February 23

James Smith Coleman was born on this day in 1827. He was born again early in life and at the age of eleven was received into the Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Kentucky following his immersion. When he grew into maturity, he was elected the sheriff of his county, but...

The Secret of Abiding Joy – Habakkuk 3:16-19

  Ha-BAK-kuk, the man with the crooked name, is one of the celebrities of Heaven; one of the friends of God. I will try to pronounce his name “Ha-BAK-uk,” because both my first Bible and my current Bible, give him that pronunciation. But I have to admit that my...

Joseph Davis was born into a Puritan home in seventeenth century England.  Joseph’s father, because of his nonconformist stand, lost all his possessions, and his son was forced to grow up in godly poverty.  While apprenticed to a silk dealer in Coventry, he learned...

Pictures of Persistent Patience – James 5:7-11

I know that you ladies looked at this scripture last Saturday, but none of us men were there. I feel led of the Lord to share with the rest of us, what you all learned the other day. Some people like to say that Job is “a picture of patience.” Despite what our...

Speak, Lord; for Thy Servant Heareth – I Samuel 3:1-21

If I asked: who said, “Speak Lord, for Thy Servant Heareth,” 98% of Christians would answer incorrectly. Not only would most not know that statement came from this chapter… Even those who did, would say that those were the words of Samuel. But the correct answer...

February 9

Some great soldiers for Christ were actual soldiers.  Major General Henry Havelock was one such man. Henry Havelock and his siblings were raised under the influence of the Word of God; his mother read the scriptures to her children every day.  But the family grew up...

“You Weaklings,” He Said Kindly – John 16:12

There are hundreds of statements in the Word of God which were spoken to specific individuals or groups. For example, when Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray,” it was not something which we must literally obey. We don’t have to...

The LORD is Lord – Isaiah 43:8-13

“It is time.” The little boy is told by his mother that it is time for his bath. The little fella is not excited too about it, but he agrees to stop what he’s doing and head for the bathroom. The woman who is his servant – his mother – knows exactly what temperature...

February 2

Benjamin Stinton was born on this day in 1676. He became an important Baptist pastor in London at the turn of the 18th Century. But he is not as well-known today as three of his relatives – partly because he died suddenly at an early age. Benjamin had a sharp mind,...

A Spiritual Diagnosis – I Peter 2:1-5

After a busy day, when both Judy and I wearied and worn, we watched a recording of the pilot to a new TV show. The ads I had seen made it sound intriguing, but it turned out to be just another medical show. After an interesting beginning, the writers introduced an...