“‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23).

Can you think of anything better than that — to be called the friend of God? We understand that it’s one thing when we say, “I know that person.” But it’s quite another when we say, “That person is my friend.” It describes more than just recognition or acquaintance; it implies familiarity, shared interests, companionship, love. It’s marvelous, then, to think of being counted as a friend of God, and of…

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SHEEP THAT ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS
(Constant Coulibaly)

Years ago, when I was at the school of Journalism, we learned a writing technique that consists of grabbing the reader's attention when crafting an article. This practice is common to various areas in the field of mass communication (advertising, marketing, public relations, broadcasting, etc.).

Over the years that I have been a student of the Bible, I have learned that God employs similar techniques when speaking to His people. One way He does this is through the use of contrasts. Here is an…

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The Blind Hymn Writer
Most who read this will probably recognize these hymns:
Blessed Assurance : To God Be the Glory
He Hideth My Soul : I Am Thine, O Lord
Jesus Is Tenderly Calling : All the Way My Savior Leads Me
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour : Praise Him! Praise Him!
Rescue the Perishing : Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Savior, More Than Life to Me : Tell Me the Story of Jesus
All of these, plus over 8000 more, were written by one woman, Fanny J. Crosby!
It is even thought that she employed nearly…

We live in a marvelous technological age. Think about it:

At the touch of a button, I can cook a hot meal to eat … get an ice cold drink … adjust the firmness of the mattress on my bed.

At the touch of a button, I can pay a bill … see the weather forecast for any place in the world … order groceries for my family — or for someone else.

At the touch of a button, I can access thousands of brilliant works…

Somebody

When you’re nobody the air feels different. You move between characters in
motion, occupying the roles of our lives. You speak to them as to a wall that
echoes. But really, in life’s brevity, is your presence too momentary for people to
REALLY know you? Your practical priorities may not line up. Your visual style
could offend. The message you’re sounding is not one that is HEARD. As
christians, what etchings do we trace into our mortal design? Creation’s first
intent manifested the Most Holy will of One.
Scripture recalls God taking presence with man, “And they heard the sound…

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Who is #1?

What do we treasure most in life? Is it a person, our money, or our possessions?
Who holds the number one position in our hearts? Is it really God?
This country is so amazingly rich and filled with comfortable distractions. Our
lives are easy in comparison to many places around the world. We can get in a
car and drive wherever we want, eat what we want when we want. Do whatever
we want to do for the most part. Then again, we don’t have to go anywhere, we
can have everything delivered to our front door! Either…

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Why Rome Fell

In The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon
observed that there were five basic reasons why that civilization withered and
died. Here are the flaws that Gibbon listed:
1. An undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home.
2. A mad craze for pleasure, with pastimes becoming every year more
exciting, brutal, and immoral.
3. Decay of religion – faith fading into mere form.
4. Higher and higher taxes with public money being spent for free bread and
circuses for the populace.
5. Building great armaments, although the real enemy was…

Ezekiel was a prophet of God to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Part of his mission was to remind the people that their disobedience to God was the reason they were now captives in a foreign land.

In Ezekiel chapter 15, God speaks this parable to the prophet:

Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? If…

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

In nations ruled by monarchs, anyone who would speak to the king or queen must request an audience and wait for approval (which they may or may not get). In our own country, you can’t just walk into the White House to sit and talk with the President. Corporate executives at any level typically require a scheduled appointment for any sort of discussion.

Not so with the King of…