Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard i...

Christians can stand up to life without defeat and accept death without fear. They are ready to live and they are ready to die. The apostle Paul expressed this kind of confidence when he said, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6). Here is a man standing on the brink of eternity, shaking hands with deat...

Martin Luther once said that the heart of Christianity lies in its personal pronouns. The apostle Paul believed that and so he wrote, “I know whom [not what] I have believed, and I am persuaded that he [not 'it'] is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). Paul’s faith was firmly resting on the person of...

God’s purpose for our lives involves more than our physical ease. It also involves our spiritual development. His aim is not primarily that we be comfortable on earth but that we be conformed to the image of his dear Son in heaven (Romans 8:29). To this end God uses even the troubles of life for our good. What are some of the good things that can come out of th...

More and more denominations mean less and less to people. There was a time when people fiercely defended their “brand” of Christianity—sometimes to the point of being unchristian. They were often more committed to their church than to Christ. Today most people realize that all denominations are man made—even those who say they aren’t. An...

Philosopher James Martineau once said, “We do not believe in immortality because we have proved it, but we forever try to prove it because we believe it.” Immortality, like so many things, cannot be proven by the scientific or historical methods. However, belief in it is credible for several reasons. 1. Reason. There are two truths that make immortality r...

24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a wid...

19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. 20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with...

How strong is your faith? Can it stand the shock of a “no” answer from God?  I have long been fascinated by the story of the three Hebrew children in the Old Testament. The king of Babylon commanded all people to bow down and worship his golden image. These devout Jewish young men refused. When they were told that they would be thrown in a fiery furn...