“But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11 Flee – Success at any cost. Financial accumulation. Power. Prestige. Image. Controlling influence. The top of the pyramid. Celebrity status. Are you running away from these things? I am always a bit discouraged…
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:14 Flee – How quickly are you running away? If the contemporary condition of Christianity is any indication, we have forgotten completely the Biblical strategy for dealing with sin. Run away!!! When you see the crimson eye of evil coming, run away! When you feel that little…
“for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 Lost – Jesus is an Old Testament man. He doesn’t look like the paintings of Rembrandt. He isn’t the fair-skinned Hollywood mystic. Jesus is a man of the land of oppression, saturated in the Law and the…
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins” 1 John 1:9 If – Read the whole paragraph (1 John 1:6-10). You will notice that John uses this Greek word ean (if) in every verse. However, it is not the only Greek word translated “if”. The other word is…
“Become sober minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:34 Become Sober Minded – Most of the world is drunk. Billions of people are walking around every day staggering under the influence. And, by the way, so are you if…
“Become sober minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:34 Stop – But can we really do this? Can we actually stop sinning? Haven’t we all been told that sin is just part of our nature, that we can’t help…
“Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord” Psalm 40:11 Withhold – David was Israel’s greatest king but not because of his victories in battle or his expansive empire. David was Israel’s greatest king because he was a man after God’s own heart. Today we are the beneficiaries of his deep devotion. Today…
“but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known” 1 Corinthians 13:12 Know Fully – The same verb two times. The only difference is the verb tense, but what a difference it makes. It’s the difference between what I will know and what God already knows. Epiginosko is the intense…
“Pursue love” 1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue – It’s all connected. Start anywhere in the Bible and pretty soon you will find that you have traveled over all the themes. Like a magnificently complex kaleidoscope, the words of Scripture are all connected. Each one leads us to another, often reminding us of other nuances and other…
“But by the grace of God I am what I am” 1 Corinthians 15:10 I am what I am – Would you be comfortable with this statement? Could you stand up alongside Paul and proclaim, “By the grace of God I am what I am”? That’s a remarkable claim. It implies that Paul is satisfied…
