Ten years ago I wrote this piece on loneliness (2005). Now I am reflecting on this again, and noticing what has changed. This article below is the revision. I am not sure I ever posted the original. Loneliness Loneliness. I can’t imagine any human being who has not experienced the pain and…
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1 NASB Present – When I was a child in elementary school, every morning the teacher took attendance. This was not an informal process of…
In Transjordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law, saying Deuteronomy 1:5 (J. Sacks, translation) Expound – Today we think of the Ten Commandments as ethical prescriptions. They are viewed as the rules for moral living. Christians have modified them (for example, the law concerning the Sabbath), but still hold…
Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. Psalm 37:8 NASB Fret – Why is fretting such a bad thing? Don’t we all worry about the future? Certainly the news is full of things to worry about. That’s what sells newspapers. Why would the Psalmist say that fretting leads to evildoing? It seems to me…
And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, “Do business with this until I come back.” Luke 19:13 NASB Do Business – Yeshua spoke more about money than He did about heaven. He knew where we are most confused. Here Yeshua provides us with a startling parable…
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”…
