May 22
“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12). The paradox of the Bible is this: At the same time it is the most comforting and the most discomforting book in the world. It lifts up the lowly and casts down the proud. The Word succors the suffering as a mother hugs a weeping child; but it also slaps us in the face. It says those who are alive are dead, but those who are dead “in Christ” are alive. This Wonder...
Read MoreMay 21
Here is the conversion story of Charlotte Elliott, author of “Just as I Am.” Dr. Cesar Malan of Geneva, visiting in the Elliott home, asked Charlotte if she knew herself to really be a Christian. She was in poor health and often harassed with severe pain, which tended to make her irritable. She resented the question, and petulantly answered that was a matter she did not wish to discuss. Dr. Malan replied that he would not pursue a subject that displeased her, but would pray that she might give her heart to Christ. The Holy Spirit used her rude conduct to show her what depths of pride and...
Read MoreMay 20
Salvation includes many interconnected teachings. Here are some examples: “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30). “Blessed be the God…who…chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by...
Read MoreMay 19
Edward and Anna Scott arrived in India in the fall of 1862. Settling in the northeast state of Assam, they threw themselves into the work of God. However, after seven years, Scott felt the Lord calling him to take the gospel into what is now Nagaland. The Naga were brutal head hunters. Before a man was allowed to marry, he must kill at least 30 of his enemies. The British military commander warned him it would cost him his life. But Scott persisted, and with his Bible and violin, he headed into Nagaland. Soon he was surrounded by twelve spear-wielding warriors. Things looked bleak, but Scott...
Read MoreMay 18
I had a long wait leaving Prescott, Arizona, but finally the right man came along. “I don’t know why I stopped,” he said. “You’re the first man I’ve ever picked up.” “Perhaps the Lord had something to do with it,” I replied. When I asked if he would like to be saved and know it, he exclaimed, “Just this week I went to see a preacher. I asked if he could tell me how to get right with God. He said, ‘Join my church and pay your tithes.’” I said, “It would have done you just as much good if you had joined the Elks and paid your dues. Salvation isn’t by joining or paying, but by believing and...
Read MoreMay 17
“In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be self lovers, money lovers,…pleasure lovers and no God lovers; having a form of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Tim 3:1-5). Who are the people we meet every day? George Barna writes: “The most quoted ‘Bible verse’ in America is: ‘God helps those who help themselves’; 82 percent believe that is a direct quote from the Bible…Our research has discovered that fewer than 10 percent of American Christians actually possess a biblical worldview…In short, the spirituality of Americans is Christian in name only. We desire experience...
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