August 3
“We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). The word forgiveness in its primary sense means to send away or to abandon. Forgiveness is agreeing to pay the damages done by another, and then never bringing up the account again—sending them away, much like the scapegoat, the azazel. As far as God is concerned, our sins are out of sight (Micah 7:19), out of reach (Ps 103:12), and out of mind (Heb 10:17). This is the forgiveness we should practice with others. As the Lord said, “When you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any; that your Father also...
Read MoreAugust 2
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:6). It’s getting harder all the time to find a quiet place and time to pray. Part of Satan’s scheme to keep us powerless in evangelism is to keep us prayerless in private. It’s almost as difficult as finding a public pay phone, but Vance Havner finds one in a story he liked to tell. He says, “A man in an unlighted telephone booth fumbled with the pages of the directory. A passerby saw his plight and...
Read MoreAugust 1
“All power is given to Me in heaven and earth” (Mt 28:18). The word power (exousia) is also translated authority, right, liberty, jurisdiction, and strength. It includes the ideas of the liberty of doing as one pleases; physical and mental power; influence and privilege; the power of government, of judicial decisions and the authority to manage affairs. This is the One who sends us forth. He proved His power over winds and waves, over demons and death, over friend and foe. And yet He is described by the words, “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor 10:1). H. L. Hastings writes: “An...
Read MoreJuly 31
“…sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:15). We were preaching at 6 a.m., in Exeter, England, near the castle. A young woman was passing by and just heard the sentence, “The greatest sinner in Exeter is welcome to the Lord Jesus Christ.” It was a message from God to her soul. She went home, knelt by her bed, and sobbed out, “Lord, I’m the greatest sinner in Exeter! Am I welcome to You?” Some months after, a Christian friend was asked to see a dying woman. He expected to find someone about to pass into eternity without hope. He was surprised to see a face radiant with heavenly peace. “What...
Read MoreJuly 30
George Goodman writes: “The gospel must be preached with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven (1 Pet 1:12). This is why such blessing attended the preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost. He was filled with the Spirit and spoke as the Spirit gave him utterance (Acts 2:4). The preacher must be one in whom the Spirit of God is not grieved. If he is conscious of unjudged sin, of disobedience of heart, of deceit in his life, let him stop preaching. He is a fruitless branch (Jn 15:4-6). He must also be ‘in the Spirit’ when he preaches. To go unprepared in heart, without exercise before God,...
Read MoreJuly 29
“I have more understanding than all my teachers: for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Ps 119:99). “Moral relativism is a philosophical failure,” Francis Beckwith explains with a true story: “The teacher instructs her class, ‘This is the first day of class, and so I want to lay down some ground rules. First, since no one has the truth about morality, you should be open-minded to the opinions of your fellow students.’ The teacher recognizes the raised hand of Elizabeth: ‘If nobody has the truth, isn’t that a good reason for me not to listen to my fellow students? After all, if nobody has...
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