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The greatest act of God’s grace in human history was the gift of God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Apostle John introduced Christ to the world, he said, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

As recipients of God’s love, we have all tasted His kindness. Is it not right that we graciously extend that same kindness to others? How much more ought we to be kind to our spouse! Far too many wives and husbands may claim to love their spouses, but they are not always kind to them on a daily basis.

Unseen winds refresh our planet daily. Similarly, the grace of God is invisible to our eyes. Yet, we see evidences of wind all around us: clouds move across the sky, leaves rustle on trees, and waves of wheat in fields yield to its mighty force. So, too, we can see the evidence of God’s grace all around us.

It is traditional in conservative Christian circles that a young man seek out the blessing of the father of the girl before pursuing her hand in courtship. Is this merely a tradition? Is it an outdated formalism leftover from the Victorian age? Is it a legalistic requirement invented by pharisaical moralists? Or is there perhaps some real Biblical value in seeking and receiving the blessing of the father?

Today, grace and law are viewed widely as mutually exclusive. It is fallaciously assumed that the God of the Old Testament was the God of Law, and that the God of the New Testament is the God of grace. Terms like “the age of grace” reflect the mistaken assumption that before the cross there was no grace.

In Creation, natural light produced many blessings upon our planet. The light streaming from the sun caused flowers to bloom, called dormant seeds forth from the soil, brought grain to maturity, and allowed animal and bird life to flourish. What was from the beginning still occurs to this very day. Light produces life.

God has adorned this world with lovely flowers of every shape, size, and color. They testify of the Creator’s love for beauty. A Godly marriage, testifying of the union between Christ and His bride, is a beautiful thing to behold. Flowers not only look good, but they smell good too! Like a fragrant rose, a Christian marriage that reflects Christ’s love should give off the perfume of holiness and attract others to the Lord Jesus.

In His public ministry, Jesus made two statements about light that at first seem to stand in contradiction to one another. Recorded in John 8:12, Jesus said of Himself, “I am the light of the world.” According to Matthew 5:14, Jesus said of and to His disciples, “Ye are the light of the world.” How can this be? Who is the light of the world? Is Jesus the light of the world, or are we the light of the world?

The long Arctic night was approaching fast. Above the airplane was a low, threatening deck of clouds. Below him was a seemingly limitless expanse of snow and ice covering the tundra. Somewhere out there in that whiteness was a lone boy and his dog team. The local men from the village had gone out by land in their dogsleds looking for the boy. They had searched for two days, to no avail.

Light seems to be a favorite theme in the writings of the Old Testament prophets. Living in dark days of judgment, destruction, devastation, and death, they longed for the day when the light of God’s own countenance would shine again upon His people. These prophets anticipated the day when the Light of the World, the promised Messiah, would dawn upon the horizon.

Because that young baby lived, curiosities of nature that had long been a mystery to mankind would no longer be a mystery. That baby, Isaac Newton, lived and his work explained the paths of comets, the fall of objects toward the earth, the rise and fall of tides, the orbit of the earth and planets around the sun, and the reason for the colors of the rainbow. Newton showed that mysteries could be cleared up when the light of God’s truth was shed upon the darkness of ignorance and superstition.

“Let there be light!” These are the first words spoken by God as recorded in Genesis 1:3. Is it not fascinating that light existed before there was a sun, a moon, or stars? By God’s creative command, light streamed through the universe! Yet, in spite of the vast progress of scientific knowledge, scientists today still struggle to accurately define light.

How active can and should parents be in the selection and pursuit of a spouse for their children? This perplexing question has given rise to much controversy and misunderstanding among Christians. One of the chief difficulties in answering this question is that the Bible does not mandate a universal rule in the matter.

In 1893, when Chisholm was twenty-seven years old, a spiritual revival swept through his hometown and county in Kentucky. A visiting preacher named Henry Clay Morrison, the man who later became famous as the president of Asbury College, preached a series of revival meetings. Chisholm responded, repenting of his sins and trusting in Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord.

James, the brother of Jesus, was raised in Nazareth along with Jesus Christ as his eldest half-brother. Growing up, James personally witnessed Jesus increasing in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. He saw how his older half-brother obediently and respectfully submitted Himself to Mary and Joseph on a daily basis. James had seen the unchangeable perfections of our Lord on public display in Galilee.

Valentinus was a very common name in the days of the Roman Empire. The root of that name comes from valens, meaning “strong, powerful.” Another word with the same root is valor. The name was so common that there are actually several men named “Valentine.” Their stories and legends were intermingled to form the tradition behind Saint Valentine the person or Valentine’s Day that remains to this day.

It is important to understand that mankind views time differently from how God sees time. As created beings, we are locked in time. We cannot see the past nor the future other than as memories of days gone by or in anticipation of things to come. God, however, lives outside of time. He can see the past and the future as clearly as He sees the present.

In his epistle, James specifically wrote about giving actual physical assistance to widows and orphans. It is not enough to care for them or to feel sorry for them. In the same context, James asked believers, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” (James 2:15–16).

We can be grateful that Biblical Christianity is the one and only thing that is steadfast forever. This phrase describing the God of the Bible as “stedfast for ever” came not from the lips of an Israelite prophet or a priest but was part of a royal proclamation by a Persian ruler named Darius!

Our God does not change. The assurance of God’s immutability gives us as His children a stable confidence in an unstable world. No matter who is in the White House, God is on the throne! No matter how formidable the sea to cross or the stronghold to conquer, God Who brings us forth in freedom is the same Who empowers us to stand firm for His glory.