Bible Ministry Sources
Topic: Ministry

Bible-based blogs intended for spiritual blessing are listed.

Christian web pages below are hyperlinked; you can just click on the title to read.

web address -> Bible Gems for the Week
web address -> Bible Gems Monthly Archive
web address -> Sound Words for Pilgrims
web address -> Guidance from God's Word

web address -> Answers to Life's Questions
web address -> Scripture Selections
web address -> Scripture Journal
web address -> Precious Promises

web address -> Reading Exhortation Doctrine
web address -> Word of Truth Faithful Sayings
web address -> Lead me in a Plain Path
web address -> Form of Sound Words

web address -> Pattern of Good Works
web address -> Magnify the Lord
web address -> Choice Gleanings
web address -> Spurgeon Selections

web address -> Answers to Life’s Questions
web address -> Christian Hymns and History
web address -> Quotes from H.E. Hayhoe
web address -> Quotes from Christians
web address -> Topical Devotions

Whose Hands
Now Playing: In Whose Hands are You in ?
Topic: Dependence
A basketball in my hands is worth about $19.
A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about $33 million.
It depends whose hands it's in.

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.
A baseball in Mark McGuire's hands is worth $19 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A tennis racket is worth only whatever it cost in my hands.
A tennis racket in Venus Williams' hands is a championship winning.
It depends whose hands it's in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends whose hands it's in.

A sling shot in my hands is a kid's toy
A sling shot in David's hand is a mighty weapon.
It depends whose hands it's in.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God's hands will feed thousands.
It depends whose hands it's in.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse.
Nails in Jesus Christ's hands have produced a way of salvation for the entire world.

Value of Prophecy
Now Playing: Do we want to understand the mind of God ?
Topic: Discernment
"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"

There is often in believers the desire to look into prophecy as an academic pursuit. This verse, if understood, would preserve from such a sterile approach. To relate all of prophecy to Jesus warms the heart. I understand the verse is one of those in the Word which is reciprocal. That is, it could also be read: "The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus."

Everything in the purposes of God, present or future, is connected with the glory of His well-beloved Son! That is what makes the understanding of the prophetic scriptures of such importance to the believer.


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"I Daniel understood by books . . . and I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes; and I made my confession, and said, "O Lord, the great and dreadful God . . . We have sinned, and have commited iniquity . . ." Daniel 9.2-5

God shows us here, as W Kelly puts it in his "Lectures on Daniel", "the spirit proper for understanding prophecy." Daniel read in Jeremiah a prediction concerning the return of Israel to the land. Does he go immediately to the people to tell them the good news? No, he draws near to God. Faith draws into the presence of God the one who understands His mind or will in a matter.

Kelly says further: "If the study of prophecy does not tend to give us a deeper sense of the failure of God's people upon the earth, . . . we lose one of its most important practical uses. It is because of the absence of this feeling that prophetic research is generally so unprofitable. It is made more a question of dates and countries, of popes and kings; whereas God did not give it to exercise people's wits, but to be the _expression of His own mind touching their moral condition; so that whatever trials and judgments are portrayed there, they should be taken up by the heart, and felt to be the hand of God upon His people because of their sins."

True Love
Now Playing: Are we demonstrating genuine love for others ?
Topic: Character
LOVE WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS ...

"Little Chad was a shy, quiet boy. One day he came home and told his mother he'd like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, 'I wish he wouldn't do that.' She had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included.

Chad's mother decided she would go along with her son. She purchased the paper, glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made 35 valentines. Valentine's Day came and Chad was beside himself with excitement. He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies to eat when he came home from school. She just knew he would be disappointed -- maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think he wouldn't receive many valentines -- maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and a glass of milk on the table. When she heard voices she looked out the window. Sure enough, here they came, laughing and having the best time. And as always, there was Chad in the rear. But he was talking a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he was inside.

His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened, she choked back her own tears. 'Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you,' she said. But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face shining, and all he could say was: 'Not one -- not a one.' Her heart sank. And then he added, 'I didn't forget a one, Mom, not a single one.'"

(From COMING OUT OF THE DARKNESS by Mary Southerland published by Harvest House)

This story is a wonderful picture of Christ's love for us! In Ephesians 5:25 Paul wrote, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ..."

Think about it -- Christ loved the church and gave His life with NO GUARANTEE that any of us would respond to His love! But he did it for us -- unconditionally -- and He didn't miss a single one! As you think about His love for you, may it be a reminder of the love that we need to show our wives. Are you loving your mate unconditionally? Without expectations?

Knowing the Shepherd
Now Playing: Do you really know Him as you should ?
Topic: Devotion
I Know The Shepherd
Author Unknown

There was once a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man shows of readings and recitations from the classics. He would always end his performance with a dramatic reading of Psalm 23.

Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation - "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" ... the crowd would listen attentively. And then, at the conclusion of the Psalm, they would rise in thunderous applause in appreciation of the actor's incredible ability to bring the verse to life.

But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. "Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite Psalm 23?" The actor was quite taken back by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and centre on the stage to recite the Psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his own talent.

With a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words of the Psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no standing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the young man's recitation that every eye was full of tears. Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, "I don't understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training - but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?"

The young man quietly replied, "Well sir, you know the Psalm ... I know the Shepherd."

Sunday School
Now Playing: How do we reach out to children with the gospel ?
Topic: Outreach
And now a word as to the mode of working a Sunday School.

You must remember it is an individual service to be carried on in personal responsibility to the Lord. No doubt it is most important to have full fellowship in your work with your fellow labourers, and with all your brethren; but the work of a superintendent or a teacher must be carried on in direct personal responsibility to the Lord, and according to the measure nvolved in this work than in any other individual service, such as the Sunday evening preaching, cottage meetings, lectures or Bible classes; though most assuredly the Assembly, if in a spiritual, healthy condition, will have the fullest fellowship with the Sunday School, as well as with the entire range of personal work for the Lord.

You will find, if we mistake not, that in order to work a Sunday School effectively, you must have a good superintendent -- a person of energy, order, and rule. The old proverb, 'What's everybody's business is nobody's business,' is especially applicable here. We have seen several Sunday Schools come to the ground from not being properly worked.

Persons take up the work for a time, and then let it drop. This will never do. The superintendent, the teachers, and the visitors must enter upon their blessed work, not by fits and starts, but with calm determination and spiritual energy; and having entered upon it, they must carry it on with real purpose of heart.

It will not do for the superintendent to leave his school, or the teacher to leave his class, to chance, under the plea of leaving it to the Lord. We believe the Lord expects him to be at his post, or to find a proper substitute in case of illness or any other unavoidable cause of absence.

It is of the utmost importance that every branch of Sunday School work should be undertaken and carried on with freshness, heart-zeal and energy, and thorough personal devotedness. And, inasmuch as these can only be had at the Divine Treasury, all who are engaged in the service should meet together for prayer and conference. Nothing can be more deplorable than to see a Sunday School falling into decay through lack of diligence and perseverance on the part of those who have taken it up.

No doubt there are many hindrances; and the work itself is very uphill and very discouraging; but, oh! if our words have any weight, we would say, with heartfelt emphasis, to all who are engaged in this most precious service, Let nothing damp your ardour, or hinder the work. Go on! go on! and may the Lord of the harvest crown your labours with the richest and the best blessings.

We need hardly remark that we do not contemplate such a thing as unconverted persons taking any part in the work of the Sunday Schools. Indeed, we know of few things more sad than to see a person engaged in teaching others that in which the teacher has neither part nor lot himself. No doubt God is sovereign, and He can and does use His own Word, even in the lips of an unconverted person; but this in no wise alters the melancholy fact in reference to the person so used. We could not think for a single moment of admitting or inviting any one to take part in the work of the Sunday School, if we had not satisfactory evidence of his conversion to God. To do so would be to help him on in fatal delusion. --

C.H.Mackintosh

God's desires for us
Now Playing: What does God require of us ?
Topic: Divine Expectations
First Read Micah 6:8

10 THINGS GOD WON'T ASK..........

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove;
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house,
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet,
He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was,
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5...God won't ask what your job title was,
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had,
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation,
He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, & not to the gates of Hell.

10....God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to,
He'll ask if you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends.

READ THE LINES BELOW CAREFULLY:

Happy moments, Praise God. Difficult moments, Seek God. Quiet moments, Worship God.
Painful moments, Trust God. Every moment, Thank God!

Gift vs. Godliness
Now Playing: Are we acting in His strength, or our own wisdom ?
Topic: Discernment
A third expression constantly occurs in these chapters: "The Spirit of Jehovah came upon him" (Judges 13: 25; Judges 14: 6, 19; Judges 15: 14). When we see these words we may be sure that the conflict is entirely according to God and without mixture.

We likewise may achieve such victories, not by being dependent upon a temporary action of the Holy Spirit coming upon us from without, but because we have, in virtue of redemption, been sealed by the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of power. Nevertheless, it is important to remark that we cannot estimate the moral worth of a man of God by the greatness of his gift. Nowhere in the Scripture do we find a stronger man than Samson, nor one weaker morally.

The New Testament gives us a similar example in the Assembly at Corinth, which came behind in no gift of power, and yet permitted every sort of moral evil in their midst. Samson was a Nazarite, upon whom the Spirit of God often came, but he was also a man whose heart had never been judged, and so his state was not in keeping with the gift he exercised.

Not once, from the beginning to the end of his career, did he hesitate following the path of his lusts; going, without a struggle, wherever his heart led him. Notwithstanding the power of the Spirit, he was a carnal man. When he visited his wife with a kid, his kindness was carnal; when the world proposed giving him another woman, which he did not care for, in exchange for the one he so earnestly desired, his anger was carnal.

Yet thus it ever is that the world treats us, to our loss and shame, when we have desired anything from it. That which it gives, after so many fine promises, has no value to the child of God, and cannot satisfy him. In the matter of the three hundred foxes, the Spirit of Jehovah did not come upon him, for, as I have already said, his anger was carnal. He wanted to "do a displeasure" to the Philistines, by attacking them in their outward circumstances; and, with a view to this, resorted to a device which does not at all seem to be according to the mind of God. The enraged Philistines went up and burnt his wife, who was their accomplice, and her father.

Meditations on Judges, H L Rossier

God's Leading
Now Playing: Is the Lord changing our lives?
Topic: Progress
"How encouraging to trace the way in which Habakkuk is led from being on his face in anguish of soul before God because of the failure of His people (ch. 1); to take his stand on the watch-tower, to hear the words of the Lord, (ch. 2). Then, having learned the mind of the Lord, to see him on his knees in prayer, with the result that finally he walks on high places with joy in his heart and praise on his lips." (ch.3)
(excerpted from Hamilton Smith)

In His Hands
Now Playing: Are we content to acknowledge Him in everything?
Topic: Dependence
Hebrews 1:2

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;

Hebrews 1:3

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Hebrews 2:8

Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him.

Hebrews 2:10

For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 2:17

Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto his brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 3:4

For every house is builded by some man; but He that built all things is God.

Hebrews 4:13

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Hebrews 8:5

Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when
he was about to make the tabernacle: for, 'See,' saith He, 'that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.'

Hebrews 9:22

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission.

Hebrews 13:18

Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.