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Revival: The Arrow of Infinite Desire Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. -Matthew 5:6 These words are addressed to those of God's children who have been pierced with the arrow of infinite desire, who yearn for God with a yearning that has overcome them, who long with a longing that has become pain. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."... A dead body feels no hunger and the dead soul knows not the pangs of holy desire. "If you want God," said the old saint,...

Too Hard or Too Small by Henry Morris, Ph.D.   "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." (Jeremiah 32:17)This mighty declaration of faith in the Creator of heaven and earth was given by Jeremiah in respect to a mundane sort of need--the need of assurance that his real estate investment would be safe, even if he were forced to be away from it for many years. There is nothing too small for the Lord, just as there is...

Revival: Living at a Fever Pitch And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. -Colossians 3:23 We live at a fever pitch, and whether we are erecting buildings, laying highways, promoting athletic events, celebrating special days or welcoming returning heroes we always do it with an exaggerated flourish. Our building will be taller, our highway broader, our athletic contest more colorful, our celebration more elaborate and more expensive than would be true anywhere else on earth. We walk faster, drive faster, earn more, spend more and run higher blood pressure than any other...

Be Continually Being Filled by Henry Morris, Ph.D.   "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15)This prophecy of the angel Gabriel, bearing as it does a tremendous testimony to the character of John the Baptist, contains the first reference in the New Testament to the unique Christian doctrine of the filling of the Holy Spirit. John was the first Christian witness, directing his own disciples to Christ (John 1:35-37) and clearly...

Revival: The Curse of Self-righteousness Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:13-14 Self-righteousness is terrible among God's people. If we feel that we are what we ought to be, then we will remain what we are. We will not look for any change or improvement in our lives. This will quite naturally lead us to judge everyone by what...

Pray Anyhow by Henry Morris, Ph.D.   "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way." (1 Samuel 12:23)Samuel had served the children of Israel as their faithful judge for many years, and the Lord had blessed them and their land. Nevertheless, they began to want a king and pressed Samuel to get one for them. Finally, Samuel anointed Saul to be their king, but both Samuel and the Lord Himself were displeased with their demands.Nevertheless, Samuel's great...

None But the Hungry Heart #1 None But the Hungry Heart is a devotional study. There are twelve sections each containing thirty-one daily portions. The following three factors have been considered in arriving at this form of presentation: 1. A spiritually hungry heart is the requisite for entering into the growth truths of identification with Christ. 2. Prayerful study on the part of the believer is the means by which the Holy Spirit ministers these truths. 3. The concentration of the Christ-life truths in brief daily studies facilitates their assimilation. The authors quoted have been carefully selected; however, this...

Revival: A Purified Church But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. -Philippians 3:7-8 Our most pressing obligation today is to do all in our power to obtain a revival that will result in a reformed, revitalized, purified church. It is of far greater importance that we have better Christians than that we have more...

The Branch of the Lord by Henry Morris, Ph.D.   "In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel." (Isaiah 4:2)One of the fascinating titles of the promised Messiah is that of "the Branch." Here He is called "the Branch of the Lord," along with "the fruit of the earth." As the first, He is "beautiful and glorious." As the second, He is "excellent and comely." "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem...

Evangelism: Salvation Apart from Obedience For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. --Ephesians 2:10 Therefore, I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles--the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior and we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to!... I think the following is a fair statement of what I was taught...

Negatives to the Unsaved by James J. S. Johnson, J.D.   "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)How good it is to experience victories in spiritual warfare, to see God's values triumph, and to see an ungodly scheme thwarted! We especially rejoice if we somehow participated in the process.The prophet Elijah saw "big" victories over the forces of evil: the defeat of hundreds of Baal's prophets, the bold confrontation of wicked Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 18). Elisha did likewise in the...

Evangelism: Believe the Right Things And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." --John 8:23-24 Because the heart of the Christian life is admittedly faith in a person, Jesus Christ the Lord, it has been relatively easy for some to press this truth out of all proportion and teach that faith in the Person of Christ...

The Gospel and Health by Henry Morris, Ph.D.   "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." (Matthew 4:23)This is the first mention of "the gospel" in the New Testament, and it is significant that Christ was emphasizing, first of all, the long-range future aspect of the gospel, the Kingdom. In that great day, all manner of sickness and even death itself will be eternally healed, when the earth's age-long curse, pronounced originally because of man's...

Evangelism: Trusting the Lifeboat And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." --Acts 16:30-31 Now, the matter of complete trust in the person of Christ. No man has any hope for eternal salvation apart from trusting completely in Jesus Christ and His atonement for men. Simply stated, our Lord Jesus is the lifeboat and we must fully and truly be committed to trusting the lifeboat. Again, our Lord and Savior is the rope by which...

Lift Up Your Eyes by Henry Morris, Ph.D.   "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth." (Isaiah 40:26)Our text makes three majestic statements about the cosmos, each reflecting true scientific insight, as well as the work of each person of the divine Trinity. The omnipresent Father has "brought out" an infinite "host" of organized systems in the cosmos--galaxies, stars, planets, animals, and people. All...

Evangelism: Sovereign Calling But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. --John 1:12-13 There is another and worse evil which springs from this basic failure to grasp the radical difference between the natures of the two worlds. It is the habit of languidly "accepting" salvation as if it were a small matter and one wholly in our hands. Men are exhorted to...

David's Great Grandmother by Henry Morris, Ph.D. | Aug. 26, 2008 "And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David." (Ruth 4:17)No one knows for certain who the human author of the fascinating Book of Ruth may have been, but it must at least have been written by a contemporary of David, able to carry the genealogy of Ruth's descendants down to her great-grandson, David. Quite possibly the story was told directly to David himself...

1-16 MUTUAL VIEWPOINT "That ye may know what is the hope of His calling and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18) In order to share effectively with needy believers it is essential to know what the Father has purposed for His own. And this understanding results from personal growth in the Lord Jesus. Those who are merely well-versed may be able to teach, but they cannot truly share; their understanding of the needs of the heart is deficient, and this becomes all too evident to the hearers. Head-knowledge (study) must be integrated...

Evangelism: Only the Spirit Can Give Sight But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. --2 Corinthians 4:3-4 The uncomprehending mind is unaffected by truth. The intellect of the hearer may grasp saving knowledge while yet the heart makes no moral response to it. A classic example of this is seen in the story of Benjamin Franklin and George...

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Psalm 32:8)The "instruction" of which this verse speaks is so important, the Hebrew word is incorporated in its very title. Psalm 32 is the first of the 14 psalms which are headed by the title Maschil ("Instruction"). These 14 psalms occur in the following symmetrical pattern: one of them in Book 1 of the psalms; four each in Books 2, 3, and 4; and one in Book 5. This psalm (32) contains David's personal testimony of intense soul-searing conviction...

Evangelism: Too Easily Converted Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." --John 8:31-32 First, we must consider the person who becomes a disciple of Christ on impulse. This is likely to be the person who came in on a wave of enthusiasm, and I am a little bit suspicious of anyone who is too easily converted. I have a feeling that if he or she can be easily converted to Christ, he or she...

    Pride Goes Before Destruction by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)This is the middle verse of the entire book of Proverbs, and, in view of the obviously structured original verse divisions throughout the book, it may well have been divinely designed as such. In any case, the sin of pride is so deadly, it is appropriate that a solemn warning concerning it should be placed here right at the heart of God's book of true wisdom.The sin of pride was the primeval sin of Satan: "Thine heart...

Evangelism: Saved to Worship Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! --1 Chronicles 16:29 There is nothing intrinsically wrong with signing a card. It can be a helpful thing so we know who has made inquiry. But really, my brother or sister, we are brought to God and to faith and to salvation that we might worship and adore Him. We do not come to God that we might be automatic Christians, cookie-cutter Christians, Christians stamped out with a die. God has...

    The Triune Comforter by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)One of the titles of the Holy Spirit, especially as used in the King James Version, is His beautiful identification as "the Comforter." The Greek word is parakletos, meaning literally, "one who is called along side to...

Evangelism: Conviction and Pain So I said, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." --Isaiah 6:5 When Isaiah cried out, "I am undone!" it was a cry of pain. It was the revealing cry of conscious uncleanness. He was experiencing the undoneness of the creature set over against the holiness of the Creator. What should happen in genuine conversion? What should a man or woman feel in the transaction...

    Thou Art the God by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth." (2 Kings 19:15)Good King Hezekiah was in what seemed a hopeless situation. The mighty armies of the Assyrian empire had been sweeping through the surrounding countries in an orgy of destruction and plunder, and now were at the gates of Jerusalem, demanding its surrender. Grossly outnumbered, the choice seemed either to...

None But the Hungry Heart #1 None But the Hungry Heart is a devotional study. There are twelve sections each containing thirty-one daily portions. The following three factors have been considered in arriving at this form of presentation: 1. A spiritually hungry heart is the requisite for entering into the growth truths of identification with Christ. 2. Prayerful study on the part of the believer is the means by which the Holy Spirit ministers these truths. 3. The concentration of the Christ-life truths in brief daily studies facilitates their assimilation. The authors quoted have been carefully selected; however, this...

Evangelism: A Bond of Compassion Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. --Psalm 126:5-6 The testimony of the true follower of Christ might well be something like this: The world's pleasures and the world's treasures henceforth have no appeal for me. I reckon myself crucified to the world and the world crucified to me. But the multitudes that were so dear to Christ shall not be less dear to me. If I cannot prevent their moral suicide,...

    The Ape Cargo by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." (2 Chronicles 9:21)This is a fascinating verse intended to help the reader sense something of the almost incredible wealth of King Solomon. Among other indications of his riches, he had been able to develop an Israelite navy that could sail to distant lands, returning with exotic and valuable cargoes. One wonders whether some of the items of gold and silver...

Evangelism: Gospel Implications For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. --Titus 2:11-12 The fact is that the New Testament message embraces a great deal more than an offer of free pardon. It is a message of pardon, and for that may God be praised; but it is also a message of repentance. It is a message of atonement, but it is also a message of temperance and righteousness and godliness in this present world. It...

    Doing Righteousness by Henry Morris III, D.Min. "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." (1 John 3:7)Every genuine Christian knows that part of the salvation gift is the promise of being made "unblameable in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 3:13). We sometimes have trouble, however, with the concept of present-tense holiness in our everyday lifestyles.John speaks of the abiding Christian who "sinneth not" (1 John 3:6). Indeed, such a Christian "doth not commit sin" (1 John 3:9) because, John notes, the "seed" of God "remaineth in him: and...

Evangelism: Trying to Decide For He says, "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. --2 Corinthians 6:2 This is so desperately a matter of importance for every human being who comes into the world that I first become indignant, and then I become sad, when I try to give spiritual counsel to a person who looks me in the eye and tells me: "Well, I am trying to make up my mind if I should accept...

    "Wise" Fools by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; . . . Saying to a stock, Thou art my father, and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face." (Jeremiah 2:26-27)Indeed, the leaders of Israel should have hidden their faces from God! The very idea of repudiating the God who had created them, redeemed them from death, and then established them as a great nation, in favor of a vain evolutionary, pantheistic...

Evangelism: Man-centered Christianity Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. --1 Chronicles 29:11 Christianity today is man-centered, not God-centered. God is made to wait patiently, even respectfully, on the whims of men. The image of God currently popular is that of a distracted Father, struggling in heartbroken desperation to get people to accept a Saviour of whom they feel no need and in whom they have...

    Cain and Abel by Henry Morris III, D.Min. "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." (1 John 3:12)These two brothers stand as contrasting prototypes. Cain was the first child born after the Fall who embraced the "wicked one" in spite of all the firsthand and face-to-face knowledge of God's redemptive plan and offering of grace (Genesis 4). Cain's arrogant lifestyle is noted in Jude 8-11. Abel, in contrast, was a man of great faith (Hebrews 11:4)...

Evangelism: A Cheap Salvation But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness and handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. --2 Corinthians 4:2 Here again is seen the glaring discrepancy between Biblical Christianity and that of present-day evangelicals, particularly in the United States.... To make converts here we are forced to play down the difficulties and play up the peace of mind and worldly success enjoyed by those who accept Christ. We must assure our hearers that Christianity is...

    The Seed, the Water, and the Word by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." (1 Corinthians 3:7)This verse is a salutary corrective to the common somewhat boastful claim of the evangelist or the personal "soul winner"--that "I won John to Christ," or "I led Mary to the Lord." On the other side of the coin is the similar man-pleasing testimony that "I was won to Christ by Pastor Brown's sermons." While it is commanded and is urgently important that each Christian be...

None But the Hungry Heart #1 None But the Hungry Heart is a devotional study. There are twelve sections each containing thirty-one daily portions. The following three factors have been considered in arriving at this form of presentation: 1. A spiritually hungry heart is the requisite for entering into the growth truths of identification with Christ. 2. Prayerful study on the part of the believer is the means by which the Holy Spirit ministers these truths. 3. The concentration of the Christ-life truths in brief daily studies facilitates their assimilation. The authors quoted have been carefully selected; however, this...

Evangelism: Calling Us Back Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" --Genesis 3:9 Although the human mind stubbornly resists and resents the suggestion that it is a sick, fallen planet upon which we ride, everything within our consciousness, our innermost spirit, confirms that the voice of God is sounding in this world--the voice of God calling, seeking, beckoning to lost men and women!... Sacred revelation declares plainly that the inhabitants of the earth are lost. They are lost by a mighty calamitous visitation of woe which came upon them somewhere in that distant...

    What's in a Name? by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego." (Daniel 1:7)Peoples in ancient times--especially the Israelites and their implacable enemies, the Babylonians--placed great importance on the names given their children, desiring that their very names constitute a testimony to their character and to the convictions of their parents.The meaning of all these names is very significant. Each of the four had been given by their...

Evangelism: Not Willing to Take Contempt But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. --Acts 20:24 We are 20th century Christians. Some of us are Christians only because it is convenient and pleasant and because it is not costing us anything. But here is the truth, whether we like it or not: the average evangelical Christian who claims to be born again and...

    The Brightness of the Glory by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:3)This verse constitutes one of Scripture's most magnificent declarations of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us examine the phrase--"the brightness of his glory."The word for "brightness" is used only this one time in the Bible, and means, literally, "out-radiating."...

Evangelism: God is Depending on Us Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him love.... --Ephesians 1:4 Sin is a disease. It is lawlessness. It is rebellion. It is transgression--but it is also a wasting of the most precious of all treasures on earth. The man who dies out of Christ is said to be lost, and hardly a word in the English tongue expresses his condition with greater accuracy. He has squandered a rare fortune and at the last he stands for a fleeting...

    Before the World Began by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." (Titus 1:2)There are some things that God, even in His omnipotence, cannot do. He cannot fail in His ultimate purpose in creation, for one thing. He cannot do wrong, or be wrong, for what He does is right and what He says is true, by definition. And God cannot lie, so whatever He has promised, He will perform.One of His most glorious promises is that of eternal life, for this promise was made even...

Evangelism: Sovereign Obligation I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. --Romans 1:14,15 That is why I say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is something more than making us the happiest people in the Easter parade. Are we to listen to a cantata, join in singing "Up from the Grave He Arose," smell the lilies and go home and forget it? No, certainly not! The resurrection of Jesus Christ lays...

    The Seventh Day by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:11)God's word is omnipotent, and He could just as well have created an entire universe, fully populated and functioning, in an instant of time. Instead, He chose to do it in six days, with a seventh day to be set aside as a day of rest and remembrance of His completed, "very good," creation. Since that...

None But the Hungry Heart #1 None But the Hungry Heart is a devotional study. There are twelve sections each containing thirty-one daily portions. The following three factors have been considered in arriving at this form of presentation: 1. A spiritually hungry heart is the requisite for entering into the growth truths of identification with Christ. 2. Prayerful study on the part of the believer is the means by which the Holy Spirit ministers these truths. 3. The concentration of the Christ-life truths in brief daily studies facilitates their assimilation. The authors quoted have been carefully selected; however, this...

Evangelism: She Had to Tell Someone Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? --John 4:30 Spiritual experiences must be shared. It is not possible for very long to enjoy them alone. The very attempt to do so will destroy them. The reason for this is obvious. The nearer our souls draw to God the larger our love will grow, and the greater our love the more unselfish we shall become and the greater our care for the souls of others. Hence increased spiritual experience, so far as it is...

    Not Giving, but Sowing by Henry Morris, Ph.D. "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6)As John Calvin pointed out long ago in expounding this key passage, "We are not giving, but sowing" when we contribute of our financial means to the work of the Lord, for it miraculously is considered by the Lord of the harvest as seed sown in the soil of the hearts of men.And it is a rule of the harvest that, other things being equal, the...

None But the Hungry Heart #1 None But the Hungry Heart is a devotional study. There are twelve sections each containing thirty-one daily portions. The following three factors have been considered in arriving at this form of presentation: 1. A spiritually hungry heart is the requisite for entering into the growth truths of identification with Christ. 2. Prayerful study on the part of the believer is the means by which the Holy Spirit ministers these truths. 3. The concentration of the Christ-life truths in brief daily studies facilitates their assimilation. The authors quoted have been carefully selected; however, this...