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222 illustrations
(Proverbs 3:4) What constitutes a truly religious life?
Joseph Parker, D.D., observes that instruction often begins with negatives—teaching children what they must not do.
This is not labored knowledge but native breath—religion so integrated into His nature that He prays and speaks as naturally as breathing.
This creature burrows deep into the soil but journeys nightly to the sea to bathe in salt water.
Once deflected from righteousness, nothing becomes easier than sinking into deepening abysses of iniquity.
This distinction cuts to the heart of His redemptive mission.
No kingdom—evil or good—consciously engineers its own destruction.
This duty offends the natural mind and cannot be softened for worldly taste; it rests upon God's command alone, for our salvation hangs in the balance.
Similarly, the sacred temple shook at God's presence and the seraphim's praise.
Why may we multiply requests before the throne?
First, it denotes God's essence, majesty, and perfections—the *doxa* (glory) that radiates from His divine nature.
The soul surpasses the body as jewels exceed their casket, as the tenant transcends the house.
The image draws from ancient Near Eastern custom: girdles of gold, blue, purple, and fine-twined linen distinguished persons of high rank, while military girdles signified strength and authority (compare 2 Samuel 18:11, where Joab's girdle marked his station).
Zeal itself is morally neutral—the heat or fervour of the mind prompting vehemence against evil and desire toward good.
Romans 9:13 presents a paradox that troubled even Paul himself: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." The writer acknowledges this appears to contradict God's righteousness, yet immediately restrains such questioning (v. 14). Consider the biographical contrast. Esau...
Like the mythological Twins of Love, *eros* and *anteros*, Truth and Mercy weep together, smile together, sicken together, and recover jointly.
This inward witness operates with formidable power, speaking either for or against the person in whom it resides.
The Word visited men before the Incarnation through nature and conscience, came fully at the Incarnation, and still comes through the Spirit who interprets His name (John 14:25; 16:13).
Four categories of obedience sustain our *meno* (abiding) in His love.
If we would pray well, we must pray early.
Night is the season of repose, yet also the time chosen for deeds of darkness and sin.
The apostle unfolds the principal phases of Christ's being and work.
The Holy Spirit Himself is the source of all spiritual fruit, and this fruit does not admit of exhaustive classification, though three groups emerge: Christian states of mind in their general aspect; qualities affecting intercourse with neighbours; and principles guiding...
The investiture of Christ operates on two levels: the clothing of a garment and the clothing of a person.