Focus Passage, Sunday, Feb. 2: Matthew 11:12 'The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.' In John Bunyan's famous allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress, the reader discovers early in the travels of Christian, the Pilgrim, that he arrives at the house of the Interpreter. At one point in his travels, he encounters a grave person who name w...

Weeks Focus Passage: Matthew 10:16 'Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.' We wish to consider the direction that our Lord Jesus has given to His church as He sent out His twelve disciples. He has informed them, in this passage from Matthew, that they are being sent out into a dangerous world. He sent them forthas sheep in the midst of wolves.He fu...

Psalm 119'O How Love I Thy Law! It Is My Meditation All The Day' In our Scripture reading schedule for this week, we find the texts from Psalm 119 to include verses 41-104. While it is frequently noted that apart from only two particular verses in this, the 11 9th Psalm, the word of God is referred to in every other single verse, so that it is to be expected, and no surpr...

1 Kings 13:18'But he lied unto him.' When we read this somewhat disturbing narrative in the book of 1 Kings and the 13th chapter, we come away with many questions upon our minds as well as our hearts; not the least of which is 'who was this man of God'? The narrative begins for us with a simple pronouncement regarding his appearing, when it tells us; And, behold, there c...

Ephesians 1:4'He chose us in him from before the foundation of the world.' Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: even as he chose us in him from before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him, in love having foreordained us unto ...

Psalm 116:15'Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of his saints.' David has, in his songs and prayers that have been recorded and preserved in the book of Psalms, made frequent references to death, both the death of the righteous as well as the death of the unrighteous. Most notable of the latter, perhaps, is found in the 49th psalm, in the provocative language o...

Galatians 1:6'A different gospel.' The devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And he is well able, we are informed, to transform himself into an angel of light. His fervent desire and plan is to take down the King of glory, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. In order to bring this about, he exercises the fullness of his duplicity and hatred a...

This Week's Focus Passage: Psalm 100 'All people that on earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.' The inspired heading of this popular psalm states that it is, 'A Psalm of Thanksgiving,' 'A Psalm for the Thank-offering.' One of the greatest privileges of the believer is that privilege of offering thanksgiving and praise unto the Lord for all His mercies. ...

Matthew 4:10'Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God.' This passage is conspicuous as the narration of 'The Temptation' of Jesus by the Devil. It is most worthy of notice that Satan chose to make this attempt [no pun intended] immediately after His baptism by John, of which we may read: Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan un...

Matthew 1:21'For it is he that shall save his people from their sins.' The entire pericope actually begins with an angel's appearance unto Joseph, at vs. 20, where we do well to listen to all that was spoken unto Joseph, the betrothed of Mary: Butwhen he thought on these things [being minded to put her away], behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, say...