The Sword of the LORD

"Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." (Matthew 26:13).   Two days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus and His disciples came to Bethany where Lazarus and his two sisters lived.  It was Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  Jesus was invited to dine at the house of a man named Simon, who was a leper.  While there, a woman entered the room carrying an alabaster box that was filled with a very expensive ointment.  The box itself was very beautiful.  Alabaster was similar to onyx in appearance and must have been fashioned into a very attractive container to house such a precious ointment.  The cost of the ointment was equivalent to about $50.00 in today’s currency.  This would be an expensive possession today, but at that time it was a very valuable treasure.  It was certainly this woman’s greatest possession and something that she had guard

In St. Matthew 14 we find an account of Jesus constraining His disciples to get into a ship to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee .  They had just witnessed a notable miracle when Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves of bread in order to feed over 5,000 people.  The disciples must have felt on top of the world after such an experience, but they soon became less confident as they found themselves in the midst of a storm out in deep water.    This has always reminded me of the highs and lows that we go through as Christians.  One moment we may be blessed and feeling strong in the Lord, and the next moment be frightened by circumstances that we don’t seem to have any control over.  The “mountains” and “valleys” of life are something that we all experience; but through them all, Christ wants to teach us that He is the Master of all things.   When it began to grow late, Jesus came to them walking on the sea.  At first, they were frightened at the sight of Him because they

"And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians...Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:7-10).   The eyes of the Lord are always upon the righteous, and His ears are ever open to hear their cry (Psalm 34:15; 1 Peter 3:12).  He sees our afflictions just as surely as He saw the afflictions of His people in Egypt; and He understands the burdens and sorrows that we carry because of the taskmasters that enslave us in this life, and in this world.  God wants us to be in this world, but not of this world.  Knowing that whoever commits sin is

The Lord taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”   It is true that this refers to our daily provision of food, but more importantly, I believe God was referring to His Word that He speaks daily to us.  Just as man cannot survive for long without natural food, neither can he survive spiritually without the Word of God.  Our natural life subsists on one kind of food, but our spiritual life subsists on another kind of food altogether.  Jesus told the devil during His temptation in the wilderness, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”   He also refers to Himself as the “Bread of Life” in John 6.  Therefore, this daily bread is the portion of Himself that He reveals to us through His Word to make us strong spiritually.  After all, Jesus is the Word made flesh.  Without a daily dose of the Word, we will grow weak and undernourished as Christians.   You see, salvation is a process, a road that we follow w