Hide and Seek (2)

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.   Deuteronomy 4:29 (NIV) Seek – Did you think that “seek” and “look for” are the same thing?  Not in Hebrew.  Yesterday we discovered that “look for” is…

Hide and Seek (1)

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.   Deuteronomy 4:29 (NIV) Look – Have you ever played the game “Hide and Seek?”  What is the purpose of this game?  It’s simple – do not be…

Unbearable Lightness

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  John 1:5 Light – In a recent message, John Rankin posed an interesting question.  “How often do members of the covenant community make it a policy to tell pagans or other outsiders that what they believe is wrong?”  The answer, says…

Knee Bends

The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock;  Psalm 18:46 Blessed – What do you get for a man who has everything?  If you thought that was a tough question, try this one:  what do you give to a God Who owns everything?  David gives us the answer:  knee bends. The Hebrew verb is barak. …

Palm or Fist?

and there is no deliverer from My hand Deuteronomy 32:39 Deliverer – I’m not trying to scare you, but you should be scared.  The question about God’s hand is really simple.  Is His hand an open palm or a closed fist?  Does God welcome your attitudes, behaviors and thoughts with open arms, embracing you as…

Return to Sender

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay”  Hebrews 10:30 Repay – You won’t hear much about vengeance from the pulpit today.  One hundred years ago, you would have been shocked not to hear this word in a sermon.  But today we have evolved to a higher moral order where we…

Upside-Down Prayer

Therefore, I will rather gladly boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me.   2 Corinthians 12:9 Boast – First, Paul entreats the Lord.  We know what that means.  It is parakaleo – to call for aid alongside.  In one of those rare occurrences where the word is a synonym for proseuchomai…

Prayer and Retribution

“So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”   Matthew 18:35 Not Forgive – Jesus’ parable of the wicked servant who refused to forgive the little owned to him after the king forgave an enormous debt is a chilling story.  It begins with…

Unexpected Absence

“or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”   Matthew 26:53 Appeal – The Hebrew vocabulary is rich in words for prayer.  Every nuance of our relationship with God seems to find its own special word.  So, when…

Prayer in Context

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices   Psalm 16:8-9 Rejoices – If you’re going to make a joyful noise to the Lord, then you might be interested in the context of rejoicing.  Every kind of prayer has a context.  Sometimes it’s…