Riddle Resolved

“Where, O death, is your victory?    Where, O death, is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:55-57  NIV Sting – Abraham Heschel once described Christianity as a religion of death. …

I’m Not Done Yet

And even when I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.  Psalm 71:18  NASB Until – When is it over?  Ah, you know there’s no such thing as retirement in this Kingdom.  It’s not over until the fat lady sings.  When you…

3/4th 

For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world  John 18:37b  NASB Purpose – Wouldn’t it be nice to know why you are here?  If we knew our destinies, maybe we could handle the distractions in a better way.  Maybe we could tolerate all the exasperation, suffering, angst, and anguish…

He Leads Me

Like sheep they sink down to Sheol; Death will be their shepherd; and the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form shall be for Sheol to consume, so that they have no lofty home.  Psalm 49:14  NASB Death will be their shepherd – Could there be any more chilling fate of the foolish?  Psalm 23…

Divine Pain

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.  2 Corinthians 7:10  NASB Sorrow – A few days ago we investigated a Greek word in Luke 18:23.  That word was perílypos .  It comes from the root lýpē.  We noticed that Greek…

God’s Rollercoaster

Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and thrown me away.  Psalm 102:10  NASB Lifted me up – As we know, the Hebrew word nāśāʾ is “used almost six hundred times with basically three separate meanings: “to lift up”; “to bear, carry, support”; and “to take, take away.”[1]  “To bear”…

DEA

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”  Matthew 26:39  NASB Not as I will – DEA.  No, not the Drug Enforcement Agency.  For this community, DEA is Delayed Emotional Awareness. …

Unemployed

Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9  NASB Where – Man was created to be useful.  In fact, he was assigned an indispensable role on the earth—to steward it on God’s behalf.  “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it…

The Real Question (2)

“Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” Jonah 3:9  NIV His fierce anger – “A better god has been discovered who never takes offense, is never angry, never inflicts punishment.”[1]  If Tertullian is right, then the king of Nineveh is grossly mistaken.  Too bad he made…

ANVILS AND ALTARS

A long time ago, God decided to be a blacksmith.  I don’t think He originally intended to enter that trade.  While He has always been a master craftsman with metal, I am quite sure that He didn’t deliberately learn the art of heating and beating things into shape because He enjoyed the task.  God became…