Dr Paul Allen

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD : and be sure your sin will find you out.” ( Numbers 32:23 ) Most things in this life are uncertain; nevertheless, there are some things about which we can be absolutely sure. Just as God warned Adam that if he disobeyed His Word, he would “surely die” ( Genesis 2:17 ), so He warns us that we can be sure our sins will ultimately be exposed. “The foundation of God standeth sure” ( 2 Timothy 2:19 ). On the other side of the coin, we can also be sure of God’s mercy and faithfulness, and we can be sure of the truth of His Word. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place” ( 2 Peter 1:19 ). We also can be sure of His promised salvation. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” ( Hebrews 6:19 ). Thus, we can, through faith and patience, show “the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end...

Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator), a 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai. NB - slightly cut down - for full size see here (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ( Psalm 73:25–26) The deepest desires of the redeemed heart perhaps find no truer expression than in the words of Psalm 73:23–28. “Whom have I in heaven but you?” verse 25 goes, “And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” We read these words and say amen. We read them and we want to speak them with every bit of the same sincerity the psalmist had when he penned them. We want to desire God like this. We want him to be supreme in our affections like this. The verse becomes both our anthem, and our earnest prayer. “ Lord , I want to yearn for you,” we plead and sing. This isn’t fabricated spirituality. I...