Authority

God is not “mixed with” heaven and earth. He “fills,” as in wholly occupies and possesses, heaven and earth! This is not a statement of pantheism, where a bit of the divine is infused in created animals, plants, birds, and trees. Rather, He is distinct and separate from it. Just as the light of the sun fills the air but it is not mixed with the air, so God fills all the universe without mixture.

Do you lack wisdom? Are you facing a challenge that is beyond your experience or your own limited store of knowledge? You serve the God Who knows all things! Ask Him for wisdom, and He will graciously bestow it. Sometimes it may come in a form that you don’t like or appreciate, for wisdom often comes packaged as reproof (see Proverbs 1:23). But a man who is humble enough to discern the Lord’s answer to prayer and receive reproof with gratitude is one who has the potential to be a wise man in the days ahead.

The word “omnipotent” appears in our English Bible only one time. The reference is found in the Book of Revelation at the climactic, glorious proclamation of the universal reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very fitting that this one time that the English word “omnipotent” appears is immediately before the glorious vision of our Lord Jesus crowned with many crowns and riding His white horse in victory and triumph.

One of the greatest displays of God’s omnipotence in all of history was the incarnation of the Son of God. Colossians 2:9 makes a profound statement: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” This means that all attributes of the Godhead were manifested in the Son.

Even with so many Biblical references to faith, it still is sometimes hard to understand and exercise faith in our daily lives. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.”

In the year 1655, the savage dukes of Savoy waged a massive crusade to crush the simple believers of the Italian Piedmont. But God raised up a remarkable individual to show His power.

The Lord made a declaration of His own omnipotence to encourage a faithful prophet who lived in a very dark day. Jeremiah would be an eyewitness to the overthrow of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.

It was thought by all who knew the Ryle family that young John would follow his father into banking, and maybe even serve in Parliament someday. But during a severe sickness, he thought much of God, eternity, sin, and salvation.

The New Testament deals very seriously with practical daily holiness. This is not a worked-up holiness produced by special effort or by performing religious duties. Rather, holiness is an internal work of God’s Holy Spirit.

A proper response to many of God’s attributes involves joy, adoration, singing, and praise. But there’s another kind of response that the Bible commands, particularly connected to holiness: reverent silence.

God expressly defines Himself as holy. When God called Israel to make a distinction between clean and unclean and to set themselves apart from the world, He based this command upon the divine attribute of holiness.

King Edward VI reigned for only 6 short years, but his brief reign was a model of Godliness. Thomas Cranmer said of the young king that he had “more divinity in his little finger than we have in our whole bodies.”

Psalms 22–24 are all strongly Messianic in theme and show an exquisite, complete picture of the coming work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What was the greatest manifestation of God’s glory in human history? Some might assume that it was when the glory of the Lord appeared on Mount Sinai. Others might say that it was perhaps when the glory of God filled the Temple upon its dedication. Still others might say that it was revealed in some of the marvelous visions given to Isaiah, Daniel, or Ezekiel.

A proper view of the glory of the Lord adjusts our perspective on all of life. Easily, we can have faulty views of ourselves, of others, of current events, and of our circumstances. But when we see the glory of God, everything comes into proper focus. As we see ourselves and others in a truer, brighter light, we are humbled. Current events no longer alarm us, and we are not distracted by the shortcomings or great achievements of those around us. We begin to see every trial and every joy in the larger context of God’s glory and honor.

You love your children! You want them to be the best person possible and to bring glory to God. But sometimes your children’s actions, decisions, or even mannerisms can be so exasperating! How can you encourage your children in a way that will build them up and also please the Lord?

When I come up against a difficult problem, I throw all my weight against it. I say, “I’m tough, I’m tough.” Sometimes, when I give it everything I have, I find that problems give way. But there are those times when every ounce of strength I can muster, every bit of creativity at my disposal, every talent I can apply leaves me helpless with my problem.

The Book of Revelation has variously intrigued, baffled, alarmed, and comforted millions of Christians over the centuries since it was written by John the Apostle on the Isle of Patmos. It has been interpreted in many different ways from many different perspectives. For some, the prophecy is disturbing, containing terrifying visions of armed horsemen, winged scorpions, a dragon, and beasts. For others, the words are comforting, for they assure us of Christ’s final victory, His presence with His people, and the day when God Himself will wipe the tears from every eye.

“In the beginning was the Word . . . .” This simple but profound statement is the opening of the Gospel of John. Looking at the other three Gospels, Mark began his record with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. Matthew and Luke began their Gospels with the wonder of the Incarnation and the miracle of the virgin birth of the Lord. But John’s Gospel commences with a statement of the eternality of the Lord Jesus Christ, reminding us that the life of Jesus existed eternally before He took on human flesh and dwelt among us.

Have you ever been discouraged by the fleeting stability of earthly governments and kingdoms? Kings come and go. Empires rise and fall. Nations rise from obscurity to power, enjoy prosperity for a time, but then sink into the mists of history. Of the vaunted glory of ancient civilizations, such as the Aztec and Inca in the Americas or the Egyptian and Sumerian in the Fertile Crescent, only a few scattered remnants remain of their existence.