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