Al's Devotional

Beloved, The book of Acts is the book of evangelism.  Just what was it that the early apostles preached?  I think sometimes we get sidelined by non-essentials, so I thought I would set out the theme of the book of Acts from the book itself. God Bless, ~Al To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen by them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:   Act 1:3    Beginning from the baptism of John, to that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.  Act 1:22    Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be held by it.  Act 2:24    Men, brethren, let me freely speak to you concerning the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and ...

Reading in John today, Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. John 20:17 God was his Father, not by creation, as he is to angels, and the souls of men, and therefore is called the Father of spirits; nor by adoption, as he is to the saints; nor with respect to the incarnation of Christ, for, as man, he had no father; or with regard to his office as Mediator, for as such he was a servant, and not a Son; but he was his Father by nature, or with regard to his divine person, being begotten of him, and so his own proper Son, and he his own proper Father; which hold forth the natural and eternal sonship of Christ, his equality with him, and distinction from him: and God was the Father of his disciples by adopting grace, in virtue of the covenant of grace made with Christ, and through their spiritual relation to him, as the na...

Dear All, It is well said below, " We have here a parable of the deep things of Christ." God Bless you, ~Al Bitter Water Made Sweet So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?  And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all h...

Good morning All, This is a wonderful, yet simple message of Grace.  Unto Edification, in His name, ~Al Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith to her, Give me to drink.   Joh 4:6 -7       Christ at Jacob's well This history teaches us that I. No soul is so LOST BUT THE LORD CAN FIND IT. Frivolity was natural to this woman. She had lived without restraint and morality. Woman has one safeguard against sin—innate delicacy. This lost, all is lost; and this was so with the Samaritan. How many would have turned away from her as hopeless, But Christ turns to her because she is a soul whom the Father has given Him to save. II. NO OCCASION IS SO TRIFLING BUT THE LORD CAN USE IT. The woman...

Short and sweet. In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.  And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened to him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.   (And the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as formerly.  Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, w...

And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross .  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him .  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him : for he said, I am the Son of God .  Mat 27:40-43    Two things the priests and elders upbraided him with. [1.] That he could not save himself, Mat 27:42. He had been before abused in his prophetical and kingly office, and now in his priestly office as a Savior. First, They take it for granted that he could not save himself, and therefore had not the power he pretended to, when really he would not save himself, because he would die to save us. They should have argued, "He sa...

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.  Act 4:1-5     We have here the interests of the kingdom of heaven successfully carried on, and the powers of darkness appearing against them to put a stop to them. let Christ's servants be ever so resolute, Satan's agents will be spiteful; and therefore, let Satan's agents be ever so spiteful, Christ's servants ought to be resolute. I. The apostles, Peter and John, went on in their work, and did not labor in vain. The Spirit enabled the ministers to do their...

Hi, There are studies that I do that are good, and some are excellent.  This is an excellent study!  You can't go away from it unmoved. It would be well worth your time to read 2Kings chapter 5 for the background. As always, let me know what you think. ~Al Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance to Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper.  And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.  And she said to her mistress, I would that my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.  And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.  2Ki 5:1 -4   ...