“No longer do I call you slaves; for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,” John 15:15 Friend – “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sin and grief to bear”. That single verse from the old hymn is frighteningly powerful. Do we really…
“you are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but” Genesis 2:16 Free to eat – What did God have in mind when He made the garden and placed Man in it? Did He expect Man to be a passive recipient of its beauty? No, Man was given work to do. Did He…
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 Theirs – Yesterday we discovered that Hebrew has no direct equivalent for our Greek-based idea of possession. In Hebrew thinking, we are tenants in the house the Lord built. We are stewards, servants and caretakers. Never owners. If this is…
“Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God;” Exodus 6:7 Take – Private ownership is one of the fundamental concepts of Western civilization and capitalism. It is so fundamental to our way of life that threats against it cause widespread panic. We can hardly imagine what life would be…
“But the righteous shall live by his faith” Habakkuk 2:4 Faith – Does faith confuse you? Do you wonder, “What does it mean to live by faith?” “How can I pay the bills by faith?” “How do I make sense of living by faith when my life is consumed with just living?” “Do I…
“Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” Genesis 50:17 I beg you – Sometime in your life, maybe more than once, you will experience a need for forgiveness that goes beyond asking. Words will be useless. As your…
“give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done” Joshua 7:19 NASB Now – What’s wrong about this translation is so tiny that it seems to make no difference. In fact, the NIV doesn’t even include the word in question. Neither does…
“give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done” Joshua 7:19 What you have done – The angels rejoice when men confess. God smiles. Jesus exults. The great plan of redemption is working. Did you notice the connection? Public confession is not…
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another,” James 5:16 Confess – The essence of the Greek word for confess (exomologeo) is “to speak out the same word”. Confession is not saying, “I’m sorry.” An apology carries no lasting commitment. Confession is a binding agreement, like a legal contract, in which I acknowledge that what you…
“Your judgments are like a great deep” Psalm 36:6 Judgment – The Bible is absolutely consistent on the matter: God is just. This is not a statement about what He does. It is a statement about who He is. Justice is one of the principle characteristics of God. It is simply impossible for God to…
