Beloved, I exhort you as aliens and exiles, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1 Peter 2:11 War – What is your strategy against sin? Before you answer that question, consider this: the Greek word strateuomai is the basis of our English word “strategy”. It’s the word Peter uses to describe…
Beloved, I exhort you as aliens and exiles, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1 Peter 2:11 Lusts – The Greeks knew the underlying essence of lust. Lust is what makes you boil over. Lust is that force that grips you with its power and causes you to explode. Lust is…
Beloved, I exhort you as aliens and exiles, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1 Peter 2:11 Fleshly – “I can’t get no satisfaction” cried the Rolling Stones nearly 40 years ago. Things haven’t changed much for creatures who listen to body talk. Peter knew the truth about the matter almost…
Beloved, I exhort you as aliens and exiles, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1 Peter 2:11 Abstain – Sometimes you just can’t avoid grammar if you really want to understand the words. Of course, our society is not inclined to agree. We have devolved to functional literacy, a place where…
Beloved, I exhort you as aliens and exiles, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1 Peter 2:11 Aliens and Exiles – There is no doubt about what Peter had in mind. We just don’t seem to be listening. In Greek, paroikos and parepidemos. Literally, “near the house” and “close to the…
We give thanks to you. O God, we give thanks, for Your name is near. Psalm 75:1 Near – David knew the difference between thanksgiving for presents and thanksgiving for presence. His psalm is the expression of joyful gratitude for God as his neighbor; the one who is close at hand. In fact, this Hebrew…
and there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis 1:5 Day – Now you know that the Hebrew view of days gives all the importance to the God who created them. Days have no spiritual importance unless God designates them to have importance. The Sabbath is significant. So is the Day of Atonement….
This is the day that the Lord has made Psalm 118:24 Day – Yom, the Hebrew word for “day”, is the most common word for time in the Old Testament. You might think that this is to be expected. After all, the common experience of life is day by day. The regular occurrence of day…
A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and before Yahweh pours out his complaint. Psalm 102:1 (in the Hebrew text) Pours Out – “Then you will take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water . . will become blood.” So begins the story of the…
A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and before Yahweh pours out his complaint. Psalm 102:1 (in the Hebrew text) Complaint – No one likes a whiner. Constant complaining is wearisome to all. Complaint is an irksome word, a word that brings annoyance, avoidance and anger. Why does the afflicted man tread on…
