Dr Paul Allen

Stained glass window of the sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the former Mosque (Cathedral) of Cordoba, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “That ye . . . may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ , which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God .” ( Ephesians 3:17-19 ) The theme of the inspiring hymn “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” is the infinite love Christ displayed for us through His gracious life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection from the grave, followed by His present ministry on our behalf. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore! How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore! How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne! His love cannot be earned but was freely extended to us. Even greater than that, it was gi...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God : I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." ( Isaiah 41:10 )   Verse two of " Jesus , Lover of My Soul" deals with life's trials and tribulations and begins by presenting our Savior as "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" ( Psalm 46:1 ).   Other refuge have I none; Hangs my helpless soul on thee Leave, oh, leave me not alone; Still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, All my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head With the shadow of Thy wing.   We may be helpless on our own, but in love He beckons us to "the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" ( Hebrews 4:16 ). Our soul need not hang in jeopardy. "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee . . . w...

Image via Wikipedia "That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children." ( Psalm 78:6 )   Each generation of people tends to regard its own times as the most significant of all, toward which all past history has been merely a preparation. The fact is, however, that God has "been our dwelling place in all generations" ( 90:1 ), and He is equally concerned about any generations yet to come.   This is why He stresses repeatedly that the great truths concerning God's creation, His character, His great work of salvation, and His long-range plans for the ages to come be transmitted faithfully from one generation to another. "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts" ( 145:4 ).   Our modern scientific generation almost idolizes new research, new gadgets, new discoveries. The God of eternity, however, is not so concerned that we ...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." ( Romans 3:3-4 )   Many Christians are so intimidated by the arrogant unbelief of the supposed intellectuals of the world that they either reject or compromise or ignore the difficult teachings of Scripture. This is a grievous mistake, for all of God's "sayings" are "justified" and He will surely "overcome" all those who presume to "judge" Him and His Word.   The only reason to believe in evolution, for example, is the fact that most such intellectuals believe it. There is no real evidence, either in the Bible or in science, for evolution or any other form of unbelief, yet many professed believers in Christ seem to have "loved...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." ( Romans 3:3-4 )   Many Christians are so intimidated by the arrogant unbelief of the supposed intellectuals of the world that they either reject or compromise or ignore the difficult teachings of Scripture. This is a grievous mistake, for all of God's "sayings" are "justified" and He will surely "overcome" all those who presume to "judge" Him and His Word.   The only reason to believe in evolution, for example, is the fact that most such intellectuals believe it. There is no real evidence, either in the Bible or in science, for evolution or any other form of unbelief, yet many professed believers in Christ seem to have "loved...

Image via Wikipedia “Concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another” (Rom. 15:14). Scripture is the source of godly counsel . In recent years the question of who is competent to counsel has become an important issue in the church. Many pastors and other church leaders have curtailed their counseling ministries or stopped them altogether. They’ve been made to feel inadequate for not having formal training in psychological counseling techniques. Behind this movement away from pastoral counseling is the subtle implication that the Holy Spirit and Scripture are incapable of addressing the deepest needs of the human heart . It is claimed that only secular psychology dispensed by trained analysts can do that. But the truth is, the heart of man is “more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). No one. That includes humanisti...

Image via Wikipedia “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. … Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee” (Ps. 119:9, 11). Scripture is the source of spiritual victory. Many Christians struggle with spiritual defeat or recurring sins because they haven’t learned to apply Biblical principles to specific situations. Perhaps they don’t know God ’s will because they haven’t matured in the Word. Or maybe they know what He expects of them, but they disregard His counsel. In either case, the result is the same. Jesus Himself repelled Satan ’s attacks by quoting specific portions of Scripture that applied to specific temptations (Matt. 4:1–11). He knew the Word, believed it, and refused to compromise its principles. In so doing, He set a pattern for us to follow. Using metaphorical language, the Apostle John emphasized the priority of the Word when he described three levels of spiritual maturity: children, young men, ...

Image via Wikipedia On the night of April 18, 1521, before his final stand at his heresy trial where he was asked to deny sola fides, Luther offered this humble prayer: O almighty and everlasting God ! How terrible is this world! Behold it openeth its mouth to swallow me up, and I have so little trust in Thee! How weak is the flesh and how powerful is Satan ! If it is in the strength of this world only that I must put my trust, all is over!  My last hour is come, my condemnation has been pronounced. O God! O God! O God! Do Thou help me against all the wisdom of the world! Do this; Thou shouldst do this; Thou alone, for this is not my work but Thine! I have nothing to do here, nothing to contend for with these great ones of the world! I should desire to see my days flow on peaceful and happy.  But the cause is Thine, and it is a righteous and eternal cause, O Lord ! Help me! Faithful and unchangeable God! In no man do I place my trust. It would be vain—all that is of...

Image via Wikipedia "And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children." ( Isaiah 54:13 )   This prophetic verse has its primary fulfillment still in the future. Nevertheless, it states a basic principle which is always valid, and which is especially relevant on Father's Day.  The greatest honor that children can bestow on a father is a solid Christian character of their own, but that must first be his own gift to them.  Before sons and daughters can experience real peace of soul, they must first be taught of the Lord themselves, and the heavenly Father has delegated this responsibility first of all to human fathers.   The classic example is Abraham , "the father of all them that believe" ( Romans 4:11 ). God 's testimony concerning Abraham was this: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment" ( G...

Image via Wikipedia "O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy." ( Habakkuk 3:2 )   Habakkuk had long been grieved by the apostasy and injustice in Judah. A sensitive man who trusted God completely, he could not understand why God allowed such rampant sin to go unpunished. Knowing God must have a reason for His actions, he asked in faith the question, "Why?" ( 1:3 ).   In love God honors Habakkuk's sincere question, but the answer caused him even greater concern: "For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not their's" ( v. 6 ). God intended to use the vicious Babylonians to punish His chosen people ( vv. 5-11 ).   This prompted the prophet's second question, "How?" How could God use such an evil people...