Neither Height Nor Depth

I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.” Psalm 16:2 Besides – The particle al (Ayin-Lamed) in Hebrew has a very wide range of meanings.  It covers the ground from according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over,…

Wake Up Call (2)

to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share 1 Timothy 6:18 Good Works – Did you think that doing good (yesterday on agathoergeo) was good enough?  Not quite.  Paul adds another qualification with the phrase “good works.”  The problem is that we don’t see the difference in…

Wake Up Call (1)

to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share 1 Timothy 6:18 To Do Good – There are only two places where this word is used in the whole Bible (and in between).  The only other occurrence of this word is in Acts 14:17* where Paul describes God’s…

Outsourcing

For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? Ecclesiastes 6:12 Good – Ecclesiastes is the greatest evangelical tract every written.  By the time you finished reading it, there are really only two options in life:  follow God or commit suicide.  If Ecclesiastes doesn’t…

The Whole Package

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; Psalm 73:28 Good – Do you remember the boxed candy called “Good and Plenty”? Black and white tiny morsels of licorice packed the pink and white container. I’m sure Asaph never heard of licorice but the word he chooses to describe “good” could easily…

Asaph and Sarah

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; Psalm 73:28 Nearness – Asaph wrote this psalm. He was a choir leader and musician in David’s court (see 1 Chronicles 6:39). In 1841, Sarah Adams put the thought to the music we know. “Nearer my God to Thee” recalls Asaph’s great Hebrew hymn….