And I sanctify Myself for them, that they may also be sanctified in truth John 17:19 Sanctify Myself – Jesus committed no sin. Then why would He have to sanctify Himself? Why does He say, hagiazo emauton (literally “make myself clean”)? In the book, Authority and Submission, Watchman Nee gives us the answer. The purpose…
He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD, Psalm 112:7 Tidings – Bad news. No one likes it. We do all we can to make sure it’s not on today’s agenda. But life has a way of delivering the bad news anyway. The real question is not how to…
How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. Psalm 112:1 Blessed – Hebrew is a careful vocabulary when it comes to God. Some words are only used with God. Some words are never applied to God. If you were a Jew and you wanted to say, “God bless…
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9 Not Grow Weary – Sometimes the best pictures of the meanings of words some from the way words are constructed. We look at this English expression, “not grow weary”, and we…
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9 Not Lose Heart – When Paul used the Greek words me ekkakomen, he painted a picture that was hard to miss. It is a picture of the front lines of a…
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Might – The Biblical perspective on work is entirely practical. If anyone suggests that spirituality means passive waiting for God to act, that person…
Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to the Lord Leviticus 27:28 Destruction – When we realize that submission to God means death before life, it suddenly dawns on us that this is the only way God would have done it. God does not take what I do best and put it to His use….
Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to the Lord Leviticus 27:28 Destruction – Oswald Chambers calls it “abandonment to God”. It’s the hallmark of Moses and David, in spite of their failures. Peter and Paul both sold out completely. And Jesus is the paradigm example. Anything dedicated to God is given over to destruction….
For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst Luke 17:21 In Your Midst – Older English Bibles often translated this verse as “the kingdom of God is within you”. That translation follows a theological shift that began when Luther translated Hebrews 11:1 with a word for assurance rather than evidence. Over time, faith…
You shall not take the name Yahweh your God in vain. Exodus 20:7 NASB In vain – The second commandment is the reverence commandment. It demands that we treat God’s name with respect. As we discovered, that means we speak as men and women under His authority. Our words must reflect His character because words…
