He remembers we are dust Psalm 103; 13-16 As tenderly as a father treats his children, so Yahweh treats those who fear him; He knows what we are made of, He remembers we are dust. Man lasts no longer than grass, no longer than a wild flower he lives, One gust of wind, and he is gone, never to be seen there again. – The Jerusalem Bible He remembers we are dust. Powerful words and I ask myself, why should He remember? Why should the Continue Reading
New Beginnings
Genesis 15: 1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram. Every day and every hour is a new beginning with God. After a failure we can begin afresh with Him. After a success we need to begin with Him. It makes no difference what the past has contained of failure or success, the present and the future are all with which we need be concerned. The principle of ‘forgetting those things which are behind’ (Phil. 3: 13) is a divine Continue Reading
Ill consequence of betraying a trust – Effects of fidelity
Proverbs 13: 17 17 A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health. Here we have, 1. The ill consequences of betraying a trust. A wicked messenger, who, being sent to negotiate any business, is false to him that employed him, divulges his counsels, and so defeats his designs, cannot expect to prosper, but will certainly fall into some mischief or other, will be discovered and punished, since nothing is more Continue Reading
Get clear first about Him
Revelation 22: 16 I, Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star. The book of the Revelation is the unveiling, the apocalypses, of Jesus Christ. It draws aside the curtain to reveal Him. Its object is not primarily to enlighten us regarding coming events – the antichrist, the supposed revival of the Roman Empire, the rapture of the saints, Continue Reading
Wisdom to be cautious – folly to be rash
PROVERBS 13:16 16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly. Note, 1. It is wisdom to be cautious. Every prudent discreet man does all with knowledge (considering with himself and consulting with others), acts with deliberation and is upon the reserve, is careful not to meddle with that which he has not some knowledge of, not to launch out into business which he has not acquainted himself with, will not Continue Reading
Iran – this is the strategic reality, like it or not
Statesmen in the West are concerned that Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Iran officially denies any such attempt. “We are developing peaceful nuclear power,” they declare. As if to fuel fears and suspicions abroad, the Iranians refuse the kind of oversight that would ensure their program is peaceful. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wonders why the Iranians insist on enriching uranium on their own terms. Why would an oil rich Continue Reading
FITTED FOR SERVICE
2 TIMOTHY 2: 21 [RSV] A vessel for noble use. The worker engaged in rescuing people from the snare of the devil, into the will of God, is the man who has purged himself from all that is ignoble. Timothy’s personal life would make him usable in this rescue work, according to whether he was marked by three essentials, which come in v 22. First, ‘Flee youthful lust.’ Turn your back on them. Run away. Many a good man has fallen at the moral hurdle; Continue Reading
The Old Titans All Collapsed. Is the U.S. Next?
Back in August, during the panic over mortgages, Alan Greenspan offered reassurance to an anxious public. The current turmoil, the former Federal Reserve Board chairman said, strongly resembled brief financial scares such as the Russian debt crisis of 1998 or the U.S. stock market crash of 1987. Not to worry. But in the background, one could hear the groans and feel the tremors as larger political and economic tectonic plates collided. Nine Continue Reading
COMPARE NOT ONLY THE END BUT THE WAY
PROVERBS 13: 15 15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. If we compare not only the end, but the way, we shall find that religion has the advantage; for, 1. The way of saints is pleasant and agreeable: Good understanding gains favour with God and man; our Saviour grew in that favour when he increased in wisdom. Those that conduct themselves prudently, and order their conversation aright in every thing, that Continue Reading