Ajith Fernando – from the eyes of his son
By Asiri Fernando, Sri Lanka As some have already begun the task of digging deeper into my father’s life and putting into writing their findings, I believe it’s my duty and delight to lay bare a few aspects that are well hidden from the world. A Loving Father First of all, he was and is [...]
Our Father In Heaven
When Jesus taught us to pray, He began, “Our Father in heaven” (Luke 11:2). It is one of many Scriptures that refers to God as a father. I find it both fascinating and instructive that when God wanted us to know what He is like, He chose to emphasize His fatherhood.
Wonderfully Made
When I was a child, someone close to me thought they could motivate me to do better by frequently asking me, “Why are you so stupid?” I didn’t know how much this had affected me until I was a teenager and heard someone behind me say, “Stupid!” At the word, I quickly turned around, thinking he was talking to me.
Lost And Found
Recently, I couldn’t find my credit card. I began frantically looking for it because losing a credit card is no small thing. Automatic payments and daily purchases would all be disrupted until it could be replaced. Not to mention the possibility of someone finding it and charging items to our account. What a relief it was when my wife found it on the floor under the computer table.
Insight and help for getting through good times, and bad
Friday, June 15, 2012
“Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:21-33).
IDEA: To misinterpret or misapply a passage of Scripture always has consequences.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize the dangers that may grow out of bad exegesis.
Blessed are the Humble
By Trevor Shockey, USA Oh high and lofty How you are glorified People praise you You are treated with honor Woe to the proud one To the selfish one The one who raises up himself And not the Lord Blessed is the one That seeks to serve They will receive praise from the Father And [...]
The Lamb Who Is The Lion
In Revelation 5, the apostle John portrays Jesus, the Lion of Judah (v.5), as a wounded Lamb (v.6). Referring to this word picture, preacher Charles Spurgeon asked, “Why should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds in glory?” His reply: “The wounds of Jesus are His glory.”
Focus on this encouraging verse in Scripture and discover the real power behind it!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
IDEA: Statements seldom have unlimited meaning in life or in the Bible.
PURPOSE: To help listeners keep from giving to words more value than they should have.
Understanding the biblical context surrounding a verse to avoid missing the point
Wednesday, May 13, 201
” ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11).
IDEA: We have a tendency to ask “What does this mean for me?” before we ask, “What did this mean for the original readers”?
PURPOSE: To help listeners apply the Scriptures accurately in their lives.
Small Things
By Koh Siang Kiang, Singapore Every fortnight, for the last two months I’ve been taking my father for treatment of a viral wart in his toe. Each time the doctor would pare the dead skin around the wart and apply histofreezer, a liquid nitrogen. He would walk out of that clinic in much pain. For [...]
Peacocks And Their Kin
Male peacocks are resplendent creatures with iridescent blue-green plumage and elongated trains tipped with “eyes” colored in hues of gold, red, and blue. They are strikingly beautiful birds, but they have ugly feet!
Are you looking to bring your grasp of the Bible to a new level?
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:16-20).
IDEA: Sometimes the Bible applies great ideas in unusual ways.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see that putting a verse in its context can lead you to applying it in an unexpected way.
A Circle Of Friends
Many high school students with autism or Down syndrome feel excluded and ignored. They often eat alone in a crowded cafeteria because other students don’t know how to relate to them or simply don’t care. To address this need, speech therapist Barbara Palilis began “Circle of Friends”—a program that pairs students with disabilities with nondisabled peers for lunch dates and social activities. Through this outreach, special-needs students and those nondisabled peers who befriend them continue to be enriched and changed through the gift of acceptance, friendship, and understanding.
The dangers of misusing or even misquoting Scripture
Monday, June 11, 2012
“He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You” (Psalm 55:20-23).
IDEA: Sometimes a good truth can be used in a bad way.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see that when we read the text of Scripture we must discern who says what to whom.
