“Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12) Pride is the root of all sin. King David knew pride and sin well. We too know it well. But David was also a man after God’s own heart, and in time, whenever he found himself out of God’s will, he eventually made his way … Read More
It seems we live in a day in which we increasingly consider God’s Word to be true and authoritative only as long as it agrees with our own opinions and understanding. Many complain that they cannot relate or understand God when it comes to those issues that “blow our minds”… Divine sovereignty and human choice is one … Read More
Bert Lewis, faithful and gifted writer for Live and Proclaim Ministries sent this article in late June. It was to be the ministry website article for July. A long list of unexpected responsibilities, commitments, travel, and other issues developed in July so I suspended posting on Live and Proclaim until August. God knew the perfect timing for this article. During the last … Read More
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you fail to meet the test” (2 Corinthians 13:5) The Corinthian church was a challenging one for the apostle Paul. Some in the Corinthian church mistook his teaching … Read More
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians … Read More
As Easter approaches, I am reminded that there are people and even some churches that deny or downplay the necessity of a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. There seems to be an increasing tendency to deny the necessity of the cross for salvation. I suppose if we could, we might choose another way; … Read More
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace…” (2 Timothy 2:22) When Timothy read the letters Paul wrote to him, do you think ever asked himself, “Doesn’t he think I know that”? After almost twenty years of ministering together, one would think Paul wouldn’t need to repeat to Timothy instruction that should … Read More
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3 Several times a year as a part of the Sunday worship service at my church, we have Parent-Child Dedication. It is a time for our congregation to celebrate with families who have added children to their homes through … Read More
“Train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7) “No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his life, but just as surely no one will attain it without effort on his own part.” In his book, The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges uses an illustration of a farmer to support this quote. … Read More
“In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation” (Psalm 5:3 NIV) Psalm 5 is considered a lament. The primary function of a lament is to ask the Lord for help in a troubling situation. King David had many situations that troubled … Read More