Days of Praise

[phkrause]

March 25, 2025
Seeds of Doubt
“He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

Satan loves to plant seeds of doubt into the minds of both believers and nonbelievers alike. Jesus warns in today’s passage that Satan is an old pro at lying, so to speak. He has been at it “from the beginning.”

The first example we see in the Bible of Satan’s lying is in Genesis 3:4. When tempting Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he says, “Ye shall not surely die.” Going back one chapter to Genesis 2:17, we see God’s original command concerning the tree: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Notice that Satan removed the “not” from “thou shall not eat of it” and inserted it into “thou shalt surely die.” That change was enough to plant seeds of doubt into the minds of Adam and Eve, damaging their relationship with God and ultimately bringing about the Curse of the Fall on the earth and all mankind who would come after them.

Since we have the benefit of recorded Scripture to study and learn from, let’s be aware of Satan’s tactics to spread lies. We know one of Satan’s devices is to attack the validity of God’s Word. “Did God really say…?” seems to be the approach taken in this instance. Satan may also attack the accuracy of God’s Word, adding or removing words from the Holy Scripture to advance his deadly agenda.

Let’s be “vigilant” (1 Peter 5:8) and informed about the ways Satan attacks so we can stand strong in the faith, “for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). DWR

[phkrause]

March 31, 2025 Power from Grace “...and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33) The apostle Peter observed that believers are to be ministering our “gift” to one another as “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). The words for “gift” and “grace” are very closely related. “Grace” is the most frequent translation for the Greek word charis, and charisma is most often rendered “gift.” “The working of his mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19) appears to be “the manifestation of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:7) displayed among God’s people by means of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has graced us with. Paul’s ability to minister was “according to the gift of the grace of God given unto [him, Paul] by the effectual working of his power” (Ephesians 3:7). Thus, when we preach the gospel, we are using “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). When our lives radically change in response to the “new man” created in us by God, we do so by “the grace of our Lord” that is “exceeding abundant with faith and love” (1 Timothy 1:14). When we access the strength to rise above our infirmities or difficult circumstances, we experience that the Lord’s “grace is sufficient for thee….Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). HMM III

[phkrause]

April 1, 2025
Power of Forgiveness
“...to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 26:18)

All too often we consider forgiveness a mysterious and spiritual transaction that, once accomplished, is a past event that has little to do with our subsequent lives.

It is certainly true that there is a historical point in our earthly lives where the forgiveness of Christ was granted—even though He was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

Christ has subdued, cleansed, and forgotten our sins. “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity?…he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19). “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25). “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins” (Isaiah 44:22).

Christ has replaced our sins with His holiness. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new….For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21).

Christ has given us victory over sin. Since all of the above (and more) is true and active in the lives of all believers, there should be an obvious exhilaration that enables us to confidently stand against whatever “fiery darts” the enemy may throw at us. We are clearly told that “sin shall not have dominion over [us]” (Romans 6:14). And since Jesus already dealt with the “offence” of sin on the cross, we can “reign in life” by Him (Romans 5:17). HMM III

[phkrause]

April 2, 2025
Son of God

“...concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:3-4)

It is noteworthy that the identification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is directly associated with His resurrection from the dead. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26), and since only God Himself can conquer death, Christ’s bodily resurrection is the conclusive affirmation of His unique deity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Many others have claimed divine sonship, but all are dead—only Christ validated that claim by defeating death. “God...hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Acts 13:33). “Death is swallowed up in victory....through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54, 57).

Jesus is explicitly called “the Son of God” about 44 times in the New Testament, only half as often as He is called “Son of man.” Nevertheless, this great truth is clearly taught in numerous other ways than by the use of the title itself. It’s so important that there is no salvation for the one who denies it. Jesus said plainly, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Because He lives, we who believe on His name will also live forever! “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?...He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:5, 12-13). HMM

[phkrause]

April 11, 2025 Jabez's Model Prayer “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:10) Scripture spotlights Jabez amidst an otherwise plain chronology in 1 Chronicles 1–9. Three aspects of his model prayer show the kind of heart the Lord appreciates. First, Jabez resisted the temptation to treat God like a vending machine by asking Him for any self-serving thing. He instead prayed, “Oh, that thou wouldest bless me indeed,” leaving the Lord to choose what, when, how, and even if to bless. Now that’s trust. Second, he asked that the Lord “enlarge my coast.” He did not say, “Enlarge my bank account.” Rather, it could be that he wanted a wider sphere of influence for the Lord. This would imply that Jabez really desired others to know “the God of Israel.” Third, Jabez asked the Lord to help keep him holy—not necessarily happy. He invited God’s hand to “be with me,” not to make him wealthy but to “keep me from evil.” He had the same mind as Peter, who wrote, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16, quoting Leviticus 11:45). How many of our prayers have we wasted in either seeking selfish gain from our Lord, seeking secure circumstances instead of Him, or seeking His blessing amidst a refusal to do what’s right in one area or another? It’s a good bet that the Lord would appreciate it if we instead, like Jabez, seek His blessing according to His will, ask Him for help in pointing more people to Him, and cling to His help to live holy lives set apart for Him. BDT

[phkrause]

April 12, 2025 The Law Fulfilled…in Us? “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4) A miraculous exchange happens when we daily live for our Savior. We give up striving to be good enough in our own power. This is idolatry. We were born with this sinful nature. It compels us to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can be God, knowing enough good and evil to call all the right shots. Nonsense. When we repent, we admit that we cannot be good enough on our own and that we need outside help. And help us He can! “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Knowing I can never be righteousness for myself, He works righteousness through me. “The righteousness of the law” from today’s verse is nothing less than perfection. People cannot achieve that, but we all need it. Jesus is perfect, however! He applies that perfection to anyone’s account the moment they repent of sin and trust Him. Now what? He does all the work “in us”! Just trust Him and obey. It has always worked that way. Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead and behaved like that was true (Hebrews 11:19). James said of Abraham, “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” (James 2:22). Similarly, as you “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11), you can walk “after the Spirit.” We then do what’s right—the “righteousness of the law.” “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected” (1 John 2:5), and thus the law is “fulfilled in us” by Him. BDT

[phkrause]

April 20, 2025
I Will Ever Be True
“...looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

The concluding verse of our song, “The Old Rugged Cross,” contains a commitment to follow Christ in this life and looks forward to life with Him in eternity.
 

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

When coupled with the preceding scriptural verse, our text mirrors these thoughts: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (v. 1). In this life, we have both the victorious examples of many that have gone before (Hebrews 11) and Christ Himself. Both He and they have suffered joyfully, and so can we: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,…but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye” (1 Peter 4:12-14).

Once Christ fully “endured the cross,” He rose from the dead in victory over death to take His rightful place “at the right hand of the throne of God.” He now calls us to be “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). He’ll call us some day to Himself, where we shall “sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6), “and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

[phkrause]

April 23, 2025
Your Personal Eclipse
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

A total solar eclipse is awesome in the true sense of the word. If you are in the path of totality, you can see the moon pass directly between the sun and your location on Earth. A dusky darkness covers everything. After a few minutes, the moon continues on its way, and full sunlight returns.

This experience may trigger a thought, a parallel to the times of “darkness” we experience in each of our lives. We lose a loved one, experience a health or financial setback, or are betrayed by a trusted friend. All these events can bring on a “personal eclipse” of our faith if we focus on the darkness.

In an eclipse, the moon does not affect the sun’s light-generating abilities, but it does affect our reception of the light. So the sun shines just like it does every day, and the darkness we experience is limited in intensity, location, and duration. While our trials may seem like total darkness has settled over us, we must remember that just as the sun continues to shine uninterrupted behind the moon during a total eclipse, God is still there shining His goodness over our lives.

“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him” (Psalm 91:15). God does not promise believers a trouble-free life on this earth, but His promise to be with us in our troubles is what we need to cling to until our personal eclipse passes. Ultimately, for the believer all darkness will be eliminated. “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). DWR

[phkrause]

April 27, 2025
Habitation for God
“...until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.” (Psalm 132:5-7)

These fascinating verses may well have a double meaning: first, a retrospective reference to David’s desire to build a temple for God, and second, a prophecy concerning a still-future habitation for God. Ephratah was the same as Bethlehem, the birthplace of both David and his greater son, Jesus.

The writer of this psalm may have been King Hezekiah, a contemporary of the prophet Micah, who had written: “Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,…out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). He was also a contemporary of Isaiah, who had written concerning this same coming Son: “His name shall be called…the mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).

David had desired to build an earthly habitation for the mighty God of Israel; Isaiah had said this “mighty God” would be “a child born” and “a Son given”; and Micah said He would be born in Bethlehem Ephratah. Our psalmist must have been thinking about these truths when he saw, through the future eyes of those “in the fields of the wood” “at Ephratah,” this “place for the LORD,” who then would go to “worship at His footstool.”

Some 800 years later, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields” at Bethlehem Ephratah when a great host of angels told them the promised Savior had come, directing them to go to His “habitation” to worship Him. And that was where they did, indeed, find Him, “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:8, 12), and they were the very first to “worship at his footstool.” HMM

[phkrause]

May 1, 2025
Joy in Prison
"Yea, and if I offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:17)

The epistles Paul penned while in prison include Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and likely 2 Timothy. One can imagine Satan’s glee when the apostle was first thrown into prison. But cell and chains didn’t silence Paul or thwart his joy.

The book of Philippians, “the epistle of joy,” was likely written from an imprisonment in Rome. Here we see a perfect example of a common biblical theme: something happens that appears evil, but God uses it for good. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20).

Think of it this way: God “sentenced” Paul to pray and write for a season. It was a retreat of sorts, a time of great intimacy between Paul and his Redeemer. Far from being despondent about his incarceration, Paul embraced it. He didn’t beg to be free, ask his friends to bribe the guards, or even insist on his innocence. He rather encouraged believers to “stand fast” for the faith (Philippians 1:27, 4:1).

Paul yielded to God’s will, and this was the key to his peace in prison. Only then could he say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). The Holy Spirit was present in the prison with Paul, and the Spirit inspired every word Paul wrote.

God advances the gospel despite and through apparent obstacles. “The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).

Are you in a place you don’t want to be? Remember that the Holy Spirt is with you in that seemingly dark place. God can and will use you wherever you are. There is purpose in the trial—the furtherance of the gospel and joy. “In thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). MJS

[phkrause]

May 11, 2025
The Faith of Our Mothers
“...when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” (2 Timothy 1:5)

The “dearly beloved son” (v. 2) of the apostle Paul was a young disciple whose strong and sincere Christian faith was due, more than anything else, to the lives and teachings of a godly mother and grandmother. As Paul wrote to Timothy in his last letter, “From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Timothy’s mother was a Christian Jew (Acts 16:1), but his father was a Greek who evidently was not a believer. In the ideal Christian home, the father is to assume spiritual leadership (Ephesians 5:22, 25; 6:4), but countless fathers, for some reason, are either unable or unwilling to do this. There have been many homes where a mother or grandmother, usually by default, has had to assume this all-important responsibility, and the Christian world owes these godly women a great debt of gratitude. The writer himself was raised in such a home, and much of his own concern for the Word of God is due to the concerned dedication of a Christian mother and two Christian grandmothers.

It is significant that the fifth of God’s Ten Commandments requires children to honor their parents, and it is the only one of the 10 that carries a special promise: “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3). Every godly parent is worthy of real honor every day—not just once each year. And when a Christian mother, like Timothy’s mother, must assume all the responsibility for leading her children in the ways of God, she deserves very special praise. HMM

[phkrause]

May 14, 2025
Invisible Qualities: Faithfulness
“Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:17)

The apostle Paul said, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). This teaches that anyone can clearly see some of God’s invisible qualities through His handiwork. As this handiwork principle pops up throughout Scripture, it offers at least two benefits.

For one, it encourages those who already know God as Savior. To know Him simply requires repentance from sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who made Himself “to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Lord paid sin’s required death penalty to become “the mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24). These true spiritual teachings come from the same Word of God that teaches God created the whole world. Thus, believers find assurance in the congruence between what the Bible says about God’s work in creation and what the creation itself implies about the kind of Person who must have made it.

Today’s verse suggests a second benefit from this handiwork principle. Paul teaches that God has been the one responsible all along for supplying rain to produce the fruit that exactly meets both our need for nourishment and our desire for food’s flavors. What invisible qualities of God does this show? Certainly, one is His faithfulness.

He is faithful to supply even the needs of those who despise Him. In this and many other ways, the handiwork principle supplies us even as it did Paul with ways to introduce God to those who do not yet know Him. BDT

[phkrause]

May 15, 2025
Invisible Qualities: Transcendence
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2)

Surely God’s transcendence is one of “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world [that are] clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

In this psalm, Moses offers high praise to the most high God. God transcends “the earth and the world” that He formed. This means that God both began this cosmos and keeps it running. His essence is not tied to the created order. He exists before and beyond it.

The New Testament agrees. As God, Jesus is “upholding all things by the word of his power,” “and he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17). Stars, the earth, and our bodies all had a beginning. And they also decay toward death as “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). Someone who transcends this Curse must be holding our finite world together. Scripture reveals the Lord Jesus as He who transcends all created things, does not change, and cannot fade away. What might this mean for each of us?

Paul wished that the Ephesian believers would “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9). How glorious that such a One would actually long for fellowship with cursed creatures like us! His very transcendence is just what we sinners need—someone to transcend our sin and restore our fellowship with Him. BDT

[phkrause]

May 16, 2025 Invisible Qualities: Authority “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3) As we consider that “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20), we may notice one of the key motivations for those who deny God’s handiwork in crafting our very bodies. Our psalm says we did not make ourselves. In order to make yourself, you would have to exist before you came into existence. That violates basic logic. Likewise, the assertion that “it is he that hath made us” demands that something outside of us made us. Either nature gets credit or “the LORD,” here translated from Jehovah, which means self-existent or eternal. But nature itself is created. Therefore, God is our Creator, and if God made us, then we are His people, as today’s verse asserts. We should do what He says since He has that kind of authority. His authority over us is one of those invisible attributes that are clearly seen, being understood by noticing how carefully He crafted our bodies, from speaking lips to fingertips. What motivates us to suppress the truth of His rightful authority? Our unrighteousness does, not science or any experiment or observation. Indeed, what experiment has ever shown that nature can craft even the simplest biochemical from scratch, let alone a whole, integrated body? On the other hand, if you “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,…he shall lift you up” (James 4:10). When we submit to the authority of our Creator, He “giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6-7). BDT

[phkrause]

June 5, 2025 Death Done “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) Death means separation. Does any experience hurt worse than losing a loved one? Christians need to know the start and finish of this curse to effectively minister to those who suffer such loss. The Bible has the answer. According to Genesis, doubt of God’s truthful word led the first humans to adopt a lie in its place. The Hebrew verbs translated “shalt surely die” are môt tamût. The verb môt is in the infinitive form, and tamût is imperfect, indicating an act not yet completed. We could thus translate it, “to die, you will be dying.” When mankind in Adam rebelled against God’s loving direction, God’s holy, just, and true-to-His-word nature compelled Him to execute the appropriate consequence: a process of dying that would eventually lead to death. Just as the tragic process of decay unto death is real, so is the spiritual reason behind it: sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). Likewise, just as the miracle of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead was real, so is the spiritual reason behind that: life. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Truly, “he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (Isaiah 53:8). Disbelief in God’s word brought about death, but “he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life” (John 5:24). “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow” for believers (Revelation 21:4). BDT

[phkrause]

June 6, 2025
Choosing This Day
“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14-15)

At the end of his life, Joshua presented the nation of Israel with a two-step challenge: a putting off and a taking on. Holding to only one part of this commitment would do no good. If they clung to foreign gods, their spiritual state would resemble that of the surrounding nations. Trying to add the great I AM (Exodus 3:14) into their personal pantheon (syncretism) would not work either. The Lord made it clear, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

For a time, the nation followed the one true God. But as time passed, they began to compromise, and Judges records their cycle of falling away and returning to God. By the end of that book the assessment of their spiritual condition was “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

So what can a believer do to avoid outright rebellion, syncretism, or just simple wandering? Begin each morning with the refreshed decision to “choose you this day whom ye will serve.” The new day will hold temptations, distractions, and general busyness. It is a challenge, but God is pulling for His children (2 Chronicles 16:9)! DWR

[phkrause]

June 18, 2025
Created
“...even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” (Isaiah 43:7)

There are three main verbs used to describe God’s work of creation in Genesis. These are “create” (Hebrew bara), “make” (asah), and “form” (yatsar). The three words are similar in meaning, but each has a slightly different emphasis. None of them, of course, can mean anything at all like “evolve” or “change” on their own accord.

All three are used in Genesis with reference to humans. “And God said, Let us make man in our image.…So God created man in his own image.…And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground” (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7).

Although the subject of creation is commonly associated with Genesis, it is mentioned even more frequently by the great prophet Isaiah. The words bara and yatsar are used twice as often in Isaiah as in any other Old Testament book and are applied uniquely to works of God. All three verbs are used together in Isaiah 45:18 to adequately describe God’s purposeful work in preparing Earth for humans: “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”

God created, formed, made, and established the earth that it might be the home of men and women. But what was God’s purpose for the people who would inhabit it? Our text answers this most fundamental of questions, and once again all three key verbs are used: “I have created him…I have formed him,…I have made him…for my glory.”

This biblical perspective alone provides the greatest of all possible incentives to live a godly and useful life. The reason we were created is to glorify God! HMM

[phkrause]

June 20, 2025
Defending the Gospel
“...but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:17)

Many Christians decry the use of apologetics or evidences in Christian witnessing, feeling it somehow dishonors the Lord or the Scriptures to try to defend them. But as our text indicates, Paul did not agree with this. The gospel does need defending, and he was set for its defense against the attacks of its adversaries. He also told his disciples that “in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace” (Philippians 1:7).

The Greek word translated “defense” is apologia, from which we derive our English word “apologetics.” It is a legal term, meaning the case made by a defense attorney on behalf of a defendant under attack by a prosecutor. Thus, Paul is saying, “I am set to give an apologetic for the gospel—a logical, systematic [scientific, if necessary] defense of the gospel against all the attacks of its adversaries.”

Since we are “partakers” with him in this defense, we also need to “be ready always to give an answer [same word, apologia] to every man that asketh [us] a reason of the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15). Any Christian who shares his faith with the unsaved has encountered many who cannot believe the simple plan of salvation until his questions are answered. We must be familiar with the “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of the deity of Christ and His power to save, both as omnipotent Creator and sin-bearing Savior. We must “search the scriptures daily” and also study the “witness” He has given in the creation (Acts 17:11; 14:17) if we are to do this effectively, bringing forth fruit that will “remain” (John 15:16) instead of fruit that has withered away “because it had no root” (Mark 4:6). The gospel is under vicious attack today, so may God help us to be among its victorious defenders. HMM

[phkrause]

July 11, 2025
Exceeding Greatness
“...and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:19)

There are a number of scriptural superlatives that convey something of the tremendous magnitude of our great salvation. These are marked by the adjective “exceeding,” which in the Greek implies essentially boundless, surpassing dimensions of the attributes it describes.

First of all, as our text implies, His power available to us is one of exceeding greatness. Its magnitude is measured by the power required to bring Christ back from death and Hades.

Consider also the measure of His grace, “that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). His grace saved us when we were dead in sins, but this is only a small token. In the ages to come, we will experience His grace as one of exceeding riches.

Then there is the wonderful peace of God. “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). In this verse, the word “passeth” is the same word. Paul is saying that God’s peace exceeds understanding.

Finally, consider His glory. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). The future eternal glory is one of exceeding weight, or abundance.

Thus, the infinite blessings and resources of our salvation in Christ are described as providing the power of surpassing greatness, the grace of surpassing richness, the peace which surpasses all understanding, and the eternal glory of surpassing abundance! All of this is freely available “to us-ward who believe.” HMM

[phkrause]

July 17, 2025
Dealing with Delay
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Longsuffering is an attribute of God that is often mentioned in Scripture. It is not one of the easier attributes that we would like to acquire in our efforts to be Christ-like. We would much prefer to be blessed with love, joy, or even peace. But there it is, right in the middle of the “fruit of the Spirit” list: longsuffering (Galatians 5:22-23).

God does not expect something of us that He has not Himself modeled. Before the great Flood, God was longsuffering while the Ark was being built (1 Peter 3:20). During the Exodus from Egypt, God’s longsuffering was tested by the discontented children of Israel (Exodus 14:11-12; Numbers 20:3). In the wilderness, they tested Him to the point that He considered doing away with them and starting over with a new group of people (Deuteronomy 9:13-14).

Longsuffering helps build hope within a believer. “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:3-5).

How do we cultivate this quality of longsuffering? First, acknowledge a knowledge higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8), then wait on the Lord (Psalm 27:14). God would not have us suffer for no good reason. There is a goal in mind: to grow us closer to His likeness every day. Let’s learn from the examples set forth in Scripture and not be “stiff-necked” but have faith in God’s process.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8). Stay the course and rejoice. It’s getting closer every day! DWR

[phkrause]

July 23, 2025
Hardened Hearts
“For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Joshua 11:20)

When read out of context, verses like this seem to contradict verses like John 3:16 that say God loves everyone. Details that help resolve this apparent contradiction also highlight the Lord’s generosity.

Thousands of Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before Joshua led them to sack Jericho, Ai, and other pagan cities. The pagans knew what was coming. Rahab of Jericho said, “I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us….For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you” (Joshua 2:9-10).

Soon after, a cadre of nearby Gibeonites masqueraded as a faraway people in hopes it would preserve them. Joshua discovered their plot and asked them to explain it. The Gibeonites replied, “Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing” (Joshua 9:24).

If the Lord “certainly told” the Gibeonites about His plans, their neighbors likely knew, too. Yet they fought God instead of seeking Him—except for Rahab and her family, whom God preserved. The Lord showed His generosity by informing the nations in the land of His intentions more than a generation ahead of time. They refused to choose Him, so He hardened their hearts. Today, will we soften our hearts and live? BDT

[phkrause]

July 27, 2025
He Shall Judge the World
“...before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” (Psalm 96:13)

Those men and women who reject or ignore the wonderful offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ need somehow to realize the eternal consequences of their foolishness. Jesus Christ was not just a religious teacher in Israel approximately 2,000 years ago but is the very God who created them, the Second Person of the triune Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). God the Father “created all things by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9) and therefore “hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22).

And on what basis will He judge us? Our text tells us that “righteousness” and “truth” are the criteria. The problem is that “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). However, the Lord Jesus was incarnate truth and righteousness, and God “hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ has made eternal salvation available freely to us. There is no other way to be saved. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

But how do we know that all this is not just a peculiar doctrine of one particular religion?

Here is how: God “hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). By defeating death itself, Christ has vindicated His claim to be the Judge of all! HMM

[phkrause]

August 1, 2025
Those Whom God Calls Fools
“Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?” (Deuteronomy 32:6)

This rebuke was by Moses as he warned the people of God just before their entrance into the promised land. It contains the first use of the Hebrew nabal (translated “fool” or “foolish”) in the Bible. Here it is applied to God’s chosen people after they had been redeemed out of Egyptian slavery by God. This implies that the most foolish of all people are those who have known about God and His great salvation and yet have turned away from His Word.

Paul writes in similar scathing terms of those who had known of God’s great deliverance of their fathers from the evil world before the Flood and yet then abandoned Him for idolatry. “When they knew God,...their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

David used the same word about those who decide they can explain things without God, just as many intellectuals in modern America do. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.…Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God” (Psalm 53:1, 4).

Even prophets and preachers can become fools if they follow their own wisdom instead of God’s Word. “Thus saith the Lord GOD; woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!” (Ezekiel 13:3).

Jesus rebuked even those He dearly loved because they were surprised and discouraged when He was crucified. “O fools,” He said, because they had been “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). God help us to maintain believing hearts, not foolish hearts, as we serve Him! HMM

[dolphinwings]

Do you believe the Millenium will be on the earth or in heaven? If the prophecy in Zechariah 14 is a conditional prophecy, was the Millenium originally supposed to have been on the earth if Israel had accepted Christ?

[phkrause]

22 hours ago, dolphinwings said:

Do you believe the Millenium will be on the earth or in heaven?

First let me say hello to ClubAdventist.

Second, the Millenium will take place in Heaven per Jesus in the book of Revelation!!

Thirdly, if you have a copy of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary book 4 (Isaiah to Malachi) read pages 30, 31, 1116-1118. I also noticed that EGW doesn't have much to say about Zechariah 14!! Maybe someone else has more info on that chapter!!