“For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offering” Hosea 6:6 Loyalty – The paradigm example of the use of this Hebrew word is found in Psalm 136. There the word hesed is used 26 times. It is translated as “lovingkindness” or “faithfulness”. Even though the…
“But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among the people.” Numbers 15:30 Cut off – If you give it a moment’s thought, you will realize that there is a lot of cutting in the…
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1 Spiritual service – What images come to mind when you read these two words? Do you get a pang of guilt because you passed…
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1 Sacrifice – It’s all about blood. I know that most of us are squeamish about blood. When we see blood we think “Pain!” Blood…
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1 Present – When I was a child in elementary school, every morning the teacher took attendance. This was not an informal process of simply…
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free” Romans 8:20-21 Hope – Yesterday we discovered that God brought futility on creation in order to accomplish His purpose. Meaninglessness is not an accident. Here…
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it,” Romans 8:20 Futility – It’s all about purpose. Purpose is a big word in Christian circles these days. The popularity of programs focused on purpose clearly shows God’s fingerprints. It also shows something else. It shows…
“Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42 But – The life of a servant leader is built around a pause. It is the pause that separates short-term results from the long-term effectiveness. Jesus faced exactly the same pause. He saw a shorter…
“Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.” Proverbs 4:26 Watch – Have you ever tried to teach a child to ride a bicycle? The first thing that children do is watch their feet. They are so concerned about turning the pedals that they fix their eyes on the wrong…
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 Workmanship – Your life is a divinely inspired poem. Yes, that’s right. The same word used for “workmanship” in this verse is the root of our English word poem. In fact,…
