“Ho, everyone that thirsts, Come ye to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come  . . .” Isaiah 55:1    In the midst of a book containing such strong warnings of imminent judgment addressed to an indifferent people, we find one of the most compelling invitations recorded in the Scriptures.    It is an open invitation addressed to “everyone” who hungers and thirsts desiring to be filled.  No other qualification is needed.  No other requirement is stated.  No other prerequisite is mandatory.   The invitation is simply to “come” and to receive freely.       The...

What difficult times are the days in which we live!  Wherever we turn we hear of wars and rumors of war.  Without a doubt, the dark clouds of war are gathering over many nations and many are suffering intensely the ravages of battle.    While we have been reasonably isolated as a nation from wars that are raging in faraway places, there is increasing talk of “war cycles” and how our lives may well be impacted.  Interestingly, our young people increasingly play war games and even our children are showing more and more interest in weapons of war.  Indeed, whether we...