“also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,” Ephesians 1:11 Purpose – Purpose has become the by-word of the day. With so much attention placed on the idea of God’s purposes for us, it is worth reflecting for a moment…
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but they will not find me.” Proverbs 1:28 Find – This is the last Act of the play. In this story, when the play ends something essential is missing – and it can’t be found. In order to see…
“to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding.” Proverbs 1:2 Instruction – Oh, my! This word (musar) is so completely different than what we usually think. When we hear the word “instruction”, we probably imagine a classroom and a teacher. We think about books and homework, tests and quizzes. But those images…
“to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding.” Proverbs 1:2 Wisdom – Do you remember Alice’s world? One pill makes you taller and one pill makes you small. The red bottle does one thing, the blue does another. Sometimes we let the imagery of alternatives seep into God’s view of the world….
“Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” Luke 23:28 Weep – Is it a warning or a proclamation of great compassion? On the surface, we might hear a warning. “Don’t weep for me. I am not the one who will really suffer the consequences of this event. …
“He restores my soul” Psalm 23:3 Soul – David was just out of touch. If he really knew about restoring, he would have grabbed a Powerade or an energy bar. He might have taken extra multi-vitamins or gone to the doctor to get a prescription for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. But David was stubborn. He believed…
“Why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” Luke 2:49 House – This “house” is empty. In fact, the word “house” in this verse is not really there at all. By inserting it, we might get the idea that there is…
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink”, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10 Gift – The woman at the well made the wrong assumptions. Her assumptions keep her from hearing the point Jesus communicated. …
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink”, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10 Knew – The story of the woman at the well is so familiar that we often overlook this critical verse. When…
“And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’” Matthew 21:13 Prayer – When Matthew translated Jesus’ shout into Greek, he used the word proseuche. Whatever the history behind the Hebrew word might be, the story of this Greek word is a bit clearer. Proseuche comes from…
