He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
Summary: Happy Father’s Day is more than just a few words on a card. It is a way of living.
Continue reading “Psalm 89:26 – Father’s Day”Mark 10:18 — The Law of Goodness
No one is good—except God alone.
Summary: Being the center of the universe is great if you actually are the Center of the Universe. If you are not but you think you are, then you are simply fooling yourself.
Continue reading “Mark 10:18 — The Law of Goodness”Matthew 6: 9 — Echos
This, then, is how you should pray …
Summary: Here we begin to take a look at the Lord’s Prayer. Why is it structured the way it is? Let’s begin to take a look.
Continue reading “Matthew 6: 9 — Echos”Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part I
God
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: The weird truth about Jesus is that he also happens to be God.
Continue reading “Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part I”2 Peter 2:2a Part 2— God is Not Vain
Many will follow their depraved conduct …
Summary: Peter challenges us to examine our priorities. Do we share God’s priorities as we should?
Continue reading “2 Peter 2:2a Part 2— God is Not Vain”2 Peter 1:16b — Power Trip
… when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power …
Summary: What is power? That is the question posed by Peter’s claim. The power of the Lord Jesus Christ extends beyond any comfort or threat this world has to offer.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:16b — Power Trip”Titus 1:5 (d) — Water Carrier
… in every town, as I directed you.
Summary: Paul directs Titus to appoint elders in every town they had been to together. The work that Titus is doing is similar to the work done by Apollos as described in 1 Corinthians 3: 5-8.
Continue reading “Titus 1:5 (d) — Water Carrier”1 Peter 2:20 — What the Child Saw
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
English is a wonderful language. It is rich in history, flexible, adaptable, and functional. There is a reason why people around the world choose to learn English if they want to communicate internationally. Even so, when compared to the Hebrew and Greek languages, English sometimes feels … inadequate.
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:20 — What the Child Saw”Peace – John 14: 27a
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
When do you need God’s peace most?
Sometimes when I am awake in the middle of the night, my mind churns over the problems of the day. Sometimes Satan seems to use these lonely times to remind me of my shortcomings. The lack of peace can be excruciating.
When I come to my senses, I remember what Jesus says in today’s verse. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”
Continue reading “Peace – John 14: 27a”Judged? – John 12: 47
If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
Sometimes it feels like the pace of this blog could be picked up a bit. After all, how much detail can you expect from one verse? Well, quite a bit as it turns out.
Today’s verse turns the picture of God as JUDGE OF THE UNIVERSE upside down. Instead of threatening plagues or floods, Jesus says he is not here to judge. What?
Is this the same God we read about in the Old Testament?
Well, yes.
It turns out that God had a plan to save the world from the very beginning. (Genesis 3: 15) Jesus could have come in chapter 4 of Genesis, but who would have crucified him and why? There needed to be an understanding established. God needed to explain what righteousness is, and what the cost of sin is. The animal sacrifices conducted by the early Jews demonstrated the messy, bloody, deadly price required for sin. The priesthood established by God acted as an intercessor between God and man. Both sacrifice and intercessor are needed.
Finally, the time was right, and Jesus entered the world. His job: Not to judge the world, but to save it.
Continue reading “Judged? – John 12: 47”