Now I know that you fear God …
Summary: How does God know whether we fear him or not? In Genesis, we find an example of God testing Abraham to see how serious his faith is.
Continue reading “Genesis 22:12 – God’s Question”Genesis 22:3 – Instant Answer
So Abraham rose early in the morning…
Summary: The Bible is full of examples of people being “tested” or, as the KJV says, “tempted.” In this meditation, we look at Abraham’s response to one such situation.
Continue reading “Genesis 22:3 – Instant Answer”Matthew 6:13 – Apples & Pineapples
And lead us not into temptation …
Summary: The word “temptation” is another word with multiple meanings. If we forget that, we may find ourselves misunderstanding what God has said.
Continue reading “Matthew 6:13 – Apples & Pineapples”Matthew 6:13 – The Powerful Pause
And lead us …
Summary: How we speak the words we speak has a great impact on the meaning others hear in our words. It also impacts what we hear in our own words. Pausing after the words “lead us” leads us to consider their meaning more closely.
Continue reading “Matthew 6:13 – The Powerful Pause”Colossians 3:13 – Truly Forgiven
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Summary: Forgiveness is a tricky business. If we are going to forgive others, we have to have been forgiven to have some to give. Fortunately, we have a God with an infinite supply of forgiveness.
Continue reading “Colossians 3:13 – Truly Forgiven”Matthew 5:39 – Slap Happy
If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
Summary: Allowing someone to slap us and then inviting them to slap us again is counter-intuitive. Why would anybody do that?
Continue reading “Matthew 5:39 – Slap Happy”Matthew 5:44 – God-Like Love
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Summary: Loving others as God loves us is a complicated business.
Continue reading “Matthew 5:44 – God-Like Love”Luke 7:48 – The Gambler
Your sins are forgiven.
Summary: Forgiveness and repentance go hand-in-hand. We cannot understand one without understanding the other.
Continue reading “Luke 7:48 – The Gambler”Luke 5:20 – Sent Away
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Summary: There is an intriguing story in Luke about a man who comes to Jesus to be healed. Instead of being healed, he is forgiven and we are left to wonder why.
Continue reading “Luke 5:20 – Sent Away”Exodus 32:32 – Lifted Up
But now, please forgive their sin …
Summary: The Hebrew word for “forgive” is a word that describes physically lifting a burden up and taking it away. This is a perfect description of what God does for us when we go to him for forgiveness.
Continue reading “Exodus 32:32 – Lifted Up”