“But when he came to his senses, he said” Luke 15:17 Senses – The story of the prodigal son. We need to know the literal wording here in order to really see the picture. It is “to himself he came” (eis eauton elthon). This is a place that each of us must visit if we…
“and they said to her, “You are out of your mind!” Acts 12:15 Out of your mind – Did you think that the early followers of the Way were more spiritually sensitive? Did you imagine that they prayed with great belief and trust? They lived in the midst of miracles. Do you suppose that this…
“My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.” Ezekiel 33:31 NIV Devotion – “What a powerful sermon, Pastor.” “Your teaching really made sense…
“If anyone says, “I love God” and hates his brother, he is a liar.” 1 John 4:20 (Greek Quotes) – There is a hidden Greek word in this translation. Hoti comes between “anyone says” and “I love God”. It’s not translated because its purpose is to indicate that the statement following is direct discourse. Hoti…
“I am the way, the truth and the life,” John 14:6 Way – Never forget that Jesus did not speak Greek. Our word, hodos, in the Greek text, is not what Jesus said. He spoke Aramaic. In order to understand why Jesus called himself “the way”, we must uproot our cultural images derived from the…
“A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth and does not know that want will come upon him.” Proverbs 28:22 Want – Cindy Lauper vocalized the culture’s mantra: “Money fixes everything.” If you allow the world to prescribe your antidote to want, you would certainly believe her. Everywhere we look, this world bows down…
“Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will you destroy the whole city because of five?” Genesis 18:28 Are Lacking – David knows the God who provides. Abraham knows the God who permits. “I shall not want” uses the same verb as “fifty lacking five”. What does this tell us about the character of God? …
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 Want – But this isn’t quite right, is it? David is not speaking about my “wants”; he is speaking about what I lack. Even the NIV translation (“I shall not be in want”) still confuses the thought. What David says is this: the Shepherd…
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 Not Want – I can think of no more appropriate place to begin a new year than with the words “not want” (lo’ ekaw-sere). Isn’t that what we all hope for? To live in this world without want. No matter what else we believe,…
“The grace of the Lord of us, Jesus Christ, (be) with all of you. Amen.” Revelation 22:21 (Literal Translation) With – What is the last thing John wants us to remember? Grace! Charis. The overriding message of God’s plan of redemption. Joy, rejoicing, favor. The thing that causes acceptance and benefit. What transforms. Goodwill. The…
