And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me – to keep me from exalting myself! 2 Corinthians 12:7 For This Reason – Do you have a thorn in…
“Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1 Shield – What difference does a dot make? Who cares about a small little point of ink on the page? If you were Hebrew, the smallest ink mark makes all the difference when it comes to reading…
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? James 4:4 Adulteresses – We live in a culture of “normal” unfaithfulness. From prime-time sit-com to the soaps, from music to movies, from pop icons to presidents, adultery is acceptable. As far as the culture is concerned, the message is:…
May God do so to me, and more also, if 2 Samuel 3:35 In This Way (missing) – “Lord, I promise.” Have you heard these word come from your lips? Did you really understand the seriousness of these words? Or were they much the same as the dozens of other promises we make, fully intending…
you shall not walk in their statutes Leviticus 18:3 (compare Exodus 23:24) Statutes – The law of the land. That’s what God has in mind with this commandment. He instructed the Israelites as they were leaving Egypt to never again use Egypt’s legal code as the basis for their actions. The same thing applied…
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake Colossians 1:24 For Your Sake – Paul understood the process of redemptive suffering. Do you? In this letter to the church at Colossae, Paul says that he is exuberant and joyful because he has been able to substitute himself in the place of others. He volunteered…
For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak Habakkuk 2:18 Cannot Speak – What would it take to convince you that idols cannot speak? Oh, did you think that you already knew this? Did you think that your life was not governed by speechless idols? Then try…
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone,” Isaiah 44:24 Maker of All Things – Most of us don’t really believe the verse in Isaiah. We…
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts Psalm 13:2 (NIV) Wrestle with my thoughts – The NIV translation of this passage captures the idea of the phrase but not the exact words. The Hebrew phrase really says, “take counsel with my soul.” The two critical words are ‘etsah (advice, plan) and nephesh (soul, person)….
God is not a man that He should lie; Numbers 23:19 Lie – Does God lie? “Of course not,” you will answer. “How could He be God if He did not tell us the truth?” You’re right. One of the fundamental characteristics of God’s nature is truth. Lying is simply not possible for the God…
