“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh” Galatians 5:13 Opportunity – How would you describe an “opportunity”? Would you use words like “happy occurrence”, “favorable circumstance” or “luck”? Opportunity is that intersection of the right things in the right time at the right…
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 Ransom – What picture comes to mind when you hear the word “ransom”? Do you think of the famous Lindberg case? Maybe you see Mel Gibson’s movie images. In…
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 Desires – Is your God just a divine Santa Claus? The Hebrew mish’ala is here translated “desires”. The root verb is sha’al, usually translated as “ask”. We usually think of this verse in the following way: if we…
“But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” Mark 3:27 Plunder – What was Jesus’ perspective on the power structure of this world? It’s a question worth asking. If Jesus is God, then how He views…
“And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him,” Luke 4:42 Lonely – You wont’ find this place on any map. Oh, you can find plenty of lonely places, all right. Actually, this word is also translated “wilderness” and there was a lot of wilderness…
“So He drove the man out,” Genesis 3:24 Drove out – Adam and Eve didn’t want to leave. Sometimes we forget that even though they sinned, they had no intention of leaving Paradise. After all, Paradise was a nice, comfortable place. Things were good there. Why leave just because you have a little dispute with…
“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 5:19 Annuls – What rules are so insignificant that they don’t really matter? How about the speed limit on an empty road? Does it really matter if you go 75 instead…
“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another;” Romans 13:8 Owe – Do you know a pun when you see one? Most of us think that we can recognize the humorous use of a word that suggests a different meaning. But did you know that there are all sorts of puns in the Bible? …
“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14 Ought – It’s simple accounting. Think about your debts. Do you owe money for your mortgage, your car, other loans, credit cards? What would you do if all of your creditors showed up at…
“not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11 Thirst – When I was growing up in the foothills of the Cascades outside Seattle, I often went swimming in the frigid waters of Lake Sammamish. It’s a good Indian name. The lake was…
