… cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Summary: Paul’s use of words always keeps us on our toes. In this passage he gives us something interesting to think about.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:26b – Power Wash”Ephesians 4:32b – Avoiding Hell
… forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Summary: Today’s passage is for many the heart of the Gospel message: In Christ, we are forgiven for the things we have done to hurt others, offend God, and that ultimately wound our own souls.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:32b – Avoiding Hell”Ephesians 3:19b – Making Room
— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Summary: This meditation takes an unusual turn. When Paul talks about us being “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” we have to wonder, “What does that leave room for?”
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:19b – Making Room”Ephesians 2:13 – A Simple Picture
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Summary: Paul’s words in this passage are unusually clear and direct. Enjoy them!
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:13 – A Simple Picture”Matthew 6:13 – What is the Bullseye?
…but deliver us from the evil one.
Summary: We need deliverance from the evil one every day. If we don’t understand why, we need understanding, too.
Continue reading “Matthew 6:13 – What is the Bullseye?”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”Leviticus 6:7 – At One
In this way the priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.
Summary: Looking back over the Old Testament, we see the foundation for the New.
Continue reading “Leviticus 6:7 – At One”John 8:15 – The Judge of All Things
You judge by human standards …
Summary: How we define “good” and “evil,” says a lot about our relationship with God. Using God’s definitions is a way of honoring our Creator.
Continue reading “John 8:15 – The Judge of All Things”1 John 3:4 — There is no “I” in heaven
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
Summary: In this meditation, we transition into a discussion of heaven. Interestingly, Jesus’ construction of the first two words of the prayer prepares us for understanding what heaven is all about.
Continue reading “1 John 3:4 — There is no “I” in heaven”Deep Thoughts – John 9: 39-41
Jesus said, ‘’For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, ‘’What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, ‘’If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
The prophet Isaiah quotes God as saying:
”As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
This verse comes to mind as I ponder the meaning of Jesus’ words. It seems to me he is speaking metaphorically about blindness and sight, but he has also just healed a blind man and so he illustrates his point literally.
Continue reading “Deep Thoughts – John 9: 39-41”