And He had to pass through Samaria. John 4:4 NASB Pass through– In this brief interlude between teaching passages, John recounts that Yeshua left Judea when things became difficult. During the journey, he encountered the woman at the well. I’m sure he didn’t plan to encounter her, but when he did, the opportunity for some truly fascinating discussion…
“There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; Deuteronomy 33:26-27a NASB Everlasting arms – “And, of course, one of the things we must listen for is joy. It’s hard to…
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6 Berean Study Bible Gifts– While the Greek heritage provides a rich texture for understanding the idea of gifting as the expression of joyful celebration, an even deeper context can be seen in the Hebrew thought patterns that lie behind Paul’s vocabulary. Charis is typically…
“Thus says the LORD, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Found– The Hebrew verb māṣāʾ is used for finding just about anything. The Israelites found grace, but that wasn’t what they were looking for. They were looking for a way of escape. They were fleeing from their pain. Just like…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Grace– At the edge of the Sahara, the sand moves as if it were alive. It writhes, glittering scales of shifting silicon. The serpent of the desert is there, slithering its way across the dunes, powered by the…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Wilderness– Not everyone finds grace in the wilderness. God says that His people, the ones who have survived the sword, the ones He calls Israel, find something unexpected in the desolate wasteland. They find grace. Imagine the…
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 2 Timothy 1:9 NASB Our works– Luther established a concrete barricade between faith and works. He was wrong. Because he thought of faith as cognitive agreement to certain doctrines,…
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; Exodus 34:6 NASB Abounding in lovingkindness– Let’s consider the big picture. In order to do that, we must first step away from the narrower perspective. So let’s move back from the idea that the…
In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; in Your righteousness deliver me. Psalm 31:1 Never be ashamed– “Where do you feel safe?” asked my friend, the therapist. The answer scared me. Where do you feel completely accepted, warts and all? Where are you safe enough to be transparent about your feelings, your…
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB According to what he has done – I guess Paul was mistaken. He doesn’t sound very much like…
