“Sanctify them in truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17 Thy Word – We reach the end of this amazing verse with the capstone of the Hebrew view of reality: the Word of God. From a Hebrew perspective, the goal of life is devotion and obedience to God. How can I know what to do…
“Sanctify them in truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17 Truth – Pay close attention. Why does Jesus say, “Sanctify them in the truth” rather than “Sanctify them with the truth?” (By the way, the definite article the is in the text, but left out in English translations. You might want to ask why?) We…
“Sanctify them in truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17 Sanctify – What is the first thing that comes to mind when you read this verse? Do you think that Jesus, in the prayer before the crucifixion, is asking the Father to keep His followers morally and ethically pure? Does sanctification for you mean sinless…
Yahweh loves the righteous Psalm 146:8 The Righteous – Where will you look for a righteous man? God tells us exactly where to find this most important role-model follower. Right between the bowed down and the strangers (verses 8 and 9); right in the midst of the hungry, the prisoners, the blind and the fatherless;…
who executes judgment for the oppressed Psalm 146:7 Oppressed – How can we imagine that we understand what Jesus came to do if we do not know the Scriptures? And I don’t mean the books from Matthew to Revelation. None of those New Testament passages make any sense unless they are surrounded by God’s revelation…
“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?” Genesis 4:7 Do Well – What do you do when you fail to live up to God’s standard? You could throw up your hands in defeat and say, “It’s impossible. No one can be perfect.” Of course, then you would have to re-read Deuteronomy…
“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.” Leviticus 19:13 Oppress – Today’s Standard Operating Procedure in business is to stall payments as long as possible. Making promises substitutes for sending a check. With more than 16 million child support cases in the United States alone, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize…
pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Without Ceasing – Doesn’t this command from Paul make you feel inadequate? I know that I don’t pray constantly. I am quite sure that the vast majority of Christians don’t either. That makes me feel as though I just can’t live up to the standard. And I probably never…
“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10 Faithful – What does it mean to be faithful? What do you think of when you hear these words? Do you think about a marriage vow or a promise or someone? Do you think about unwavering commitment or loyalty? If…
“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4 Against – It’s an up and down matter. Greek prepositions, like this one, almost always have a root meaning in some kind of physical space movement. Kata is no exception. The root meaning is movement downwards. For example, in 2…
