I believe it was Warren Wiersbe, who, in the early years of his ministry as a young pastor, visited the home of a very elderly woman who had just died. The woman had been in such poor health, she had rarely appeared at church since Wiersbe took over the pastorate, but she was held in sterling reputation there as a wonderful saint of God for years before he arrived on the scene. The young pastor was welcomed into the home by the woman's daughter, who was an older and stately w

Thoughts from J. B. Stoney, based on the truths of scriptures such as John 14:1-4; Mark 16:19 (KJV); Acts 2:22-36; 7:55-56; Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 1:3, 19-22; 2:6; Hebrews 1:3; 3:1; 4:14; 8:1; 10:19-22, 34; 12:1-2; 13:14; Colossians 3:1-4: "The Lord Jesus is not now on earth. He has ascended into Heaven. What a very peculiar position then is mine here! Sensible of the worthlessness of the first man, and of the absence of the Second. My own life -- that of the first man -

Some of you who read to the end of my last post (4D), may have had just a moment's pause; perhaps the word "heresy??" even came to mind for just a moment? GOOD! That would actually be very gratifying to me for two reasons: 1) It shows you're being a "good Berean" (Acts 17:11); that you're reading carefully, and exercising discernment, and not just accepting the words of any human teacher, and have good "protective instincts" for the doctrines of God's precious Word (John 14:2

In fulfillment of prophecy (Psalm 16:9-11), to mark Him out as the Son of God (Romans 1:4), and to show that Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross was sufficient and acceptable, once and for all, for the sins of the world, God, the Father, raised Jesus from the dead (John 19:30; Acts 2:24; Romans 4:24-25; I Corinthians 15:14-17). Because He had so perfectly performed the will of the Father, because of the Father's incredible plans from the foundation of the world for His own Son, and

John's Gospel tells us that Jesus, referred to as the Word of God, was very God, from all eternity (John 1:1-2; see Micah 5:1-2 KJV). As eternal God, He is co-equal with God the Father, and possessed all the attributes of God, including omnipresence. However, God, the Son willingly laid aside the attributes and prerogatives of divinity to take on human flesh (PhilippIans 2:5-8; John 1:14; I Timothy 3:16 KJV). He purposely took on the form of a man for several important reason

So what is the single most important thing to keep in mind regarding the fact that we are even right at this moment "seated in heavenly places?" Without question, it is: THAT IS WHERE JESUS IS! That may seem obvious, but it seems like it's often the most obvious things that are most easily overlooked or taken for granted. There's no question that Jesus Christ is to be the all-consuming object of the heart and mind of every child of God (Hebrews 2: 9; 3:1; 12:1-3; II Corinthia

We talked about meditation on the Word, because the truths I hope to share are deeper, wonderful, truths that are well worth learning and internalizing to the fullest extent. I think we can often come to an initial, partial understanding of the basic concept and think we've "got it," when we're really only scratching the surface, or, we come to understand and appreciate to a degree, but don't fully "get" the life-changing significance, and we assign these things a relatively

So, to sum up and simplify Scriptural MEDITATION: I think H. A. Ironside described it best, when he compared it to a cow "chewing its cud," or "RUMINATING." In meditating on a passage, we are "chewing on it," truly savoring it, endeavoring to extract ALL the flavor. In an unhurried, even leisurely way, we are trying to draw the very utmost flavor and nourishment from just "having a moment" with the Lord, over His Word. Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock:

I've been talking a bit about scriptural meditation (Psalm 1:2; 119:148; etc.), because it's such an excellent, powerful vehicle for truly internalizing the Word of God, and, I think, understanding it more fully. I didn't get saved until I was 26 years old. In college, I was traumatized by the cold, highly competitive environment of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Friends of mine were flunking out, having actual nervous breakdowns and attempting suicide. At age 19, I

J. B. Stoney wrote: "The Great Purpose of the ministry is to lead souls to taste of the "things above," and then things below will not only be surpassed, but there will be a sense of dissatisfaction with them. Sometimes one does not know why one is so dissatisfied, but the reason is, one is not in the element that suits one's divine taste." I think this quote sums up very well one of the great effects of a mind well grounded in the truth of our present heavenly residence. Fal