Al's Devotional

And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.  And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.  And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?  Act 4:1 -7       The first persecution of the apostles   To the tempter God said, " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, ...

We cannot fathom the riches of those that went before us.  The Commentary of Matthew Henry is filled with mini-sermons that are rich in spirit and understanding.  This is a snippet from Matthew 7: 7-11, Ask, Seek, Knock.  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?  Mat t 7:7 -11     Matthew 7:7-11 Our Savior, in the foregoing chapter, had spoken of prayer as a commanded duty, by which God is honored, and which, if done aright, shall be rewarded; ...

This is wonderful... The Mediation of Christ J. Feet, D.D. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 1 Tim 3:5 That there has been a Mediator in this world is conceded by all except Jews and heathens. But respecting the precise nature of the work which He has undertaken and accomplished, there has not been even in those to whom the knowledge of this salvation has come, clear conceptions, nor correspondent emotions of gratitude and thanksgiving. With what distress would you gaze on the Divine power and infinity, and say, " He is not a Man as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment; neither is there any days-man betwixt us, that might lay his hand on us both "? With what anguish would you look around and inquire for some being able and ready to rescue you from perdition? But what, in such circumstances, you would l...

Consider this, for a moment.  Jesus was under the minutest scrutiny everywhere he went.  The religious authorities were looking to catch him at any infraction so that they might condemn him.  Here, Jesus is telling the people something that seems to contradict the fifth commandment.  If the religious rulers would have perceived it that way, they would have been all over Jesus.  But they didn't, and it never came up in his trial. ~Al If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  Luk e 14:26 -27   The statute-law of discipleship I. THE NATURE OF THIS NECESSARY QUALIFICATION OF A TRUE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST. 1. An esteem of Christ above all. 2. The heart renounces its property in all things of the world, in the day of it...

Nehemiah Prayer   And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven , Neh 1:4    Nehemiah the civilian, as contrasted with Ezra the ecclesiastic, is brought before us in this book as the patriot deliverer of his people.   I. The typical patriot Is purely disinterested in principle. Personal ambition is sunk in desire for public good. Selfish motives are abandoned for generous impulses. 1. This does not prevent his rising to a position of honor even in an alien country. A good man is valued anywhere. Fidelity to convictions ever commands respect apart from the merit of the convictions themselves. Honor from an alien chief can only be allowed to the true patriot conditionally— (1) That no vital principle is sacrificed. Nehemiah evidently remained true to his nation and loyal to his God. (2) That it is made subservient to the interest...

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross .  Phil. 2:5-7   The supreme example of self-renunciation   These words are the grandest and most profound, and at the same time the most copious and unrestrained which St. Paul ever used on this subject, his final and finished formula of the Incarnation. It is wonderful to observe with what tranquility, ease, and unconsciousness of effort this amazing subject is introduced. All comes as a matter of course. He does not say " Behold, I show you a mystery ." It flows as naturally from His pen as a simple motive for Christian duty, as if it were the commonplace of theological truth as...