Psalm 119 encourages the believer to pray for open eyes. We are able to pray for open eyes because of the bountiful grace of our master. We need open eyes because we are strangers in the earth. And the benefit of open eyes is that we can behold wonderful things out of God’s law: the wonderful character of God; the wonderful promises of Christ; the wonderful rule of life; and … [Read more...]
Sanctification (Psalm 119:9–16)
Christians often wonder what God’s will for their lives is, and how can they find it. Usually, questions about God’s will are asked in terms of very specific circumstances: Whom should I marry? What career should I pursue? Should I take this job promotion that I’ve been offered? John MacArthur has authored a little 60-page booklet titled Found: God’s Will in which he argues … [Read more...]
Integrity (Psalm 119:1–8)
In the world of numbers, an integer is a number that can be written without a fractional component. That is, an integer is a whole number. For example, the number 4 is an integer; the number 4¼ (4.25) is not. In fact, “integer” comes from a Latin word that means “whole.” That same Latin word is the root word for the English word “integrity,” which speaks of being whole and … [Read more...]
The Mercy of God (Psalm 130:1-8)
When I left recently to visit family in the United States, my plan was to return and continue our study in Leviticus 25 where I had left off. While I was in the States, however, I received word of the death of a church member, who had been in a coma for some 240 days with an undiagnosed condition. He left behind him a young wife and three young children. When I received the … [Read more...]
The Most Hopeful Day of the Week (Matthew 27:54—28:20)
The disciples had faced a long and devastating weekend. For most of them, it had been a very hopeless one. This is evident as you read the various post-resurrection encounters in the Gospels. For example, when the resurrected Jesus walked on the road to Emmaus with two of His disciples (Luke 24:13-27), He asked them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one … [Read more...]