“You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish” Matthew 23:26 Blind – “What’s the matter with you? Are you blind or something?” When we hurl this comment at someone, they are never physically blind (it would be too embarrassing for us if they were). What we mean is that…
“For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25 Robbery – When we confront our hypocrisy, we begin to understand why Jesus speaks about robbery in parallel with self-indulgence. We are likely to dismiss this connection. After all, we don’t steal…
“For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25 Self-indulgence – I don’t like to think of myself as a hypocrite, especially the kind that Jesus names in this curse. But the truth is that I am. God knows it and…
“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life” Matthew 6:25 For – We’ve all considered the thought of Jesus about anxiety. We’ve all pondered the depth of his command. And we’ve all come up short on the application. In spite of every good intention, we find ourselves anxious about…
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” Proverbs 1:7 Beginning – What is the first step toward living the best life possible? I’ll give you twenty seconds to think of your answer (you really do have twenty seconds to answer one of the most important questions in life, don’t you?). The Bible…
“To understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.” Proverbs 1:6 Riddle – If God wants to communicate with men, why does He speak in riddles? That’s the question we must ask when we read this opening thought in the book of Proverbs. God is anxious to teach men…
“Therefore, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 Free – What kind of freedom does Jesus give? It’s not what you might think. The two Greek words here (eleutherose and eleutheroi) actually should be read “if the Son shall make you unconstrained and independent, you really will be…
“Therefore, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 If – The quintessential proclamation of freedom comes from Jesus. It is far deeper than Lynyrd Skynyrd (Freebird), the Declaration of Independence, or anything from the great civil rights leaders. We, of course, have viewed this as a statement of…
“and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them.” John 10:12 Scatters – A few days ago we learned that another member of our home Bible study was in the hospital suffering from a rare infection so serious that she was in isolation. This past year has been a series of disasters, trials and unexpected threats. …
“But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” Daniel 3:18 Serve – What is an agricultural word doing in the middle of a passage about idolatry? That’s the question here. The…
