During His childhood and youth, Jesus had worshipped among His brethren in the synagogue at Nazareth. Since the opening of His ministry He had been absent from them. As He again appeared among them, their interest and expectation were excited to the highest pitch. Upon this Sabbath Jesus was requested to take part in the […]
The year was 1835. An obscure pastor with a thick German accent named George Müller was laboring in the west of England and distressed by the general lack of faith in God. “I longed,” he wrote, “to have something to point to as a visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful […]
“And for your criminal activities, Mr. Wong, you will serve your fine country by performing twenty years of hard labor.” The sentence was final. Soon Glorious Country Wong would join murderers, thieves, and other criminals at Tsinghai, Western China’s notorious hard labor camp. What kind of a criminal was Mr. Wong? An anti-revolutionary American? A […]
Wars raged between tribes; Fulani slave raiders descended from the north; Portuguese dealers waited along the coast. Amid this violent convergence stood a 12-year-old boy—Ajayi—whose life was about to change forever. In 1821, Ajayi and his entire village were captured by Fulani raiders. Alongside his family, he was forced into bondage and exchanged through a […]
“If you run away again, you impudent child, I will tie you to the goddess Kali tonight!” screamed the devadasi, her eyes gleaming with anger. Trembling with fear, the little girl slipped into a dark corner of the dirty temple and tried to hide from the woman assigned to train the little temple prostitutes. The […]
Based on Paul’s letter to Philemon Night falls quietly over the household of Philemon as, one by one, sleep claims its occupants—family members, servants, guests, and animals. But not all are sleeping. From a dark corner, a restless figure slips between the marble columns of the central courtyard. Crossing its curtained threshold, he steals into […]
The Scottish Reformer John Knox is ranked with Luther and Calvin among the heroes of the Reformation. With undaunted courage he stood before royalty, fighting the battles of the Lord, until Scotland was free from popery. Even though there is some doubt as to the exact year of Knox’s birth, evidence indicates that he was […]
We could learn and emulate much from David’s generous nature. How anxious he was to please God can be demonstrated by the personal sacrifice he underwent to build God a permanent dwelling. There is danger that Christians do too many religious duties not because they have an intense desire to do them, but because it […]
God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. Through the things of nature and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly represent His love. Though all these evidences have been given, the […]
“Ziba, Ziba, the time has come for you to enter King David’s chamber!” With hurried steps I follow King David’s servant into a private apartment of the palace. Now I find myself in front of the king’s banquet table. From behind the candlesticks, I see his figure rise hastily. My knees quiver, not for the […]