For wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her. Proverbs 8:11 All Desirable Things – You get one wish. What is your desire? Wait, don’t think small. Really let it go. What is your greatest desire? Of all the things that you can think of, what appeals the most? Do…
Listen, for I will speak noble things; Proverbs 8:6 Noble Things – “Listen,” says Wisdom. Of course, there is no point in listening unless what you are about to hear has some bearing on your life. Wisdom knows perfectly well that human beings are motivated by self-interest. Not always, of course. Sometimes we are altruistic. …
Listen, for I will speak noble things; Proverbs 8:6 Listen – It’s worth remembering that the Hebrew word for “listen” is shama. It has an umbrella much larger than simply absorbing sound waves. Shama also means, “to obey, to consider or regard, to proclaim and to understand.” When Wisdom speaks, we are to do a…
My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof Proverbs 3:11 Loathe – “God is good all the time.” Have you seen the stickers and T-shirts? What do you think when you read that statement? Do you believe it? Is God really good all the time? If He is, then…
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” James 4:15 Instead – What difference does it really make? We can go through the motions of saying “If the Lord wills,” a common expression in the last century, but does it really matter? After all, we…
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 Makes Himself – One more look at this verse is probably all we can take for the moment. But one more look is quite revealing. The Greek word used here is kathistatai. It means “to set in…
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 Wishes – “But, I’m not a friend of the world!” you complain. “This scripture isn’t about me. I believe in Jesus.” Well, maybe we need to carefully examine the Greek here. The translation “wishes” doesn’t exactly capture…
And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer;’ but you are making it a robbers’ den.” Matthew 21:13 Robbers’ – The Vatican is perhaps the most overwhelming monument in the world to the power of Christianity. Just standing in the square in front of St. Peter’s…
For there is no partiality with God. Romans 2:11 Partiality – “All men are created equal.” How we love to tout that principle of democracy. Of course, how we are created apparently has almost nothing to do with how we are treated for the rest of life. All men might be created equal, but as…
but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew and also to the Greek Romans 2:10 Does Good – Do you want honor and glory and peace? Do you want these more than you want a better job, a bigger house and prestige within your community? Do you want…
