Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 KJV Faith – We don’t have to revisit the modern dilution of this text. That’s already been done. But just a reminder. When the NASB and the NIV and others choose to render this verse something like, “Now…
“All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name.” Selah. Psalm 66:4 NASB Worship – Okay, I don’t like to be controversial (at least not too much), but some things just eat at you. I’ve spent a good deal of my academic life investigating the influence of…
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.” Psalm 66:3 NASB Feigned obedience – Why do you obey the laws of the land? Specifically, why do you pay taxes? Why obey speed limits (sometimes)? Why don’t you steal from the grocery…
Ah, the things you see on the roads in Mindanao. I also had some fun with the kids giving them color crayons. Now we’ll see what art work they produce.
Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Psalm 66:2 NASB Sing the glory – Are you finished shouting (Psalm 66:1)? Great! Got that one out, didn’t you? Now pick up an instrument and play. Oh, it could be your voice, of course, but the verb is equally at home with playing an instrument. So,…
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Psalm 66:1 NASB Shout joyfully – Don’t you just want to scream? The world is such a mess. Tragedy surrounds us on all sides. Nothing seems fair. Even our best days are tinged with past sorrows. Wouldn’t it help to just yell? To howl towards heaven? Ah, that’s…
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Psalm 25:16 NASB Lonely – Look up this verse in Hebrew and you will immediately be surprised. The word translated “lonely” is yāḥîd. It means “only,” as in “only begotten son.” Its root is yāḥad, a verb that means, “to be united,…
Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. Matthew 25:2 NASB Foolish – But of course they were foolish. They didn’t come prepared. Is that it? Is this parable of the kingdom simply about making sure we have enough provisions to wait out the return? Hardly! In Greek, the term translated “foolish” is moros. It’s…
My daughter, Rachel, whom many of you know from her stories from Zambia and the Philippines, is currently finishing her degree in International Political Economy and Global Development. Her career interests are in environmental protection and conservation/preservation policy and its effects on culture. She is available to work or volunteer as a intern between May…
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3 NASB Died for our sins – The tiny preposition, hyper, is the critical element in Paul’s expression of the relationship between the Messiah’s death and our salvation. The problem…
