The Sword of the LORD

Peter and John had had a good day.  As they were going to the temple to pray, they had encountered a man who was lame for 40 years sitting at the gate.  The man asked for a handout; but they gave him the gift of healing and salvation, and he went about walking and leaping.  Seeing what had happened, a great crowd gathered; and Peter, seizing the opportunity, preached to them about Jesus Christ.  Five thousand men believed and were converted to the faith.  It was a very good day!   Some of the religious leaders were grieved, however, that the Apostles taught the people about Jesus, and so they took them and cast them in prison.   The next day, they were brought before the rulers to answer for their actions.   When given the chance to speak, God anointed Peter again with words of salvation.   Scripture records, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and the...

It is impossible to determine for certain the occasion for which the 46 th Psalm was written.   Some commentators believe that it was written after God delivered King Jehoshaphat from a great army of Moabites and Ammonites.   Others believe that it was written during King Hezekiah’s reign when the Assyrians under King Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem.   This we do know: this Psalm was written to encourage Israel to trust in the LORD Jehovah during difficult and frightening times, and Israel certainly had an abundance of those!     It is said that Psalms 46 gave Martin Luther much comfort and encouragement during the times that he faced fierce opposition to his preaching and ministry.   It is said that it was one of the portions of scripture that inspired the words to his hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God .       The psalm opens with these words of comfort and encouragement: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in troubl...

“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city ; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks .” (Isaiah 26:1).   I have been building a wall this summer.   It’s a retaining wall that borders the north side of a very large flower and shrub garden in our backyard.   We have a lilac bush, forsythia bush, spice bush, magic lilies, peonies, tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils, and irises all planted there.   The ground in this bed falls away about a foot or a foot and a half toward our backyard, so I thought a retaining wall would allow me to add dirt and level the surface to create better moisture retention and less erosion.     Some of the lessons that I have learned from this project are: a.) at 73 years old I don’t have as much stamina as I did when I was 53, or even 63;   b.) my body protests when I overexert it with too much lifting and digging by manifesting pain in muscles and tendons that I didn’t...

“And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1, 2).   Like Jesus’ disciples, somewhere in the back of our minds we tend to think of sickness and physical affliction as punishments from God that He sends to those who have done something wrong and offended Him in some way.  If we are walking obediently, we reason, our loving heavenly Father will preserve our health and heal us miraculously if we do get sick.  In practice, we know this does not always happen, so we’re left with a lot of unanswered questions.  This type of thinking can make us very critical of our brothers and sisters and create a rift between us and the very ones that we should be ministering comfort to.  Do you remember Job’s three “friends”?  They were very sure that Job had sinned because of the awful things that had befallen him, but they ...

My wife and I love jigsaw puzzles.   It's one of those activities that challenge the brain while at the same time providing an opportunity to talk, laugh, and share a sense of accomplishment when we finish.   It’s usually an activity that we save for winter weather.   There’s just something cozy and comforting about sitting down with a hot mug of cocoa topped with marshmallows and a snack, and working out the puzzle before you.   We have our own strategy when we solve jigsaw puzzles.  First we empty all of the pieces on the table and turn them all over right-side up.  Then we start searching for the straight-edged pieces that make up the outside border of the puzzle.  Once the border is complete, we start sorting out pieces based on similar colors, patterns, or hues; or if they appear to belong together to form some outstanding feature in the picture - a person, farmhouse, or a bridge for instance.  We both work on separate sections initially ...

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee .” (Isaiah 60:1, 2).   Surely, anyone observing current world events in general and American politics in particular must admit that a gross darkness has covered the people, and a dense fog has permeated their minds.  It truly is like the lunatics have taken over the asylum, and people have lost the ability to apply reason and good sense to the issues facing us every day.  during the last administration our government chose to ignore, and refused to acknowledge, that our country’s borders were virtually open to terrorists, drug lords, and foreign nations that seek to do us harm.  Even our airspace was proven to be porous to surveillance activities as well.  The authority of parents over their own children has been chal...