The Sword of the LORD

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16 RSV).   "Girding up one's loins" is not an expression that we are very familiar with in the 21st century, but it was a very common phrase in Bible times, and everyone back then knew exactly what was meant by it.   When Peter penned his first general letter to the churches of his time, he was inspired to use this particular phrase to communicate the specific imagery that the people of the time would understand and relate to.     In Bible times the men and women wore long tunics or robes which varied in length.   The women usually wore a longer tunic that rea...

"When He [Jesus] had heard therefore that he [Lazarus] was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was ." (John 11:6).   It appears that as Christians, if we would be wise, then we must become foolish; if we would have power, then we must become weak; and if we would know true life, then we must experience death.   This, of course, runs contrary to all that we think should be true naturally.   Concepts such as these are alien to our natural reasoning, and to all our human inclinations.   We always want to excel, we always want to be blessed, and we always want to have all the answers; but God often works the opposite of what we expect.   Chapter 11 of St. John tells the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.   Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, very much.   When He heard that His friend was sick, however, Jesus waited two more days before going to him, knowing that Lazarus would die during that perio...

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  Wherein ye greatly rejoice THOUGH NOW FOR A SEASON, IF NEED BE, YE ARE IN HEAVINESS THROUGH MANIFOLD TEMPTATIONS: THAT THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN OF GOLD THAT PERISHETH, THOUGH IT BE TRIED WITH FIRE, MIGHT BE FOUND UNTO PRAISE AND HONOR AND GLORY AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST : Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (I Peter 1:3-8).   “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?”   (St. Luke 18:8).   The most valuable p...

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6).      Jesus was preparing His disciples for their most difficult test yet: His own crucifixion.   He knew that He would be leaving them and that they would then have to carry the torch of truth and be lights in the world themselves.   Therefore, He told them, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1).   Thomas spoke for everyone when he said, “Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?”   (John 14:5)     Jesus’ answer is one of the most profound statements that He uttered.   He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” (v. 6).     Today, we may struggle at times with knowing the right thing to do, or the right way to go with our lives; but it always comes back to the same simple principle: Jesus is the Way, the Tr...

"AND WHEN IT was evening, His [Jesus'] disciples came to Him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.  But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.  And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.  He said, Bring them hither to Me.  And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake , and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.  And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children." (Matthew 14:15-21).   "And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves , and gave them t...

The prayer of King Jehoshaphat that is recorded in the 20 th chapter of the second book of Chronicles in the Bible is extraordinary in its directness, honesty, simplicity, and power.  In his prayer Jehoshaphat references another powerful prayer that was offered by an earlier king of the Israelites; and that prayer, in turn, represents an important provision that God has made that affects all of our prayers from that time till this, and even till the end of this world.   Jehoshaphat was a good king whose heart was after God.   He wasn’t a perfect king, but he was open to the Lord’s correction, and therefore God was able to direct him and bless him in marvelous and miraculous ways.   Jehoshaphat had reigned in Jerusalem for about 16 years when a report came to him that the Moabites and the Ammonites were coming against him to war with a great multitude of armed men.   Scripture reveals to us what Jehoshaphat’s reaction was to this news: “And Jehoshaphat f...