Key Verse: "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
- Ephesians 4:6 KJV
All who? -the one Church of God. One covenant God and Father unites the one family in heaven and in earth. They are one in His choice, one in His purpose, one in His covenant, one in His heart. The same will chose them- the same affection loved them- the same decree predestinated them: they are one in Him. Blessed truth! "One God and Father."
Key Verse: "The Lord
hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."
- Jeremiah 31:3 KJV
The thunders of the law and the terrors of judgment—are all used to bring us to Christ; but the final victory is effected by God's loving-kindness. The prodigal set out to his father's house from a sense of need; but his father saw him a great way off, and ran to meet him; so that the last steps he took towards his father's house were with the kiss still warm upon his cheek, and the welcome still musical in his ears.
Key Verse: "And if ye call on the
Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's
work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"
- 1 Peter 1:17 KJV
Our life here is but a vapor. We are but pilgrims and strangers on this earthly ball, mere sojourners, without fixed or settled habitation, and passing through this world as not our home or resting-place. The Apostle, therefore, bids us pass this time, whether long or short, of our earthly sojourn, under the influence and in the exercise of godly fear. We are surrounded with enemies, all seeking, as it were, our life, and therefore we are called upon to move with great caution, knowing how soon we may slip and fall, and thus wound our own consciences, grieve our friends, gratify our enemies, and bring upon ourselves a cloud of darkness which may long hover over our souls.
Key Verse: "And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him."
- Mark 6:1-6 KJV
This is the second visit that we read of Jesus making to Nazareth after he had begun his ministry. In his first visit there he had been shamefully treated, for his countrymen had attempted to hurl him headlong from the hill; yet he was so forgiving that he made a second visit to the ungrateful city. Jesus does not hastily give up any sinners whom he once has favored. Even when the first offer of mercy has been rejected, he vouchsafes another, and perhaps another still; for He is the God of patience. While he was preaching, very contemptuous thoughts arose in the people's hearts. None could deny that he had done mighty works, and that he spoke with extraordinary wisdom; but yet, because the people remembered him as the carpenter, and because they knew his relations to be poor people, with whom they were familiar, they would not listen to his words. What an instance their conduct affords of the greatness of human folly!
Key Verse: "For
as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not
thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that
it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:"
- Isaiah 55:10 KJV
Everyone knows the effect of the rain, especially when it falls on a field that has been parched and withered. Its drops go down to the roots of the dying grass, the fading flowers, and the drooping trees—and soon new life appears everywhere. The grass is greener. The flowers revive and pour out fragrance. All vegetation is renewed. So it is when God's Word comes to a fainting, failing human life.
Key Verse: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him."
- Psalm 103:13 KJV
"Abba, Father!" is a Gospel word. A father bending
over the sick bed of his weak or dying child; a mother pressing, in
tender solitude, an infant sufferer to her bosom. These are the earthly
pictures of Almighty God. "As a father pities his children." "As
one whom his mother comforts — so will I comfort you!"
Key Verse: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"
- Psalm 66:18 KJV
Iniquity is more than just sin. It speaks of deep moral corruption, a bending or twisting of what is right. While sin can describe a wrong act, iniquity points to a condition of the heart, an inward inclination away from God’s holiness. The word often carries the idea of premeditated or habitual wrongdoing, revealing how far the human heart can drift when it turns from the Lord.
Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:1-8 KJV Key Verse: " One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ...
