See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. 1 John 3:1 NASB Bestowed – In the New Testament this Greek word (dedoken) belongs to the same cognate group as the word for gift. It could be translated as giving, granting,…
The African safari trip is over. Everyone had a marvelous time, not only seeing animals but also witnessing God’s handiwork in all of creation. We watched the Milky Way light up the sky (with no electric lights). We studied termites and dung beetles. We saw baby zebra and giraffe. We saw lions and cheetah and…
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient, 1 Corinthians 10:23 KJV Are lawful – The Greek word (sunphero) is a combination word. It comes from sun (which means “together”) and phero (which means “to bring”). We get the English word “sum” – adding up things – from this Greek prefix…
Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Genesis 4:1 NASB Gotten – Genesis 4:1 is a most surprising verse. First, it is the only place in Scripture that records words from…
The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death. Psalm 118:18 NASB Disciplined me severely – Salvation isn’t free. Oh, yes, we Christians know all about this. God’s son paid the price so we could be forgiven. Really? Is that it? God delivered His “Get Out of Jail Free”…
“The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in…
“Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me.” Psalm 142:7 NASB Out of prison – What’s it like in there? What’s it like in the darkest recess of your “soul,” in the place where you keep…
“Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.” Psalm 142:6 NASB Persecutors – “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” That familiar phrase found in the teaching of Yeshua in Matthew, chapter five, should have…
I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Psalm 142:5 NASB The land of the living – We bandy about the biblical phrase, “land of the living,” as if it were quite familiar. Perhaps the words are, but I wonder if we…
Look to the right and see; for there is no one who regards me; there is no escape for me; no one cares for my soul. Psalm 142:4 NASB Regards – The Hebrew verb, nakar, has some very unusual derivatives. At least they appear unusual to our Western thinking. Let me explain. Nakar means “to…
