These last few Psalms comprise a cacophony of praise. If my memory serves right, the pilgrims of Israel sang these Psalms as they made their way to the Temple and up its stairs during the great feasts. Each of the Psalms begins and ends with Praise the Lord. I was going to comment on Psalm 147 yesterday before I … Continue reading »
I shared a bit from my Christmas newsletter in a post the other day. Well, here’s how the letter began: I tell this story in part to encourage you and to illustrate how, indeed, God has made up for the years the locusts have eaten. So, today, in my Joel reading, I came upon the … Continue reading »
Psalm 121 really encouraged me! I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber… The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will … Continue reading »
Tough day today. DH and I spoke and he sounded terrible. He was full of fear for his health. I didn’t know what to do. Do I fly home (from my new job where I am daily working very long hours which is necessary as I start up)? Do I stay put and wait and … Continue reading »
I like what Romans 15 says about Jesus. And how his example should influence our behavior. Pretty convicting stuff… … Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” vs. 3 … Christ accepted you (and me!) vs. 7 …Christ has become a servant of … Continue reading »
I never saw this before (it’s fun to discover new things in the Word!), but it occurred to me that if I was Moredcai, I’d feel pretty guilty when Haman decided to kill all the Jews. Why did Haman do that? Well… …Mordecai would not kneel down or pay [Haman] honor…. Day after day they spoke … Continue reading »
The nation of Israel is such a metaphor for our own corrupt flesh. God’s Gracious Gifts Psalm 78 says that God performed miracles for Israel like parting the Red Sea, guiding them by the pillars of fire and cloud, and providing water from rocks (vs. 12-16 NIV). Israel’s Whiny Response And yet… … they continued … Continue reading »
I love the story of Stephen’s stoning. It’s so redemptive. Yep, the story of one man’s brutal death elevates me. First, there’s the fact that Stephen spoke the truth without fear. He is so committed to preaching the truth and possibly to leading members of the council to repentance, that he essentially signs his death certificate … Continue reading »
What a contrast in today’s readings. 1 Kings 15-16 talks about all the Kings of both Judah and Israel who dumped the One True God for other gods. Here’s a run down – Israel [Nadab] did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father [Jeroboam] and committing the same sin his father … Continue reading »
The stereotype of God in the Old Testament is that He is a God of wrath. But there’s another side of God that I’ve become more familiar with the last few years. It’s the God who cares for the down and out, as Psalm 68 says: Sing to God, sing in praise of his name… … Continue reading »
Everyone’s debating about who Jesus is in John 7. The crowd wonders, ”How can we know He’s Messiah? Where He’s From The debate at first (and then later) focuses on where Jesus came from – because (as everyone knows) the Messiah can’t possibly come from Galilee (vs. 41, 52). In fact, no one will know where … Continue reading »
Neither Herod nor Pilate can find any reason to condemn Jesus. Three times Pilate tells the crowd that he cannot charge Jesus for a crime. Therefore he plans to release Jesus after a good beating. Yet the crowd before Pilate is unrelenting. They demand Jesus’ death, crying out “Crucify him! Crucify him!” They shout for … Continue reading »
Ten lepers stand far from Jesus as He enters a village (in today’s Luke passage). These men cannot come near because of their disease, so they shout: “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!” (Luke 17: 14, ESV). Obedience Before Jesus demonstrates His mercy, he tells the ten lepers to ”Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As … Continue reading »
I mentioned in an earlier post that the book of Judges tells of Israel’s seven cycles of “sin, servitude, supplication, salvation, silence.” Israel goes through one of those cycles in Judges 10, from silence to salvation: Jair leads Israel for 22 years (vs. 3). But then he dies… and Israel again does evil in the eyes of God … Continue reading »
Something has been bugging me about the Good Samaritan tale in which a lawyer asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life (in today’s Luke reading). Jesus basically turns the question back to him and the lawyer responds that we must love the Lord with our all and “love our neighbors as ourselves” in order to inherit life. Then … Continue reading »
