Pure and Clean: On Jesus as the Purifying Fire. “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! How I wish my fire were ignited right now!” (Luke 12:49). What kind of fire did Jesus want to spread when He came to earth from the eternal fire in heaven? …
Pure and Clean from the Inside Out. “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple, and the Messenger of the Covenant in whom you delight, behold He is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He …
Pure and Clean: Reclothing the Filthy. “Now Joshua the high priest was standing before the Angel of the Lord, clothed with filthy garments. And the Angel said to those attending Him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to Joshua He said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe …
Pure and Clean: A Red-Hot Coal on the Lips of Isaiah. “’Holy, Holy, Holy is Yahweh-sabaoth, the Lord of the Angel Armies!’ the seraphim cried one to another. ‘The whole earth is filled with His glory!’ At the sound of that cry, the frame of the Temple door shook and the sanctuary was filled with …
Pure and Clean: Every Word of God. “Every word God speaks is sure and every promise is pure. His truth is tested, found to be flawless, and ever faithful. It’s as pure as silver refined 7 times.” (Psalm 12:6). Seven (7): The Biblical number that represents perfection, completeness, wholeness, fulfillment, finished. In Psalm 12 above, David is pointing …
Pure and Clean: The Cleansing Effects of the Word. “Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. You are already …
Pure and Clean: Seeing God in Purity of Heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8). You will cheer with delight when your innermost being is cleaned of mixed motives and impure thoughts. Congratulations! Your clean inner reservoir of natural instincts will now more clearly reflect a pure image of …
Eyes Wide Open: Fly Like an Eagle. “Does the eagle mount up and take flight at your command, or build its nest in the towering heights? On jutting cliffs it lives and keeps the night; on rocky crags it builds its mountain stronghold. From there it spies its prey; the eagle’s keen eyes discover its …
Eyes Wide Open: The Good Samaritan. “At the Last Judgment, it is our eyes that will be judged first. For in Matt. 25:44, the accused reply, ‘When did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick?’ The first commandment of brotherly love is eye control.” (Rev. Helmut Thielicke). Head on a Swivel. “Cmon, Larson, …
6. Eyes Wide Open: Following Jesus After Blindness. “All at once, the man’s eyes opened and he could see, and he began at once to follow Jesus, walking down the road with Him.” (Mark 10:46-52). Unimaginable. The healing of blindness was considered the one impossible miracle, the most spectacular type of healing imaginable, up to actually raising a …
Eyes Wide Open: The Shining Light of the Good Eye. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if you have a ‘good eye’ your whole body will be full of light; but if you have an ‘evil eye’ your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is …
Eyes Wide Open: Seeing with Mind of Christ. “Who is able to understand the mind of Lord Yahweh? Who is able to be His teacher? We, however, have the mind of Christ!” (1 Corinthians 2:16). “We have…” (Greek, “echomen”), which means ‘are having,’ ‘are keeping,’ or ‘are holding;’ to have and to keep on having; an …