The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NASB Rock – Gibraltar or the Grand Canyon? When you read this verse, do you think of granite or sandstone? They’re both rocks. Which one comes to mind? Before you answer,…
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:6 NIV Can be trusted – I’m not a big fan of the NIV. For me, it has too much implicit theology, especially in the New Testament. In this particular verse, Robert Alter’s criticism of the translator’s need to explain rather than…
It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before….
It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before. …
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NASB Spiritual forces of wickedness – Churches before the Reformation were visual reminders of the power of Satan and the specter of Hell. When you entered, you almost always found something…
Tomorrow my daughter and I will visit the Vatican. She has come to Italy to see us, our first house guest in nearly two years. She will stay during her birthday (June 11) while we take a rather special trip around Italy. She has never been here, so the Vatican is a “must see.” I’ll…
“I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;” Ezekiel 20:37 NASB Rod – One of the tenets of conservative Christianity is that the Bible must be interpreted by the Bible. What it means is this: if I accept the claim that God is the real…
Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 NASB We – Two thousand years after Paul wrote this letter, we are forced to read it as if he were writing to…
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to [a]desire and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 NASB Work out – Recently I conducted a month-long study…
