"Thank You For It All" | H.B. Charles Jr. My new single, "Thank You For It All," has been released. And it is now available on all the various music platforms. Over the past several years, I have been writing music. The process started someone spontaneously, during my devotional times. I would sing melodies as I prayed and read scripture. Other songs were born from study times in sermon preparation. I periodically try out some of these songs during prayer meetings and worship services. At this point, I am eager to share this music with a wider audience. We have...

Isaiah 49 begins with what is called a Servant Songs There are four Servant Songs in Isaiah’s. These songs are about the Servant of the Lord, the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel had failed God as his representative to the nations. But God's redemptive plan was not thwarted. God’s anointed Servant would fulfill his plans for Israel and the nations.  Verse 13 records the proper response to this good news: “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.” Sovereign grace invokes universal praise. All creation should sing praise for God’s comfort and compassion toward his afflicted people. ...

Jeremiah’s warnings of judgment were finally coming to pass. Nebuchadnezzar surrounded Jerusalem. His armies would soon attack Judah, destroy the holy city, and take the people into Babylonian Captivity. Jeremiah was in prison. He had counseled Judah’s king to surrender Nebuchadnezzar. Defeat was inevitable. The prophet was arrested for treason for telling the truth. Jeremiah 33:1 says, “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard.” God is good all the time. God is at his best when things are at their worst.  In this moment of crisis, the word of the Lord...

During a panel discussion at a pastor’s conference, a well-known pastor was asked what he had done to build his church. The questioner wanted him to share insights into successful church growth. The pastor claimed he had done nothing to build his church. Surprised by the answer, the questioner pressed the pastor to say more. With such a large and prominent church, surely the pastor had done something to build it up. The pastor held his ground. He had done nothing to build up the church. “I didn’t know that was my job,” he added. “I thought it was Jesus’...

Emperor Domitian deemed the aged Apostle John a threat to the Roman Empire. Domitian canceled John banishing him to the deserted isle of Patmos. His planned backfired. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. As he worshiped, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to John. John's persecution was a microcosm of what churches throughout the Roman Empire faced. The Lord wanted them to know that he cared. He wanted them to know that he was at work and would prevail in the end. The Lord commissioned John to write seven churches in Asia Minor. Before John could represent...

John 19 records three words from the cross. John 19:26-27 is the word of compassion: "Woman, behold, your son!" "Behold, your mother." John 19:28-29 is the word of suffering: "I thirst." John 19:30 is the word of victory: "It is finished." Feel the tension between the word of suffering and the word of victory. On the tree of death, the Water of Life cried out, "I thirst." The word of suffering was not the last word. From the parched lips of this crucified Savior comes a shout of victory: "It is finished!" Jesus did not say, "I am finished." He...

The beginning of Mark 7 contrasts with the ends of Mark 6. In chapter 6, the popularity of Jesus is at an all-time high, as he feeds the five thousand, walks on water, and heals the sick. Jesus was beloved by the common people. He was despised by the religious leaders. Mark 7:1 reads: "Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem..." "Pharisees means "separated ones." The Jews departed themselves from non-Jews. Pharisees separated themselves from fellow-Jews who did not live in strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the...

The Roman government exiled the apostle John to the aisle of Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He was not there alone. On the Lord's Day, John was filled with the Holy Spirit. The glorified Christ revealed himself to John. In Revelation 1:19, Jesus commands, "Write therefore the things you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this." John wrote what we call the Revelation or Apocalypse. It is predominantly about things to come in the last days. It begins with the things that are. Chapters 2...

A man was given a tour of heaven in a dream. As the tour ended, he noted a particular building was skipped over. The angel warned that he did not want to see that building. This only heightened the man's curiosity. The angel showed him. It was a building filled with beautifully wrapped presents. When the man asked what these were, the angel answered these were gifts God had prepared for his children that were never claimed in prayer. If a building in heaven houses unclaimed gifts, many boxes would contain the unwanted gift of wisdom. When facing trials, we...

Timothy was left in Ephesus to lead the church in Paul's absence. It was apparently a temporary assignment. But no one knew when or if Paul would return. In 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Paul writes, "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth." 1 Timothy gives practical instruction to lead the church to be the church. But this letter is more...

Canute the Great was King of Denmark, England, and Norway. He was praised as a great monarch. But he feared his people thought too highly of him. On one occasion, Canute ordered his servants to place his royal chair by the seashore. Sitting on this throne, he demanded the waves to recede. Waiting for the waters to obey his command, he got wet as the waters splashed around him. Finally, Canute stood and rebuked her servants, claiming that only the Lord who created the heavens and earth is worthy of praise. Psalm 93 calls us to put our seats by...

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. - Matthew 5:13 Salt gets bad press. it is tied to hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and other ailments. The need for salt is questioned. The use of salt is discouraged. The presence of salt on many tables is more decorative than anything else. However, this was not the case when Jesus announced to his disciples, "You are the salt of the earth." In New...