The Sword of the LORD

“ … looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12: 2).   These three words, “looking unto Jesus,” seem to be at the heart of Paul’s letter to the 1 st century Hebrew Christians, but it is also the heart of the Gospel message to every soul that has received Him from the 1 st century until now.  Paul especially wanted to make sure that these Jewish converts were placing their faith solely on Jesus Christ and His finished work of redemption rather than in the trappings of religion they formerly trusted.   He knew that it would do no good for them to rely on angels, a worldly temple, an earthly priesthood, a temporal Promised Land, a fleshly covenant, or carnal sacrifices to secure their eternal salvation.  All those things were part of the old covenant and were ineffective in bringing God’s people to perfection.  It was Jes

“Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life …and God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God .” (Genesis 45:5, 7, 8). " Whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus… ” (Hebrews 6:20). In the book of Genesis we find the story of Joseph, a type and shadow of our Savior, Jesus Christ.   We also find a pattern by which the sons of God may attain full maturity in the Lord in these last days.   Just as Jesus was a forerunner, Who went before us and overcame all things to provide salvation and eternal life to all who receive Him, Joseph also fulfilled that role for his family and for the world by providing a way for them to be saved during a time of great famine. Joseph was one of twelve sons born to the Jewish patriarch Jacob.   Joseph’s mother was Rachel, and she was b

The disciples approached Jesus one day with an important request. They said to the Lord,  “Teach us to pray.”   Jesus gave to them what has become known as the Lord's prayer. Churches and Christian believers the world over recite this prayer, both privately and congregationally. Jesus did not mean for this prayer to be something they memorized and repeated every time that they spoke to God, though. He meant for it to be a model, a pattern, from which they could shape their own prayers, expanding on it, and making it personal and an expression of themselves. Studying the various elements of the Lord's prayer, and understanding the intent behind them, can breathe new life into our own prayers and make them much more focused in the will of God. Our Father. . . Of all the ways that we can address Almighty God,  "Father"  is the one that I believe pleases Him the most. We might address Him as "Creator of the universe," "Judge of all the earth," or just

“And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, LET US PASS OVER UNTO THE OTHER SIDE .” (Mark 4:35).   How precious is God’s Word!  It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  It illuminates our way through the gross darkness of sin, deceit, and confusion that besieges us today.  Not only does it lighten those external things around us, but also it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our own hearts.   Every day, the Lord wants to come and share something of His Word and of Himself with us that we might grow, and it is up to us either to receive and believe or reject and neglect.  Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20).  This applies to every child of God.  The Lord wants to share His heavenly Manna and allow us to sup from the Bread of Life.  It is up to us to open the door to Him, though, whether it’s a “har

As the apostles, Peter and John, were about to enter the temple in Jerusalem for prayer, they encountered a man who was lame sitting at the gate and asking for handouts.   The man was over 40 years old, and had been born lame and, so, had never walked.   When he saw Peter and John, the man asked them for some money.   This man received healing that day because these two men were obedient to God and stopped to minister to the need.   The record of this miracle can be found in Acts 3:1-8.   Five things stand out to me that preceded this miracle, and these five things I believe are pre-requisite to becoming useful servants of God, and, ultimately, channels for miracles:   “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him…”   First, and foremost, before we can minister to others, we must be willing to see their needs.   It is too easy to look past them, or worse, not see them at all, as we speed through our busy schedules.   The apostles were on their way someplace else, bu