Bless The Food?

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.  Nahum 1:7 Good – “Don’t forget the blessing.”  Is that the common invocation before a meal in your house?  I learned my kindergarten version early in life.  “God is great and God is good, and…

Be Like JB

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  2 Timothy 4:2 Preach – When you passed that man on the street corner with the sign “Jesus Saves,” did you think about this verse?  When you heard that last rousing sermon, did Paul’s direction come…

What’s In A Name?

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.  Nahum 1:7 Nahum – Your name in God’s language might easily be a summary of the purpose of your life.  Of course, the names we give our children today, and the names we have been…

Emotional Motion

leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering  Matthew 5:24 Be Reconciled – When we find a word in the Greek New Testament that is used only one time, we need to pay close attention.  We need to ask,…

Secret Agent (1)

leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering  Matthew 5:24 Go Your Way – In his commentary on Matthew, Nicoll says, “Reconciliation before sacrifice: morality before religion” and calls this one of the four cardinal principles of worship.  If…

Noise reduction

If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, “Give Me a drink;”  John 4:10 If You Knew – Have you ever noticed just how odd Jesus’ conversations are?  If we encountered Him today, and spent a few minutes talking with Him, we might walk away shaking our heads…

Just A Little Addition

I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again.  For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.  Hosea 11:9 Not – Sometimes “not” is the most important word you can hear.  This is especially true when it comes to…

Where He Goes

When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.  Matthew 13:53  Left – Jesus just left Chicago and He’s bound for New Orleans.  ZZ Top made those lyrics famous.  What they did not realize is that Jesus really does leave.  He follows the Father’s will wherever that leads.  He is not rooted to the…

“Who” Makes the Difference

“Are You the One who is coming, or do we look for someone else?”  Luke 7:20 Look For – Is Jesus the One?  That’s really the central question of every person’s life.  Is it really Jesus, or should be look for someone else?  But did you notice that this question depends on a basic assumption? …

Six Feet Under

I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on  Philippians 3:13 Forgetting – Brother Lawrence practiced the continual presence of God by immediately confessing any action or attitude that interfered in any way…