You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance….The Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. (Psalm 32:7; 94:22) A Gifted Hymnwriter William Orcutt Cushing (1823-1902) was raised in a Unitarian family, but through Bible reading, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, …
Free in Jesus, but Never Independent of Him
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free….Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, …
Juneteenth and Liberty in Christ
Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22) History of the Holiday Juneteenth, also known as Freedom or Emancipation Day, is a U.S. holiday that commemorates slavery’s abolition in Texas in 1865. The name combines June and nineteenth. …
The Lord is Kind (Part 3)
You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness. Therefore you did not desert your people, even when they made an image of a calf….Show me the wonders of your great loving-kindness you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. (Nehemiah 9:17-18; Psalm 17:7) God (Father, …
The Lord is Kind (Part 2)
How priceless is your loving-kindness, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings….Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving-kindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me. (Psalm 36:7; 69:16) Let’s never forget that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is love, kindness, and goodness in Himself and in His dealings with human …
The Lord is Kind (Part 1)
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His loving-kindness endures forever. (Psalm 136:1) God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is love, kindness, and goodness in Himself and in His dealings with human beings. Evangelist John Blanchard remind us: The Lord loved us when there was nothing good to be seen in us and nothing good to be said …
Why Is Love the Greatest?
Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) One of you asked: Why does Paul say that Christian love is the greatest? Here’s my partial answer: 1. Christ-like love is greatest because it gives evidence of our salvation. 1 John 4:7-12 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love …
Getting God’s Guidance (Part 6)
Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his …
Getting God’s Guidance (Part 5)
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity….Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war [or undertake other important things], obtain guidance….A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way? (Proverbs 11:3; 20:18,24) Pastor Octavius Winslow (1808-1878) warns, “Beware practical atheism which excludes …
Getting God’s Guidance (Part 4)
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I….Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, …