and greet the church at their house, and my beloved Epenetus Romans 16:5 Church – Something’s missing. That seems to be the general consensus of a large number of those who attend church regularly. We’re not quite sure what it is, but we know that our expectations are often greater than the actual delivery. We…
“But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not fear the LORD God.” Exodus 9:30 Do Not Fear – If you thought that you could appeal to God in times of trouble, you better take another look at Moses and Pharaoh. After half a dozen plagues, Pharaoh faces economic disaster. The…
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Became Flesh – Every teacher and every leader knows that if you want the audience to remember what they learn, you have to present…
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Became Flesh – Soon we will celebrate the Incarnation, that moment when Jesus set aside His divinity and took upon Himself the form of…
“And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 Believing – Jesus said it, and He doesn’t lie. Yesterday we looked at the Hebrew idea of pleading prayer. It’s not prayer for the impatient or the self-reliant. If you want to experience pleading prayer, you have to be desperate. Those…
“And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 Prayer – In the midst of a long fast, I read this verse. Since it comes from the mouth of Jesus, it must be true. But so much of the time, it seems as if what I ask does not come…
And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy. Ezra 6:22 Joy – What a shame that we know so little about God’s yearly feasts! We vaguely connect Passover with Easter, much to our loss. The symbols involved are far deeper, embedded in the history of God with men. So it is…
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delight. Psalm 36:8 (NIV) Feast – Hebrew poetry rhymes concepts, not phonetics. We might say, “What is true is often blue,” but Hebrew would describe the idea in two different ways. For example, we find this kind of poetry…
Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, I Kings 18:1 Many Days – “Use by Jan 03-08.” That’s what it says on the carton of heavy cream in my refrigerator. Of course, if I really waited to use this liquid until January…
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation. Psalm 40:10 Not Concealed – Have you concealed God’s covenant commitment and truth from the great assembly? It’s easy to do so. All it…
