A Hymn of Thanksgiving

And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love; and I will meditate on Your statutes.  Psalm 119:48  NASB Lift up my hands – First, the Hebrew: וְאֶשָּׂ֚א כַפַּ֗י אֶל־מִ֖צְו‍ֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָהָ֗בְתִּי וְאָשִׂ֥יחָה בְחֻקֶּֽיךָ Now, some familiar words: miṣwâ, command—from the previous verse (Remember?), ʾāhēb, to love (“that I love”), and śîaḥ, to…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Babylon (13)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10 NASB Good works – Let’s employ some words from the famous poet: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place;” I am grateful, so grateful…

Get Thee Behind Me (Rewind)

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  2 Corinthians 12:7-8  NASB…

God’s Bounced Check

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.  Proverbs 19:17 NASB Repay – When does God repay your generosity to the poor?  You’ve been touched by the plight of homeless children.  You’ve felt the heart pains of the world’s starving, the misery of the afflicted, the helplessness…

Fulfilling a Calling

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out. Proverbs 20:5 NASB Plan – The Jewish Learning Institute workbook, How Happiness Thinks, is a treasure of rabbinic and modern mental health collaboration. It’s designed to take the reader through exercises that uncover roadblocks to…

The Happiness Addict

And you shall rejoice in all the good that God your God has given you and your family. Deuteronomy 26:11 (JLI) Given – “No one leaves this world with even half of his desires fulfilled.”[1] Why? Because we are happiness addicts and like all addictions, tolerance increases our desire in proportion to its fulfillment. No…