The Sword of the LORD

“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

1 Corinthians Chapter 3   OVERVIEW The author of the letter to the Corinthians is the Apostle Paul.   Paul visited Corinth during his 2 nd missionary trip and planted a Christian church there around 52 A.D.   In Paul’s day Corinth was the capitol of the Roman province of Achaia.   The Apostle remained with the newly formed church for nearly two years teaching and ministering to their spiritual needs in order to provide them with a firm foundation upon which they could build.     Corinth was a city of about 500,000 people and was situated on the narrow Isthmus of Corinth in what is today modern Greece.   It was situated on major land and sea travel routes and commanded two harbors, one leading to Asia and the other to Italy.   With its extended trade, it was a very prosperous city and was known both for its luxury and its immorality.   To be called a Corinthian woman at the time was synonymous with being called a whore or a strumpet.   The city had at least 26 sacred places, in