Days of Praise from ICR

Abel's Timely Testimony

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." (Hebrews 11:4)

Abel, Adam's second son, was a faithful, God-honoring man, but he was murdered by his older brother Cain. From Genesis 4 we know that Cain's bloodless sa... More...

That Goodly Mountain

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon." (Deuteronomy 3:23-25)More...

Everything We Need

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." (2 Peter 1:3)

In His wisdom and grace, God has seen to it that we have everything we need to produce "life and godliness." "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious prom... More...

Tomorrow

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1)

The sin of procrastination may not be one of the so-called "seven deadly sins," but it may come close if it involves neglecting to do what God has clearly commanded us to do. Sins of omission may well be as serious in many cases as sins of commission. The ... More...

Beware of Balaam

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD." (Micah 6:5)

Three New Testament writers have left us sober warnings concerning Balaam. Peter warned against "the way of Balaam"; Jude, against "the error of Balaam"; a... More...

Working by Faith

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first." (Matthew 20:8)

This parable has long caused perplexity, not only among the workers in the parable, but also among readers ever since. Why would the Lord teach that wages paid for a given type of work should... More...

The Pattern in the Mount

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount." (Exodus 25:40)

Nothing that God does is capricious or accidental. A remarkable object lesson of His attention to every detail in the plan of salvation is the tabernacle in the wilderness. The divine blueprint for this structure and its attendants, followed by its construction a... More...

Joint Heirs with Christ

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:16-17)

Modern-day humanists and unbelievers take great sport in belittling Christians, but despite their estimate, and eve... More...

God's Presence in Flood and Flame

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (Isaiah 43:2)

Although this tremendous promise is primarily to be understood in a spiritual sense (deliverance through overflowing sorrows and fiery... More...

We Soon Fly Away

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psalm 90:4)

In this unique psalm, Moses is stressing the brevity of even the longest human life with the everlasting nature of God. In the pre-Flood world, men were able to live many hundreds of years, but no one ever lived as long as 1,000 years. By Moses’ ... More...

Let Him Hear

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15)

The Lord Jesus Christ must have considered this exhortation to be of great importance, for it appears eight times in the four gospels and seven times in Revelation, all as spoken by Christ Himself--as well as one more time apparently uttered by John (Revelati... More...

God and the Nations

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing." (Isaiah 40:15)

God has a divine purpose for nations, as shown by the fact that there will even be "nations of them which are saved" (Revelation 21:24)... More...

The Christian's Partnership

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God." (Ephesians 2:19)

Prior to salvation, we are called "aliens . . . and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now" we are part of the "new man" and the grand partnership th... More...

The Christian's Parentage

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1)

There are three descriptions of what we were prior to God's work in us, as described in the second chapter of Ephesians, and as listed below: We were "dead in trespasses |activities| and sins |character, attitude, condition|." The result was that we were unable to und... More...

The Christian's Power

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"And . . . the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe." (Ephesians 1:19)

The power of the triune Creator, as displayed in the resurrection of Christ, is directed toward us! We can be certain that we will never fully comprehend that, but the Scriptures provide several clear statements that will help us get some usable grasp on this resource:

... More...

The Christian's Possibilities

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . May give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened." (Ephesians 1:17-18)

The "spirit of wisdom" is applied to a wide variety of circumstances. It certainly includes leadership (Deut... More...

The Christian's Permission

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)

The High Priest of Israel wore the inscription "holiness to the Lord" to illustrate to all who obeyed God that they were "accepted before the LORD" (Exodus 28:36-38). Joshua, as a type o... More...

The Christian's Prosperity

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"God and Father . . . who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

Given our high position in Christ, it follows that God would provide whatever is necessary to accomplish His purposes in and for us.

The "Beatitudes" of Matthew 5:3-12 provide ... More...

The Christian's Purpose

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"According as he hath chosen us in him . . . that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." (Ephesians 1:4)

In the grand purpose of our "selection" into God's family, two key words are used:

"Holy" (Greek hagios) stresses dedication. A holy man or woman is distinctively God's, set apart for God's ... More...

The Christian's Position

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." (Ephesians 1:4)

The search for identity and meaning can drive one to great successes or tragic failures. For the Christian, however, the question is answered throughout Ephesians.

We are chosen! We are selected as a favorite out of "many |who| are called" (Genesis 8:9)

Unlike the raven, which Noah had sent out first, the dove could not live on the carrion floating on the flood waters. After... More...