The Sword of the LORD

"And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.  And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord.  Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.  But they, when they were departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country." (Matthew 9:27-31).                                             This simple story from the gospel of Matthew reveals some profound truths about faith.  Yes, it is the record of a notable miracle that our Lord performed on two blind men centuries ago, but it also teaches us principles which will enable miracles to take place in our lives today.    The two men in this story were blind.  Their need was more apparent than those who followed Jesus and

I discovered this poem years ago and want to share it with you.  It has served as a compass to me when things in my life are difficult, and God's purpose seems obscure.  I hope you find as much comfort in it as I have over the years.  God Knows What He’s About   When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, and skill a man, When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart To create so great and bold a man That all the world might be amazed, Watch His methods; watch His ways.   How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects! How He hammers him and hurts him And with mighty blows converts him                                                     Into trial shapes of clay That only God understands, While his tortured heart is crying, And he lifts beseeching hands! How He bends but never breaks When his good He undertakes. How He uses whom He chooses, And with every purpos

In three of the Gospels the story is recorded inwhich a man came to Jesus and asked Him, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).   To this man, the question was all about doing good things to obtain salvation.  He was obviously very proficient at doing good things already because, when Jesus told Him to keep the commandments, and spelled them out for him, this man said that he had kept them all since he was a child.  For all his good works, however, he still was in doubt about the condition of his soul.   Many folks today have placed their hopes for Eternity in the quality and quantity of “good things” that they have done in their lives.  Sadly, many who confess Christianity fall into the same trap.  They have been churched all their lives, and tried to keep the commandments, and perhaps been quite successful, but yet they feel an emptiness in their soul.  They know in their hearts that there is something more that they are not experiencing of

"And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27).   "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible ." (Mark 10:27).   The laws of God are difficult to keep.  For all of the miracles that God showed to Israel, they still failed miserably in following His ways.  Repeatedly He would deliver them from the bondage that came as a result of their bad choices, and repeatedly they would disobey His instructions again and wind up in a worse state.  In the fullness of time, God sent His own Son, Jesus, to reveal the truth to the world, and lead men to salvation.  His message was not what many expected, however.  His teachings turned that which was difficult into that which was downright impossible!   Jesus told the folks who had gathered on the mount to hear Him speak that unless their righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees (the relig

"And he fell upon his face at His feet, giving Him thanks." (Luke 17:16a).   As Americans gather together this week with their families and friends to enjoy turkey, pumpkin pie, and other traditions, I hope, more than anything else, that they will take the time to reflect on God's mercy and grace in their lives.  This holiday affords many people the opportunity to be reminded of God's goodness, but we Christians should not need a reminder.  Our hearts should be full continually with love and appreciation for the One Who has blessed our lives so richly.   The story of the ten lepers in Luke 17 illustrates a valuable lesson about being thankful.  Jesus graciously healed all ten lepers, but only one, when he realized that he had been made whole, returned to give God the glory, and to thank the Savior Who had touched his life.  It was no superficial "thank you" either: he fell down upon his face at Jesus feet, thanking Him with all his heart.  The other

(The following is an article that I first published in the mid-1970's.   I have edited it somewhat and now present it to you 40 years later.   It is somewhat long, but the message is still very much alive and needed in our day.   Hope it ministers to your spirit.) "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."  (Isaiah 48:10)   "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."  (Malachi 3:3)   Once we, as Christians, have submitted our lives to our heavenly Father, He begins a process of purging and purifying, of training and chastening, which is meant to remove from us all self-will, and transform us into the image of Jesus our Savior.  There is one word which I think best describes this process and the effect that it has on the individual that is exerc

"For no man can lay any foundation other than the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; his work will be shown for what it is: for the day will bring it to light, because it will be tested by fire; and the fire will reveal the quality of each man’s work of what sort it is." (1 Corinthians 3:11-13 KJV-2011).   We Christians have all been placed as individual members of the body of Christ.  Just as our natural bodies are made up of many unique members that work together in perfect union and harmony to accomplish a multitude of specific tasks, so also is the body of Christ.  Jesus Christ Himself is the head of this body, and He directs the activities of every single member by His Holy Spirit.  Not one member is unnecessary: each one has his proper function in the body, and without that member the body would be crippled.  If I were a foot, I shouldn't say that I am not

“And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, mine own hand hath saved me.” (Judges 7:2).   “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).   The enemies of Israel had once more beaten them down very low when God began to call Gideon to be His agent of change.  Gideon’s faith was tentative at best and required some encouragement, but he was willing to do what he was asked to do.  God wanted him to be an example of faith and obedience to the people of Israel who had fallen away from serving God.  When he blew the trumpet to call the people to arms, 32,000 men came up to fight!  This was not a bad army with which to face the Midianites.  God thought otherwise.  He told Gideon he h

As the air grows warmer, and the trees begin to clothe themselves in greenery, I am reminded of the perpetual ebb and flow of the seasons around us.  Just as surely as summer explodes into fall, I know that fall will eventually fade into winter which, in turn, will yield to spring's regeneration.  Many people complain about certain seasons, or various aspects of them, but I have grown to appreciate them all.  Just as there are challenges to every season, there are also just as many blessings that can be found in each one.    Each season is unique and offers opportunities or tasks that are specific to that time, and that time only.   People who lived during the 18th and 19th centuries understood this much better than we do in this modern age.   They paid close attention to the changes of seasons and the phases of the moon.   "Moon seasons" governed when the best time to fell wood, plant various crops, or drive cattle to market would be.   There were things that our anc