You shall not take the name Yahweh your God in vain Exodus 20:7 In Vain – We practice commandment reduction. We assign the context of the commandment to circumstances as narrow as possible in order that we can claim to meet the requirement without having to deal with its real impact. We do it all…
For as his name is, so is he 1 Samuel 25:25 Name – We live in a world of disconnected labels. What is Aleve or Kleenex or Microsoft? Made up labels disguised as names. There is no intrinsic connection between Tylenol and pain, between Nike and shoes or between Mobil and gasoline. We are inundated…
I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 Light of the World – Jesus just doesn’t make sense. How can He be the light of the world? The world is already full of light. I can perfectly…
All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth Matthew 28:18 All – Followers of the Way understand one absolutely fundamental fact. They are not in charge! It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? The basic fact of all existence is that men are not God. God is absolutely in charge. That’s what…
I am the way John 14:6 Way – The verse is so familiar that we no longer appreciate all that it implies. It has become a part of our spiritual wallpaper. Just there, hanging as a banner, fading into the background. If we could only have been there when Jesus spoke this truth. If we…
because they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place Jeremiah 19:4 Alien – You come home. You open the door, turn on the lights and suddenly realize that something isn’t right. Someone has been there. Things are out of place. The back door is open. Your valuables are missing. You’ve been robbed. If…
“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” Acts 10:15 Consider Unholy – We need to see the Greek construction in order to fully appreciate the impact of this statement. It is literally “you do not make common”. There is an act of the will involved here. God cleanses, but, without the reciprocal act of…
“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” Acts 10:15 Cleansed – Years ago there was a famous advertisement about Ivory soap. It used the tag line “99 and 44/100ths percent pure”. Now what in the world does that really mean? Of course, the advertisers didn’t really care what it meant. They wanted you to…
For I too am a man under authority Matthew 8:9 Authority – Were you under the false impression that the message of the Bible is about your salvation? Did you think that Jesus came just to get you to heaven? If that’s what you thought, you did not understand what the Centurion understood. You don’t…
And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess . . .” Mark 10:21 Felt A Love For Him – Don’t make this mistake! Don’t convert the intensity of the real Greek expression here for a feeling. The Greek text…
