“yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42 But – There are several words in Greek that are translated “but”. This one is alla. It is a strong and deliberate pause. The difference between my will and God’s will requires an intentional stop and start. I have to come to the end of…
“yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42 My will – The purpose of living is to practice aligning my will with the will of God. This is learned behavior. Most of the time, it is learned in struggle. Jesus was no exception to this rule. Jesus learned obedience through suffering. And in…
“yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42 Yet not – Jesus’ words in the Garden are perhaps the most important words ever spoken. Without these words, God’s plan of redemption fails. Without these words, the world is doomed. These words become the rallying call for every follower of Jesus. Each one is…
“And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out” Mark 1:35 Rose – We are quite familiar with the fact that Jesus prayed early in the morning. Actually, this verse suggests that he began praying while it was still dark before the sun breached the horizon. But have you ever…
“Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her.” Ruth 2:15 Insult – When strangers or the homeless seek the refuge of God’s house, how do you think they feel? Grateful? Relieved? Probably. But my guess is that they also feel ashamed, perhaps humiliated. In fact, one of the reasons that the…
“May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” Ruth 2:12 Reward – Our language does not reveal the basic concept behind this word. As a result, we miss an exceedingly important theological connection. But if we…
“May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” Ruth 2:12 Seek refuge – God has some very big plans in the works. So big that you and I might wonder what part we could ever play. …
“For this reason I say unto you, do not be anxious for your life” Matthew 6:25 For this reason – We want life without anxiety. How pleasant it would be to put aside our fears! Imagine the peaceful days when all was right with the world, when our deepest concerns and greatest risks were overcome…
“I am the LORD your God” Exodus 20:2 Your – Who decided that you belonged to God’s family? When the day came, was it entirely up to you? Did you make an independent choice based on all the facts, a purely rational decision? Or do you have the sneaking suspicion that God had something to…
“as for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left; “ Ezekiel 1:10 Faces – Ezekiel has a vision. In his vision, God reveals the idolatry of the people, falling down…
