BJU Press Blog

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SON

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Believers will joyfully ponder the unique sonship of Jesus Christ for all of eternity. Normally, a son does not volunteer himself to be subordinate. It is something determined for him at birth─necessitated by his dependence and vulnerability. But Christ’s obedience was not as an inferior but was to His equal. And it was His choice to “do always those things” that pleased His Father.

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“The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]” (Isaiah 7:14). “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:8).
“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (November 2 reading).]

SHEPHERD

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The work of a shepherd is not for the faint-hearted. The 24/7 needs of a flock of sheep leave no time out for stormy weather or bodily fatigue. And perhaps most difficult of all, sheep are rarely grateful and mostly oblivious to the sacrifices of careful leadership. Long before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus was giving His life for the sheep. His earthly ministry was one that began in His mother’s womb.

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“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. . . . And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice” (John 10:2, 4). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “I am the good shepherd. . . . And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, . . . and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. . . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life” (John 10:14, 16, 27–28). “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will” (Hebrews 13:20–21).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 26 reading).]

Meet Nick Newton

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Jumping into the world of Nick Newton is like waking up in a faraway place in an imaginary era. The abundance of intriguing gadgetry immediately establishes Nick Newton Is Not a Genius by S. E. M. Ishida as fanciful. But there’s something captivatingly simple and wholesome about this family of eccentric artists and inventors that will remind readers of a bygone era.

The story opens with everyone trying to decide what to do about Nick. His application to genius school has been rejected, leaving his parents scrambling to find an alternative source of quality education for him. (Being a non-genius makes him somewhat of a novelty in his family.) After observing the limited success of homeschooling conducted by the family’s butler, Nick’s parents decide to place the fifth grader in the school of a Mr. Solomon Volk, who was himself a bit of an academic misfit and whose school is run almost exclusively by robots.

Robotics is not new territory for Nick Newton. Having found a robotic bird in pieces in his attic, he reassembles it and takes it for his personal pet. So Nick feels right at home in the Volk Institute. But his school days are soon marred by a tragic error in judgement that ultimately unites him and his teacher in a common cause—the quest for a mechanical heart. Uncertain as to whether a prototype still exists, they embark on a determined search that leads them to an untidy mansion, a lonely widow, and the name Draicot. Never could Nick have anticipated the history he would uncover in their search and how the discovery would help him piece together certain elements of his own life.

Chock full of respect for family values, brimming with the-sky’s-the-limit creative energy, and ending with the satisfying triumph of the extraordinary, Nick Newton Is Not a Genius by S. E. M. Ishida is a launching pad to send the imagination of your young reader soaring!

SEND

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“Sent” is a small but mighty word. It can serve to comfort the most homesick missionary, nerve the most trepid warrior, direct the most perplexed king, and bring honor to the one deemed least likely to succeed. The strength of it lies in the sender, and His all-powerful backing.

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“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill” (Psalm 43:3). “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:18). “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: O send out Your light and Your truth.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 19 reading).]

SCEPTER

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In the days of the Old Testament kings, a scepter would be only a welcome sight if it were extended by the king. Only then could a supplicant know that he was accepted. The royal owner literally held in his hand the key to life and death. His was the last word, and holding the scepter signified that his authority was absolute. The verses below use the word “scepter” to represent the power that God has given to His Son. He promises that all who approach Him in faith He will receive. What a wonderful promise!

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“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 40:10). “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth [tumult]” (Numbers 24:17). “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right scepter” (Psalm 45:6). “The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers” (Isaiah 14:5). “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:8).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The scepter of Your kingdom is a right scepter.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 12 reading).]