“and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body; what use is that?” James 2:16 Necessary – God is in the distribution business. He does not believe in accumulation for self-preservation. He does not work for surplus. He is not interested in deferred compensation or stock options. God is all about…
“Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion” Psalm 9:11 Zion – Where does God dwell? David tells us that He dwells in tsiyyon (Zion). But what does that mean? Did you think Zion is the same as Jerusalem? Did you think Zion is a heavenly city? Do you see images of pearly gates…
“He changes a wilderness into a pool of water, and a dry land into springs of water;” Psalm 107:35 Dry land – The answer to a thirsty soul (see August 22) is the action of God. He changes things. I don’t go into His desert and dig a well for myself. In His desert, I…
“My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You. In a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 Dry land – The Hebrew word tsiyyah is used only sixteen times. It describes a parched wilderness. That’s exactly the kind of place where David composed this psalm. As he reflected on…
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 Find – There are three nuances to the word heurisko. Context determines the correct understanding. However, when the word is translated into English, we often lose the flavor. …
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 Humble – In order to fully appreciate how onerous this word really is to human beings, we must look behind our sanctified expression of humility and expose ourselves…
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 Gentle – The Greek word in Matthew that we translate “meek” or “gentle” is praos. In the gospels, it is only found in Matthew. In classical Greek, the…
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 Learn – The Greeks were famous for their tragic plays. Many of these productions underlie contemporary films and stories. They had a way of capturing the deepest issues…
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 Learn – Do you have a degree in Jesus’ teaching? That’s not the same as a theological education. What’s the difference? The Greek verb manthano implies “an intellectual…
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 Yoke – We think that it is paradoxical that God’s view of freedom is always in the context of being bound to Him. The image of the yoke…
