John 2:1-11

2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

The Old Rugged Cross

Isaiah 66:7-11

7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

Your Debt to God's Spirit

By Theodore Epp


Romans 8:6-17

It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is sinful to allow oneself to be drawn away and to yield to the temptation. So at the time when temptation arises is the moment to apply Romans 8:13--to mortify the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit. And notice that it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can effectively do this.

This calls for a new attitude. We must recognize that we are personally responsible. We cannot escape our responsibility by saying, "Well, it is the Holy Spirit's job to take over, so I am not responsible." The Holy Spirit will not and cannot work if our minds are not determined to hate sin and to refuse to fulfill what our evil natures urge us to do. It is not just a matter of feeling hatred for sin, but it's a determination of the will. The mind is the seat of the will, and we must use our thinking capacity to choose that which is right and to refuse that which is wrong. God assists even in our willing, or choosing, for Philippians 2:13 says, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." But God will not bypass our wills. If we choose to do wrong, He will not force us to do right. Our wills must be in complete submission to Him.

The person who knows Jesus Christ as Saviour has "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16). By God's Word, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we know what Jesus Christ would think about a given matter; therefore, as we seek to honor Him, we think the same way. This is why we should not yield the members of our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness but should yield them to God as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 6:13).

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).

Vision: Waiting

• Vision: Waiting January 15, 2015

The Testifier

By Bible Names of God


"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Even so come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

This is not a title, nor a name, but a fitting truth with which to close this little volume. We would rejoice if every reader has a heart-felt desire to say "Amen" to this promise of our Lord. The days grow darker for the church and for the world. The signs multiply as we look carefully at the prophecies. The poor old world reels like a drunken man to its doom. Our hearts are sad. We are thinking of those whose future is to be full of woe and anguish. "The Testifier" entreats us to go and testify to the lost. Let us point them to the Lamb of God and plead with sinners to accept Him and with the saints to look for Him. He has left the Testimony. And now, in closing, the last verse of this chapter is our heartfelt prayer for our readers,

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Amen.

The Testator

By Bible Names of God


"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." Hebrews 9:16

A Testator is a man who makes and leaves a will, or testament, at death. Christ has left a testament and a will. He died for us. He shed His blood as a free-will offering in our behalf. Under the law we were condemned to death. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." "Death passed upon all men in that all have sinned." The sin question is settled forever for us who believe in Jesus Christ, our Testator. He ever lives. He represents us in the presence of the Father.

Lord, we lift our hearts to Thee and rejoice in the finished work and testimony of our Testator. Amen.