Rock of Ages

 Proverbs 18:10 (KJV) ¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Here is this verse dissected and defined:

 The name of the Lord:

Elohim:            The God who creates.  Used 2,700 times in the Old Testament and 32                          times in Genesis 1.       

                        El    El means God the Almighty

Eloah:              is the living God who is to be worshiped. (Deut. 32:15, 17)

 Jehovah:          the God who covenants.  Usually translated LORD in capital letters. Jehovah is said to occur approximately 11,600 times in the Old Testament.  The name combines the three tenses of the verb "to be." As Jehovah, God reveals Himself as the One who was and is and is to be.

Jehovah Jireh:             "the Lord who provides"; Jehovah Ropheka, "the Lord who leads";

Jehovah Nissi:             "the Lord our banner";

Jehovah Mekkaddishkem:      "the Lord who sanctifies";

Jehovah Shalom:         "the Lord our peace";

Jehovah Sabbaoth:      "the Lord of hosts";

Jehovah Tsidkenu:      "the Lord our righteousness";

Jehovah Shammah:     "the Lord who is there";

Jehovah Elyon:            "the Lord most high";

Jehovah Roi:               "the Lord who is our shepherd."

 Jah:                             The title occurs 49 times, was first used by Moses when he celebrated Israel's triumph over pharaoh at the Red Sea. In the  celebration Moses sang the first song in Scripture (Exodus 15:2). Jah signifies that God is the eternal One who inhabits eternity.

Adonai:                       is the name of the God who controls. It conveys the idea of His                absolute lordship and occurs in Scripture about 300 times. Almost always appearing in the plural and possessive form, Adonai is the God of ownership or mastery, the One who claims the unrestricted      obedience of all.

…is a strong tower:     The strong tower was the place of greatest protection in Bible time                                      structures.  Strong means the act of protecting, defense, shelter from evil.

…the righteous:           The righteous, in Scripture, denotes the servants of God, the saints.

 …runneth into it:         Run, rush speedily.

 …and are safe:            Free from danger of any kind; as safe from enemies; safe from                                            disease; safe from storms; safe from the malice of foes.

 In northern Somerset, England, there is a rocky gorge known as Burrington Combe. It is here where Augustus Toplady lived and ministered. While he was walking down toward the Combe one day, a violent thunderstorm sent him hurrying for shelter. In all the great gorge cut between towering cliffs, there seemed to be no hiding place. Then he saw a cleft in the rocky limestone near the gorge. He hurried toward it and found he could just stand upright within its shelter. He took refuge there as the rain came down in torrents and the thunder pealed. Even as he stood there, these words welled up in his soul:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Cleanse me from its guilt and pow'r.

Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress;

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

 While I draw this fleeting breath,

When my eyes shall close in death,

When I rise to worlds unknown,

And behold Thee on Thy throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

Quotes for the Week

Quotes for the Week

God will not be absent when His people are on trial; he will stand in court as their advocate, to plead on their behalf. –Charles Haddon Spurgeon

You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are. –Max Lucado

 The stars may fall, but God’s promises will stand and be fulfilled.–J. I. Packer

 “It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too, shall pass away’.’’ ~ Abraham Lincoln

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty” ~ Winston Churchill

 “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. “ ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ~ Alexander Graham Bell

What We have IN Christ!

Philippians 2:1 Dissected and Defined

What we have IN Christ!

Philippians 2:1 (KJV) ¹ If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

An effective method of meditating on the Scriptures is to dissect and define a verse or passage of God's Word. Here is Philippians 2:1 dissected and defined.

Consolation = Comfort; alleviation of misery, or distress of mind; refreshment of mind or spirits; a comparative degree of happiness in distress or misfortune, springing from any circumstance that abates the evil, or supports and strengthens the mind, as hope, joy, courage and the like.

Comfort = a word which comes to the side of one to stimulate or comfort him; hence an exhortation, an encouragement.

Love = affection or benevolence

Fellowship = companionship, social communication

Bowels = inward affection, pity or kindness

Mercies = pity, compassion

What we have IN Christ:

1. Consolation IN Christ: In Christ our misery and distress from the unpleasant circumstances of life are comforted. He replaces our misery with hope, joy, and courage. Jesus Christ is our comfort, our source of having our misery alleviated.

2. Comfort of Love: In Christ we have one who will come to our side to encourage us in life. He will comfort us with his love, affection, and benevolence.

3. Fellowship of the Spirit: In Christ we are given the Holy Spirit to abide in us. We have companionship, social communication with the Holy Spirit of God!

4. Bowels and Mercies: In Christ we experience His affection in our hearts. We know His kindness. We receive His pity.

Paul writing to the Christians at Philippi reminds them of what they have in Christ. The word if is an interesting choice that means since. Since they had trusted Jesus Christ as Savior this is what they have. Putting the sentence back together we see all that is ours in Christ. He replaces our misery with His joy, His hope, His courage. He comes by our side to encourage us with His love, His affection, and His acts of benevolence. He gives us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and to have communication with us as we journey through life. He places His affection in our hearts and we know His kindness and pity.

If you are not saved, trust Christ today as your Savior. If you are saved, walk with Him today! Enjoy all the benefits of being IN CHRIST!

Quotes for the Week

Quotes for the Week

A preacher should have the mind of a scholar, the heart of a child, and the hide of a rhinoceros. His problem is how to toughen his hide without hardening his heart." - Vance Havner

 That aim in life is highest which requires the highest and finest discipline.- Henry David Thoreau

 We do not need a better you, we need a deader you! - Steve Curington

 Tasso, the poet, said; How much better it is that he speak ill of me to all the world, than that all the world should speak ill of me to him.

On the communion table of the Augustine, there lay a verse to the effect that whoever attacked the character of the absent, was to be excluded.

Mark Twain said; there are a hundred different ways of lying, but that the only kind of lying that is flatly forbidden in the Bible is bearing false witness against our neighbor.

Jesus delights not only to forgive the messer, but to unmess the mess.  Roy Hession

God’s undeserved grace is ever contingent on man’s unreserved repentance.  Roy Hession

Only in the place of repentance do men become candidates for the grace of God. Roy Hession

What you do with the Bible will determine what God does with you.  Warren Wiersbe

 We do not have to change our heart first, we have to change our relationship first, and then our hearts will be broken and changed.  Steve Curington

God did not come to exchange your life; He came to exchange it for a new abundant life.  Steve Curington



Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia (Part II)

Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia Part II

by Dr. George Crabb

Fibromyalgia is actually a rheumatic type disorder characterized by diffuse muscular skeletal pain with trigger points (or tender points) throughout the body, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. Common associated symptoms include depression, irritable bowel, headaches, dizziness, decreased memory, temporal mandibular joint symptoms, and anxiety.

If you are experiencing this condition, your fatigue is accompanied by extremely tender muscles, which usually occur in specific areas of the body. Nine different trigger points are commonly associated with fibromyalgia. These include the muscles in the neck, in the upper back, in the mid-back, at the base of the skull, in the buttocks, in the upper portion of the thigh, just above the lateral elbow and in the rib cage, especially around the second rib. The major symptoms include:

#1 Six or more trigger points of the body that are reproducible.

#2 Muscle aches, pains and stiffness of a minimum of three different areas for at least three months.

Disorders that produce similar symptoms must be excluded. The minor symptoms include:

#1 Sleep disturbances

#2 Irritable bowel syndrome

#3 Generalized fatigue

#4 Chronic headaches

#5 Tingling or numbness sensations

#6 Swelling of the joints

#7 Psychological and neurological complaints

#8 Symptoms varying in intensity with activity, stress, or change of weather

Fibromyalgia is much more common in women than in men. Some reports have said that it occurs as much as ten times more often in women than in men. Medical tests such as x-rays and blood tests usually do not reveal any abnormalities.

In our next blog, we will look at what individuals can do to help them cope with these conditions.











To learn more about the ministries of Reformers Unanimous, please visit reformu.com

The Fool (Part 12)

The Fool

Proverbs 10:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

Each of the next four verses refers to some aspect of talking.  Herein Proverbs 10:18 the message is simple. 

1.  Fools conceal their hatred with lying words.

The deep resentment, meditating resentment, cruelty, and deadly hatred in their hearts are covered with a lie.  Their lying lips conceal their wicked heart.

Try as they may, eventually what is in the heart comes out. 

Luke 6:43-45 (KJV) ⁴³ For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ⁴⁴ For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. ⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

The second part of this verse is one way the heart of hatred in revealed, slander. 

Slander is when one speaks words intentionally to injure or impair the reputation of another.  It is giving a false report with the intent of lessening him in the eyes of others.

2.  Fools use their words to injure the reputations of others.

I am reminded of the words of the poet, Tasso who said; How much better it is that he speak ill of me to all the world, than that all the world should speak ill of me to him.

On the communion table of the Augustine, there lay a verse to the effect that whoever attacked the character of the absent, was to be excluded.

Mark Twain said; there are a hundred different ways of lying, but that the only kind of lying that is flatly forbidden in the Bible is bearing false witness against our neighbor.

Examine your heart today.  Are there any feelings of animosity towards others?  Is there resentment? Do you speak words that damage the reputation of others?  Do you attempt to lessen the esteem others hold of someone by the words you speak?  Do you slander?  

Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia (Part 1)

Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia Part I

by Dr. George Crabb

"Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird" (Proverbs 1:17.) That means an enemy cannot win if you see and understand what he is doing. Your enemy is chronic fatigue syndrome, and according to the proverb, your first step to victory is understanding your condition. Armed with a factual, truthful knowledge about what you are facing, you will better know how to pray and make wise treatment decisions. God does not intend for us to accept passively the physical attacks that assault us. We can fight back with knowledge, wisdom, faith, and prayer! In the natural we can strengthen our immune system, and in the spiritual realm, we can strengthen our faith. Claim the following verses from Psalm 59: 9, 17, "Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence...Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy." Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is fatigue that is so severe it is disabling. When diagnosed in its early stages, CFS is much easier to treat. There is no known cure for CFS, which is also called chronic fatigue, immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS). Symptoms include debilitating fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and may be worsened by physical or mental activity, impairment of short-term memory or concentration, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain and headaches. Symptoms must be present for more than six months without any other medical explanation. Individuals with CFS function at a substantially lower level of activity than before onset of the illness, and many are to continue holding jobs, attending school or caring for themselves or family members. Common Causes of Chronic Fatigue #1Chronic candida (yeast) infections and other chronic infections often caused by the overuse of antibiotics, food allergies, anemia, low blood sugar and low thyroid function. #2 Excessive stress #3 Sleep disturbances #4 Depression If you are experiencing symptoms of CFS, get a complete physical exam by your physician and meet with your pastor to make sure that your spiritual life is healthy as well. Your doctor will need to rule out a number of diseases that are also linked to excessive fatigue. In addition, CFS can also be a side effect of certain medications, including antihistamines, blood pressure medications, arthritis medications, antianxiety medications, tranquilizers, antidepressants and numerous other medications. Fibromyalgia shares many of the same symptoms and remedies as CFS, but it has some additional factors as well. We will take a look at fibromyalgia in our next blog. In future blogs we will discuss what can be done to help an individual suffering from CFS or fibromyalgia.