“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge” Psalm 18:2 Rock – If I told you that David used two different words for “rock”, you might have the same question I did. Why? Isn’t a rock a rock? Well, not quite. One of…
“A human being is not established in wickedness, but righteous people are not uprooted.” Proverbs 12:3 Not Established – Companies like to advertise their longevity. Established 1890. Established 1924. So do countries. Established 1776. But some of the biggest establishments aren’t around any more. They didn’t stand firm. That’s the meaning of lo-yikkon, not steadfast,…
“for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” 2 Thessalonians 2:7 Mystery – Who knows where the word “mystery” came from? You might find it amusing that the source of this word is itself a mystery. The only thing that’s certain about its origin is this: a mystery is something that must be kept…
“In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Overcome – Tribulation is inevitable, if you’re following. It’s not continuous (God be praised), but it’s certainly going to show up sometime. The only way to avoid it is the Judas solution – betrayal. Of course, we can betray…
“In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Tribulation – If we learned anything about the weight of glory, it’s this: followers of Jesus know about the crush. Thlipsis, to crush, squeeze, press, to break. The ones who travel with the Master know what it’s like to…
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” 2 Corinthians 4:17 Far beyond all comparison – Well, it actually doesn’t say this. Here we have a Greek idiom. So, the translators have given us the thought behind the words, not the words themselves. Literally, it says,…
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” 2 Corinthians 4:17 Weight of Glory – Matthew 20:12. Acts 15:28. Galatians 6:2. Heavy loads. Heavy guilt. Heavy consequences. This word (baros) paints of picture of things too burdensome to bear. But in this verse it is combined…
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” 2 Corinthians 4:17 Eternal – Greek has three different words for temporal durations. One is chronos. Time lapse in measured intervals. A clock is a chronometer – a time measuring device. The second is kairos. Eventful time. The…
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” 2 Corinthians 4:17 Is Producing – What is happening to us? What are all these trials and tribulations really about? “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as if they’re here to stay.” So…
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” 2 Corinthians 4:17 Affliction – What are afflictions? Loss of job? Illness? Disability? Accidents? Natural disasters? War? Famine? Neglect? Abuse? What things are on your “affliction” list? My guess is that your list doesn’t include a single one…
