'Lord' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
“THE BELT OF TRUTH”
In his famous summons to “put on the full armor of God” in Ephesians chapter 6, St. Paul says: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” The Roman soldier wore a heavy belt that guarded and supported his middle. It was more than some decorative Elvis belt. It allowed him to tuck in or gird up any loose-flowing robes or clothing to be prepared for action, free from anything that would trip him up, free…
THE PARTING OF THE WAYS
Our Gospel lesson from John reports the reaction of the crowd when Jesus finished His famous “Bread of Life” sermon: “From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” Every veteran pastor knows what this is like – the sullen look that says, “No!” to some plain word of God and storms out. This parting of the ways has been there: ever since Cain went forth from the presence of the Lord to found an…
HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE MOUNTAINTOP?
Famous speeches often become famous because they borrow the language of the Bible or echo the words of prophets, apostles or Christ Himself. Abraham Lincoln borrowed the words of Christ when giving his famous “House Divided” speech in the days before the Civil War. Julia Ward Howe borrowed Scriptural imagery when she began “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” with the words: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in…
“SPEAK, LORD, FOR YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING”
The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel tells us that in the lawless days of the Judges, “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord.” God has great plans for this boy. Samuel will grow to be a prophet in Israel, the first one in a long time. Samuel will usher in the age of the prophets. And what will the prophets do? They will provide what has been sorely missing in Israel for many years – the plain preaching of…
PROMISES ABOUT PRAYER
In the 16th chapter of John, Jesus says: “My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.” Jesus said such things a good many times. There is no need to tone these words down, to pare the claws of the Lion of Judah. Jesus means what He says about asking God and receiving. He knows we need encouragement, for we pray too little and fail to trust Him when we do pray. But our Lord’s invitation to pray…
LIBERTY OR LICENSE?
Paul once framed an issue with a question so shocking that it hits us upside the head. He asked the Christians at Rome: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” He hastened to answer the question: “By no means! God forbid!” There have always been people who turn liberty from sin into a license to sin. There is a liberty that is really no liberty at all, but rather a foul bondage. Eve became the first “liberated”…
GOD OF OUR FATHERS
A number of years ago, on a “Golden Oldies” radio station, a funny-man announcer would routinely break in and say: “We don’t break the rules; we make them up as we go along.” After the initial chuckle, a sobering truth rolls in like a gray cloud. This really is the creed of our times. We hear it all the time: “Whatever you think is right for you…if it feels good, do it…” Major church bodies often determine doctrine not by…
“THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU”
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). God has a plan for you. In fact, that’s why we talk about “the plan of salvation.” God planned to send his Son into the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. What God planned in eternity, He carried out in time. Amid…
“OUR FATHER…”
“Lord, teach us to pray,” said the disciples. So Jesus provided a model prayer, saying: “After this manner therefore pray ye…Our Father, who art in heaven.” We would not believe this if Jesus Himself had not taught us to say this. Those of us who grew up listening to the centuries-old prayers of the Church must have wondered about those prayers. Many of these old prayers are not that long in themselves. What strikes us is how much time is…
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