“Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”” Job 2:9 Curse – You’re reading Job in Hebrew. You come to this verse. Something shocking happens. The word translated “curse” is not qalal (which we saw yesterday). It is barak and barak means “bless”. This verse…
“Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth” Job 3:1 Cursed – The Greek poet Theognis probably summarized the essence of the Greek view of life when he said, “Best of all for mortals is never to have been born, but for those who have been born to die as soon…
“freely you have received, freely give” Matthew 10:8 Freely – Money, sex and power. The world’s great motivators. Every one of them deeply spiritual. But maybe you never thought about it like that. Money is the most pervasive spiritual commodity in the world. It is the single purest measure of submission and humility. The testing…
“freely you have received, freely give” Matthew 10:8 Freely – Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Greek. That means his thought patterns come from a Hebrew heritage, not a Greek worldview. If we want to understand what Jesus had in mind, we need to search behind the Greek New Testament. When we do, we see that “freely”…
“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 Still – What do you know for sure when you stop your busy activities? What do you discover about life when you completely relax? What happens to your perspective when you lose your strength or your health? For months he fought, growing weaker and weaker. …
“And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own homeland and in his house.” Matthew 13:57 Prophet – “Prediction is very difficult, especially when it is about the future.” So says an ancient Chinese proverb. Solomon echoed the thought. “If no one knows…
“For this cause they could not believe” John 12:39 Believe – Why don’t they believe? Why are there so few who really demonstrate Jesus is Lord of their lives? Why is the world so blind to the God who loves it? Our circles of friendships all extend beyond the church walls. Every one of us…
“No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him” John 6:44 Draw – Jesus loved fishing. The images he used (Matthew 4:19) and the miracles he performed (John 21:6) often involved fishing. But if you thought that Jesus was simply teaching us fishing techniques, then you don’t understand this statement…
“Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me!” Psalm 38:21 Forsake – Psalm 38 is a powerful emotional outburst of despair followed by a plea for rescue. One word dominates the two sides of this psalm. That word is azav. First we see it in verse 10. David’s…
“Are you the Coming One, or shall we look for someone else?” Matthew 11:3 Are you – I need glasses in order to see clearly. They correct a genetic defeat. The Bible says that every human being suffers from a similar spiritual genetic defect. In this world, we are all just a little blind. Because…
