him to lavish unbounded affection on others. His love is manifest in giving good ... read more
His compassions fail not
His compassions fail not, they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. (Lam. 3:22, 23)
God is faithful and true. He cannot lie or deceive. He cannot go back on His word. He is absolutely trustworthy. No promise of His can ever fail.
G ... read more
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Rev. 4:8)
When we speak of the holiness of God, we mean that He is spiritually and morally perfect in His thoughts, deeds, motives and in every other way. He is absolutely free ... read more
How can ye believe
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? (John 5:44)
By these words our Lord indicates that we cannot at the same time seek mans approbation and the approval of God. He also affirms ... read more
How long wilt thou mourn for Saul
How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel. (1 Sam. 16:1)
There comes a time in life when we must stop mourning over the past and get on with the work of the present.
God had rejected Saul from being ki ... read more
Husbands, love your wives
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. (Eph. 5:25)
What does a Christian wife desire in her husband? Her first concern should be with his spiritual life, not with his physical appearance.
He shoul ... read more
I am the Lord; I change not
I am the Lord; I change not. (Mal. 3:6)
The attribute of God which describes Him as changeless is called His immutability. He does not change in His essential being. He does not change in His attributes. He does not change in the principles by which ... read more
I can do all things through Christ
I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. (Phil. 4:13)
It is easy to misunderstand a verse like this. We read it and immediately think of hundreds of things that we cannot do. In the physical realm, for instance, we think of some ridi ... read more
I dwell among mine own people
I dwell among mine own people. (2 Kings 4:13)
A prominent woman in Shunam showed hospitality to Elisha whenever he passed that way. Eventually she suggested to her husband that they build an extra bedroom so that the prophet would have his own room. ... read more
I have been crucified with Christ
I have been crucified with Christ. (Gal. 2:20 NASB)
When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He died not only as my Substitute; He died also as my Representative. He died not only for me but as me. When He died, there is a real sense in which I died. A ... read more
I will not eat until I have told my errand
I will not eat until I have told my errand. (Gen. 24:33)
Just as Abrahams servant had a sense of urgency in connection with his mission, so should we. This does not mean we must race around in all directions at once. It does not mean that we must do ... read more
If any man defile the temple of God
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Cor. 3:17)
In this verse, the temple of God refers to the local assembly. Paul is not speaking to individual Christians but to believer ... read more
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17)
Todays English Version translates the first part of this verse, Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know
It is a ... read more
If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. (Rom. 11:6 NASB)
When a person gets grounded early in the doctrine of grace, he saves himself from a host of problems in later life. It is so basic to under ... read more
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches. (Luke 16:11)
Unrighteous mammon here refers to earthly riches or material treasures. No illusion is more prevalent than that the man who ... read more
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9)
This favorite Gospel verse zeroes in on the two basic truths that are so hard for fallen ma ... read more
If we confess our sins
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Without the assurance of this verse, it would be practically impossible to go on in the Christian life. As we grow in gra ... read more
If ye ask anything in my name
If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:14)
God answers prayer. He answers it exactly the same way we would if we had infinite wisdom, love and power. Sometimes He gives us what we want, sometimes He gives us something better, but alway ... read more
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