In the book of Acts, praise had an astonishing effect on those who heard it. Read Acts 16:16-34. Having been stripped and beaten hard, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. No one was there to put ointment on their badly cut and bruised backs. In great physical pain and with their feet in stocks, they … Continue reading –>
Praising the Lord might not be natural to us, even in good circumstances. Thus, how much more difficult to do it in bad ones? Yet, that is what we are called to do. Praise is something that we must practice until it changes from being an activity done at a particular time to an atmosphere … Continue reading –>
There’s an expression in English: “to be painted into a corner.” Imagine painting the floor of a room but then realizing that you have wound up in a corner and cannot get out — except by walking over the fresh paint. You have to stay there until it dries! Sometimes our faith seems to paint … Continue reading –>
The great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky had been sentenced to death, only to have the sentence commuted at the last moment. He spent years in prison instead. Talking about his prison experience, he wrote: “Believe to the end, even if all men go astray and you are left the only one faithful; bring your offering … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Philippians 4:4-7, Joshua 5:13-6:20, Psalm 145:1-21, Acts 16:16-34, 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. Memory Text: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV). It’s always easy to shout with joy to the Lord when we feel joy. It’s not so easy, however, when things are bad, when we are in the … Continue reading –>
Part 8: Married to Christ By Andrew McChesney A week after giving his heart to Jesus, Father started to clear out the temple in Manaus, Brazil. He gathered the images and the stone altars where he had sacrificed animals and bowed to evil spirits. At the spirits’ request, Father shipped the temple paraphernalia to two … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “In the Days of Queen Esther,” Pages 598-606, in Prophets and Kings. “Has not God said He would give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? And is not this Spirit a real, true actual guide? Some men seem afraid to take God at His word, as though it … Continue reading –>
To think that no one cares about what is happening to us is very unpleasant. But to think that God does not know or care about us can be most distressing. To the Judeans exiled in Babylon, God did not seem to care much about their situation. They were still exiled, still feeling abandoned by God because … Continue reading –>
There is a plaque that some people have in their homes that reads “Why pray when you can worry?” It makes us laugh because we know how often we worry rather than come to God and give Him our concerns. Someone once said that when our life becomes all tied up, give it to God … Continue reading –>
The Resurrection addresses the problem of human powerlessness. When we think about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we often think about how the death of Jesus was the event that made us legally right with God. And that, of course, is true. However, the Resurrection adds a specific dimension to salvation. The resurrection … Continue reading –>
