July 17
How easy it is to become preoccupied with earthly things. This was the story of Demas. Paul says of his former co-worker, “For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica” (2 Tim 4:10). It was not the present evil world, as we sometimes misquote it. In fact, he seems to have gone to Thessalonica to work with the church there. But Paul states that his decision was based on the present, rather than on the eternal. A divided heart is a dangerous heart. As someone said, “Wouldn’t it be a terrible thing if, when you got to heaven, you discovered that...
Read MoreJuly 16
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:14). I was flying from Vancouver to California and sitting beside a woman who seemed impervious to all my efforts at witnessing. She spoke about her recent happy divorce, her pub crawls, her karma. Then she asked: “So what do you do?” “I can answer that in four sentences. ‘All have sinned.’ ‘The soul that sins dies.’ ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.’” “Helen Newfield!” she replied. “I haven’t thought of her in...
Read MoreJuly 15
Imputation means to reckon, or to put to one’s account. “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God” (Jas 2:23). A similar verse in Galatians 3:6 renders the word as “accounted to him.” We have the idea of this double imputation in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He has made Him to be sin for us, the One who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Included here is the idea of Substitution, where one takes the place of another. An inspired illustration was seen...
Read MoreJuly 14
“Jesus said, Take away the stone” (Jn 11:39). Sister Abigail tells the story of a girl she met called Annie. She had been treated roughly by her mother and, as a result, her spine was damaged and she was invalided. As she grew, she despised her mother for the damage she had done. Abigail took her into their home, and under loving care Annie trusted the Savior. In time, Annie wanted a way to help with her own expenses. Near the Townsend home was a dry goods store where four young Christian ladies worked. They had told Abbie they wanted a place to get away at noon and have a good lunch. Mr....
Read MoreJuly 13
I came across a website where a questioner asks: “Can anyone share some [illustrations] that they feel are sound theologically but are very gospel-centered?” One responder wrote: “The one that comes to mind is a grave representing spiritual deadness, and that person cannot give birth to themselves.…The person should then ask, ‘Then it’s impossible, isn’t it?’ And this gives an opportunity to say that it is indeed impossible with men, but not with God.” No doubt people in their sins are spiritually dead (see Eph 2:5). But what does Scripture say regarding the spiritually dead? Must they first...
Read MoreCalendar Archive
