Sunday I mentioned how George Muller spent his life praying for the conversion of 5 individuals. In the moment I could not remember the details, so I wanted to share them here. Muller writes in his own journal. In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day...
Author: Joshua Mathews
What Do You Value?
Sunday we worked our way through 1 John 2:15-17, considering the command “Do not love the world or the things of the world”. To love the world is to live according to the things the world values. To love the Father is to live according to the things that He values. In the sermon I...
A Few Thoughts on Psalm 73
In Psalm 73 the Psalmist recounts a time when he was fighting against envy. He saw the wicked prospering and grew discouraged. As the Psalm unfolds the author – Asaph – returns to the LORD. In verses 25-26 he provides these powerful lines: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on...
Caiaphas Is Out of a Job
In Mark 14 we read the record of Jesus “trial” before the Jewish council. For most of the trial Jesus remains silent, but eventually the high priest Caiaphas directly asks Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus responds, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the...
God’s Unthwartable Plan
This past year (2023) the Meadowview family worked through Daniel in our Sunday gatherings. One of the repeated take-away’s from Daniel is the truth that God is always working His plan and no one can thwart that plan. King Nebuchadnezzar delivers a summary of this point following his restoration to power. At the end of...
Erratic Faith
This week I have been working on a sermon covering John 18 – Jesus betrayal. John tells of Peter pulling his sword and going for the head of Malcus – good thing he was a fisherman and not a swordsman – though I suppose Jesus could have healed a severed head! Immediately Jesus instructs Peter...
I Confess My Iniquity
In Psalm 38 David is experiencing guilt over his sin. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,nor discipline me in your wrath!For your arrows have sunk into me,and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my fleshbecause of your indignation;there is no health in my bonesbecause of my sin.For...
The “One Another” Commands
Throughout the New Testament there are a particular class of commands that have been labeled the “one another” commands. These commands are to help Jesus followers relate to “one another” in life. In my opinion they all flow and expound from the “new commandment” that Jesus gives in John 13:34-35, the command to “love one...
Obedience Borne of Love – Milton Vincent
For the past couple of weeks I have been reading an excerpt from A Gospel Primer for Christians each morning. This past week I read this section that fits so well with 1 John 2:3-6 and the directive to “keep His commandments”. Milton Vincent writes: To love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and...
A Prayer As We Approach God’s Word
I have been working on fostering a deeper and more genuine relationship with Jesus, trying to cut through the pretense and hypocrisy that comes so easy to me. Recently I came across this helpful prayer: “O living Christ, make this a living word to me. Thy word is life, but not without the Holy Spirit....