The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him. Nahum 1:7 Take Refuge – Does God know you? Before you are quick to reply, consider the words of the prophet Nahum. Our theologically attuned church culture says, “Why, of course. God knows everything. Certainly…
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 Commandments – Now we know how we keep the commandments – by guarding, attending and obeying. Now we know when we keep the commandments – today. And finally, we are ready to ask what…
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 Keep – What do you think about when you hear the command, “Keep the commandments”? If the first thing that comes to mind is drudgery and effort, perhaps you need to go back to…
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 Burdensome – Proverbs 21:8 contains a Hebrew word that appears only once in the Bible. It is the word for the “guilty” person. Of course, since there is no other occurrence of this word,…
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness 2 Peter 1:3 Granted –There are two verbs translated “give” in the New Testament. One is didomi. We see it in Matthew 20:4 and Luke 20:22. Depending on the context, it usually means to give in return for something. The…
O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. Genesis 24:12 Grant – While the literal meaning is much rougher, it helps us see something that is lost in the smoothened translation. The phrase literally says, “let it cause to occur before me today.” …
Isaac loved Esau, for he was fond of game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Genesis 25:28 Loved – The Bible is rich when we know how to mine the ore. But sometimes our English shovels just can’t get at the gold between the lines. That is the case in this simple verse. Both verbs come from…
The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works Psalm 145:9 Good – What’s your attitude toward the rule of God? Is there just a hint of irritation at the fact that you can’t do exactly as you wish? Do you chaff at the bit of the Law? Or have…
and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6 Prince of Peace –What does Isaiah’s incredible phrase sar-shalom (Prince of Peace) have to do with Paul’s statement about the man as the head of the woman (1 Corinthians 11:3)? The answer lies in what Isaiah does not…
What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? Joshua 22:24 What Have You To Do With – God understands education. Therefore, He supplies the perfect context for learning life’s most important lessons. That context is asking a question. Life-transforming education takes place only when the learner wants to know the answer. …
