BJU Press Blog

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REDEEMER

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There is no topic a Christian disciple would rather talk about than his Redeemer. That which consumes his thoughts day by day cannot help but become the natural topic of his conversation. Whether in prayer or praise, we make our “boast in the Lord.”

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“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25). “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 47:4). “All flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob” (Isaiah 49:26). “Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause” (Jeremiah 50:34).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: I know that my Redeemer lives.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (September 7 reading).]

RAISE

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Raising is God’s work. We see the Lord Jesus Himself acknowledge that in the verses below. Being united to Him, we will joyfully echo this declaration of our Father’s power when we are changed “in the twinkling of an eye.”

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“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper” (Jeremiah 23:5). “The Lord God of Israel . . . hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68–69). “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you” (2 Corinthians 4:14). God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: He that raised up Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (August 31 reading).]

PROPITIATION

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Sin is not a popular topic nowadays. Churches that once dealt with it vigorously have become increasingly timid about focusing on it. But without the understanding that our sin has separated us far from a holy God, we will have no appreciation for propitiation—the total appeasement of God’s wrath against our sin. We cannot enjoy Christ’s work of propitiation until we know where we are without it.

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The publican cried out, “God be propitiated toward me, the sinner” (Luke 18:13, Greek text). Sinful man has no plea but the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ. Paul referred to Christ Jesus, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25). “And he [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (August 24 reading).]

Hope and Trust in a Father’s Promise

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031229-Fathers-PromiseIn A Father’s Promise, Donnalynn Hess crafts a powerful story of hope and hanging on. Young Rudi Kaplan is going to school one day but hiding under his bed the next as the Nazis begin to occupy and plunder his country. Before long his home is gone, and any sense of personal safety becomes a memory. Rudi clings to the two most valuable things he still has in this life—his father and a cache of letters left for him by his dying mother to be read on his future birthdays.

But as the harsh realities of war and persecution force Rudi’s father, a Jewish doctor, out of his practice, it becomes increasingly obvious that other arrangements must be made if Rudi and his father are to survive the war. The two of them must endure the searing pain of separation. But one vital source of strength remains constant—the promises of a faithful God. And it is to those promises Dr. Kaplan must entrust the most precious thing he has on earth—Rudi.

After being sent deep into the forest for refuge, Rudi encounters blessings he never expected. In the woods he meets a mix of lively and capable characters, each of whom, in his own way, ushers Rudi into manhood. There are Oscar (the brave resister who’s well-versed in outdoor survival), Anna (the mother figure Rudi has so desperately missed), Ingrid (who never utters a word), and Josef (who has a mind to betray them all). But none has a role as important to Rudi as the hope-sustaining echo of his father’s promise—and the prospect of a reunion that is against all odds.

Read the opening pages of the JourneyForth novel A Father’s Promise, a compelling work of historical fiction for young people ages 9–12.

PREPARE

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“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9    

Surely the most devastating blow that the devil can hurl at a believer and the darkest gloom that can overtake a soul cannot prevail against this joyous declaration. If no other banner serves to revive or inspire, I hoist this one and turn my face unflinching toward the battle.

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“Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart” (Psalm 10:17). “The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all” (Psalm 103:19). “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: I go to prepare a place for you.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (August 17 reading).]