Design

The wondrous mystery of the Triune God was on full display in the unique miracle of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the archangel Gabriel brought news to a young maiden named Mary in the village of Nazareth, the messenger of Jehovah gave witness to the wonder of the Trinity. This special birth is unique in all of human history.

In this Messianic prophecy, God the Father is speaking of “my servant,” the One Whom He also calls “mine elect.” In this same prophecy, the coming Messiah is proclaimed as the One “in whom my soul delighteth.” The direct fulfillment of this very passage was at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. At that moment, God the Father announced, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

“Can I be content with singleness and yet desire marriage at the same time?” or “Does one exclude the other?” God’s Word never contradicts itself. Thus, if God calls His children to contentment and simultaneously encourages His children to pursue good things, then there is no contradiction. We can apply this truth to other areas of life and then draw a few conclusions about anticipation for marriage.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Although the subject of this first sentence is plural, Elohim, the verb created is given in the masculine singular form. This God of the Bible, the Creator of all things, is one; but the One is also three Persons—three, but also one. What would seem to be a grammatical mistake is actually a statement of profound Trinitarian truth.

In laying aside the things of the past, we often think of our sins and failures. But it is not just our failures we must forget; we must also forget our successes! We dare not glory in our accomplishments or even our spiritual attainments. What are you seeking? Are you clinging to your past successes? Or, are you discouraged by your past failures? Do the distractions of “things on the earth” pull your affection away from Christ? If any of these situations are so, learn with Paul to forget those things which are behind!

One of the central doctrines of orthodox Christianity is the Trinity. The Godhead is three in person. The Godhead is one in essence. It is important to recognize that in making the statement, “I and my Father are one,” Jesus was not denying the Trinity, nor giving credence at all to the twin heresies of unitarianism or modalism.

The gift of God to Adam was not merely someone to “meet his needs”—whether physical, emotional, or even spiritual needs. While Eve did meet many of Adam’s needs in all of these complex ways, it is God alone Who can satisfy the ultimate need of a man. Our modern world likes abbreviations and quick slang expressions. But we serve a God Who has chosen to speak to us in precise verbal expressions. To eliminate or abbreviate His chosen words leaves us with an incomplete, abbreviated idea of the wonderful reality that God intended marriage to be.

Samuel Davies lived the life of a typical farm boy. He helped his father in the fields. He learned to hunt deer and squirrels in the woods. Samuel also enjoyed crabbing and fishing in the nearby Atlantic Ocean. His mother ensured that her son learned to read in his youth; she accomplished her goal as young Samuel sometimes was found reading his books or teaching other boys how to read!

For a young person considering marriage, the foundations of future contentment are laid in one’s present contentment. Every young man or woman should ask themselves this vitally important question, “Am I content with my present circumstances?” Contentment now with your parents, your siblings, and your surroundings will transition smoothly to contentment with your spouse, your in-laws, and with your children.

Phillip Keller grew up among the Africans. The boy learned their language. He learned to stalk gazelles on the savanna. He knew the ways of the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the lion. He loved the sun-drenched plains of his native land. Young Keller was educated at a boarding school in the highlands of Kenya.

In many cultures, a shepherd drives his sheep in front of him. But in ancient Israel and still today among the Bedouin communities of the Middle East, a shepherd leads his sheep, going before them. He never asks them to go anywhere that he himself has not gone before them. What does this mean for you? Our Lord Jesus will never drive you into the unknown. Everywhere He leads you, He goes before you! The place where He is leading you may certainly be a place that is unknown to you, but it is not unknown to Him. He leads from the front. He knows what lies beyond the valley. You can follow His voice without question or hesitation.

Psalm 45 presents a glowing picture of a royal wedding between the King and His Bride. Furthermore, although Psalm 45 is set as a royal wedding, Hebrews 1:8 makes it clear that this is a Messianic psalm that speaks of the royal wedding of Christ and His Bride.

What makes the difference between these seemingly contradictory texts? Why would Paul turn from saying that there is none that doeth good and then give such a high commendation of goodness in the lives of the Roman believers? The difference is the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Goodness is included in the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in both Galatians 5:22 and Ephesians 5:9.

Have you ever noticed that the word complementary is related to the word complete? Eve was the perfect complement of Adam. She was many things that he was not and she helped him fulfill God’s purposes. She made him truly a “whole man” and he was no longer alone, having now a companion for life. He had found his complementary match, and he was now complete.

God’s eternal attribute of perfect goodness is what should be proclaimed (as opposed to our “goodness”). In Jeremiah 31:14, God Himself uses the term “my goodness” to describe how His children should be satisfied with His perfections: “And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.”

Contentment is one of the rarest and most elusive of Christian virtues. To be content is to rest in the knowledge that God knows more than we know and that He is working all things together for our good.

The etymology of our departing word goodbye has morphed from the parting benediction “God be with ye.” If you quickly repeat “God be with ye” faster and faster, you can easily see how goodbye became the abbreviated form of this parting phrase. In essence, every time we say goodbye, we should be aware that we are actually saying “God be with you.” We are expressing the hope and trust that God’s abiding presence would attend our loved ones until we meet again. Rightly understood and appreciated, every goodbye we give is a reminder of God’s omnipresence!

No longer under any of the limitations He had placed Himself under while on earth, Jesus is able to be with all believers simultaneously. He is the omnipresent Lord! Wherever you are in the world, when you assemble with like-minded believers, Jesus will be there to fulfill His gracious promise: “There am I in the midst of them.” And whenever you are alone, remember His promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Occasionally, new innovations, such as smoke signals, flashing mirrors, and signal flags, were used to convey messages from point to point in a faster way. But on this day in 1844, a new method of instantaneous communication would change the world forever. Samuel Morse sat down at the desk and his hand went to the button of the electrical switch.

At the time that Lindley offered his services to the American Board of Foreign Missions, the famous David Livingstone had not yet set foot on the African continent, and the vast interior of Africa was still a blank spot on the map. But if God was truly the omnipresent Lord of the universe, He was Lord over the vast, uncharted African continent too.