Who is He in yonder stall,
At whose feet the shepherds fall?
Who is He in deep distress,
Fasting in the wilderness?

Refrain:
’Tis the Lord, O wondrous story!
’Tis the Lord, the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all!

Who is He the people bless
For His words of gentleness?
Who is He to whom they bring
All the sick and sorrowing? [Refrain]

Who is He that stands and weeps
At the grave where Laz’rus sleeps?
Who is He the gath’ring throng
Greet with loud triumphant song? [Refrain]

Lo! at midnight, who is He
Prays in dark Gethsemane?
Who is He on yonder tree
Dies in grief and agony? [Refrain]

Who is He that from the grave
Comes to heal and help and save?
Who is He that from His throne
Rules through all the world alone? [Refrain]

Benjamin R. Hanby, 1866 – copyright status is public domain. Courtesy of Timeless Truths Publications – Copyright © 2002-2020 Free Online Library

Occasional requests are made for other website/ministry locations that share our faith, convictions, and sound bible doctrine. If you have never visited the sites listed below then let the following references be my gift to you this Christmas:

Ray Comfort Ministries; gty.org – John MacArthur; AIG – Answers in Genesis.

Enjoy! Merry Christmas!

Psalm One

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

...let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

I do not set aside the grace (help/enabling) of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (for nothing). Galatians 2:21

And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Mark 13:5&6

Which Jesus do you worship?

Is it he who says we all worship the same God or is it He who says; I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me?

Is it he who says we are all God’s children or is it He who says to religious hypocrites; you are of your father the devil?

Is it he who has no siblings or is it He whose brothers and sisters are recorded in Scripture?

Is it he who is sacrificed repeatedly or is it He who by one offering has perfected forever them that are being sanctified.

Is it he who some believe to be created or is it He who is the eternal Son?

Is it he who is just a good example to follow or is it He who is our atoning sacrifice?

Is it he who is just more inspired than others or is it He who is God Himself?

Is it he who embraces everyone including their sin or is it He who says; Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Is it he who is one among many pathways to God or is it He who is the One and only mediator between God and man?

Is it he who is just a good man or is it He who is the Creator of the universe?

I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. John 5:43

Spoken by the Lord Himself, the following are the most tragic words found in Scripture:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

Is the Jesus that you worship a case of mistaken identity? The real Jesus is found in Scripture. Seek Him while He may be found.

...let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. I Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Moreover, brethren,

Paul addressed the Corinthians as brethren, fellow Christians. The Corinthian Christians, influenced by their culture, failed to deal with immorality in the flock, and they abused the Lord’s table – some gorging, becoming drunken, and others going without. The apostle rebuked them, admonishing them to deal with their sin.

1 I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

Paul reminds them of the gospel which he preached to them and which they received from him and by which they were saved, if they remembered (genuine salvation cannot be forgotten) what he preached to them.

Unless ye have believed in vain – in emptiness/without fruit; in word only (without power); even the demons believe and tremble, but theirs is not saving faith.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received (on the road to Damascus), how that Christ died for our sins (His substitutionary death) according to the scriptures;

Jesus speaking; “Search the Scriptures (the Old Testament) for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me.”

The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things (concerning Messiah Jesus) were true.

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The Gospel – that Christ died in our place, was buried, and rose again the third day. Trying to improve on The Gospel is like taking a brush or pen to the Mona Lisa. Add some color, flowers in her hair, make-up, perhaps a nose ring. She would no longer be what she is known to be. Adding to The Gospel would make it another gospel. Add thou not unto His words, lest He rebuke thee and thou be found a liar (Proverbs 30:6).

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:8-10)

5 And that he was seen of Cephas (Peter), then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

Facts are established in a court of law by two or three witnesses. He (Messiah Jesus) was seen multiple times by multiple witnesses. His resurrection from the dead is a proven fact.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Paul elsewhere calls himself the chief of sinners – why? Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, having sat at the feet of Gamaliel he was an expert in the Scriptures and as regarding the Law blameless. But He failed to see the Messiah in the Old Testament Scripture. Consumed by zeal he persecuted and killed those who did.

10 But by the grace (help/enabling/unmerited favor) of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

so we preach – to proclaim/herald/declare a message.

And so ye believed – belief and faith come from the same Greek root.

Believe – To believe is to be persuaded of – to be won over to a change of mind (repentance) and hence to place confidence in, to trust. In this sense it signifies, reliance upon, not mere credence. 

Saving faith is a firm persuasion or conviction based on hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

It has been said that faith is the gangplank used to board the ship of grace. There is a faith (persuasion) that comes from listening to someone other than God. That kind of faith can be used to board the wrong ship.

The OT declares:

And he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and he (God) counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:6

The NT explains:

He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he (God) was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed (accounted) to him (Abraham) for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his (Abraham’s) sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4:20-25

Justification – the act of God whereby He declares righteous those who believe that He is able to perform that which He has promised. God the Father has promised and provided a Saviour from our sins in His Son Jesus, who is Christ the Lord.

The God of Scripture is He who justifies the guilty based on their belief in His promise. Who is the guilty? I am the guilty.

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: so that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians Chapter One

Bible scholar James Moffatt wrote, “Death is never the last word in the life of a . . . man. When a man leaves this world, be he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison, or he may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing.”

Leaving a Righteous Legacy – Drawing Near devotional – John MacArthur, November 6, 2013.

We search the world for truth. We cull

The good, the true, the beautiful,

From graven stone and written scroll,

And all old flower fields of the soul;

And, weary seekers of the best,

We come back laden from our quest,

To find that all the sages said

Is in the Book our mothers read.

—John Greenleaf Whittier

Vivian’s Testimony

It is needful to go back a long time to my childhood to lead to my happiest day. I was born on a farm in Virginia in 1932. My family consisted of my father, my mother, a brother six years old, and a sister two years old. Five years later, my parents were blessed with another daughter. Our family was a happy one. There are sad memories, but mostly happy ones. We knew we were loved and had the important things that money can’t buy. I suppose, like most children who have been the youngest for five years, I may have resented the attention my baby sister received. A five year old doesn’t realize the attention is absolutely necessary. I also loved her dearly. It almost broke my heart one day when she fell off the sofa onto the floor when I was supposed to be carefully watching her. I’m sure it hurt me more than her because my mother said she didn’t get hurt. My mother was very understanding and did not get angry with me.

I was a shy child, so when I started to school, it seemed only natural to me to play with my older sister’s class during recess. Her friends became my friends for at least three years. My memories of Sunday School and church go back before I ever started public school. I can visualize my Sunday School teacher now, telling us a Bible story. I loved the Bible cards we received with pictures and verses on them. Yes, I was especially fond of Sunday School and singing during the worship services. During a revival one night, my oldest sister and a friend of hers went forward to join the church. I went too. The pastor asked if we believed in God and in Jesus his Son. It seemed like I had always believed in God so naturally I said yes. I became a church member at the age of twelve. I attended churches of various denominations during the next few years: Southern Baptist – where my membership was – Church of Christ, Church of God, and Methodist.

After I graduated from high school, I met and later married a wonderful man. He chose the U.S. Air Force as a career. We were stationed in several different states, as well as three overseas assignments for him. We were living in Watertown, N.Y. in May 1959 when he received orders to go to a six-month school near Tacoma, Washington. One day during the summer of 1959, I thought about life and death, and realized that I didn’t know where I’d spend eternity – heaven or hell. I had the idea that Christians were supposed to be perfect, and that certainly left me out (then and, I imagined, forever) for I knew I’d never be perfect. So I began a searching period of conviction. I listened to sermons on the radio and TV, read religious tracts given to me by a Christian neighbor, and even looked up the word ”Christian” in Webster’s Dictionary! Still, I didn’t find an answer that satisfied me, and I was not at peace.

I was attending a Southern Baptist church in Parkland, Washington. The pastor was Rev. Andrew Seago. He and a church member came to our house for visitation on October 1, 1959. He explained to me that Jesus was the only perfect man, and that he is now at the right hand of the throne of God to make intercession for Christians when they sin (I John 1:8-9, 2:1-2). He said that there is a difference between willfully living in sin day by day and simply committing a sin. God offers us forgiveness for our sins through Jesus’ death; and through his resurrection, the promise of everlasting life.

Later that night after the pastor had gone, I repented of all the wrong I had ever committed and asked God to let me know for sure what being a Christian meant. The next morning after breakfast our seven year old son asked, ”What is a Christian?” I didn’t know the answer then, but shortly afterward the Lord spoke to me. I was washing clothes, and what seemed to be like a voice from above said, ”Your sins are washed away. Jesus paid it all.” What peace, joy, and happiness filled my soul! It was indescribable.

All that I needed to know was that I was a sinner. ”For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. I had to admit it, ask forgiveness, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive him as my own personal Saviour. ”But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on his name,” John 1:12. I was born again (John 3:3), October 2, 1959! That was the happiest day of my life. I could really sing those hymns I loved so much with a new meaning, and that’s just what I did. I’m no singer, but I made a joyful noise. I followed my Lord in baptism (Matthew 3:13-17) – believer’s baptism – being immersed under water, showing a picture of being dead to sin, buried, and raised to walk in newness of life (death, burial, and resurrection). I was baptized this time not only a church member but a Christian – what a difference! You see, there’s so much difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. A person can know all there is to know about something, but if they don’t believe it, accept it, and put their faith and trust in it, then it will not become something personal to them; so it is with becoming a Christian.

God doesn’t force his love on us; we are free to choose. I’m so thankful he let me live long enough to choose the heaven way! Now there is no doubt in my mind where I will spend eternity. I’ve never regretted it. Even though I’ve failed God many times, he has never failed me. He has been so good to me and showered me with many blessings here, as well as a home in heaven. I have a wonderful Christian husband and three wonderful sons who have accepted Jesus as their own Saviour too. It is amazing that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son to die for our sins. ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16. It is a free gift – we can’t work for it and church membership doesn’t give it to us. ”For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” Romans 6:23. ”For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” Ephesians 2:8&9. We’re supposed to work for the Lord; that’s why he left us here after we became Christians, but we can never work to receive salvation. Salvation only comes to us through God’s way and that is his Son, Jesus. What God has done for me, he can also do for you. Don’t wait until it’s too late to choose your eternal home. We never really know what tomorrow holds or even the next hour. It’s wonderful to know and have assurance that our life is in God’s care.

Vivian E. Gibbs July 10, 1932 – Sept. 24, 2025

Discerning is said of those who are capable of discriminating between good and evil. (1)

No one can be truly discerning apart from the mastery of the Word of God. All the desire in the world cannot make you discerning if you don’t study Scripture. Prayer, alone, for discernment is not enough. Obedience alone will not suffice. Good role models will not do it either. Even the Holy Spirit will not give you discernment apart from His Word. If you really want to be discerning, you must diligently study the Word of God. (2)

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

(1) W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN.

(2) Developing Your Discernment by John MacArthur, page 31 – copyright 2023.