“All is vanity” Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity – The Bible is the most realistic book about life that has ever been written. In this verse, it tells us that sometime during your earthly sojourn, you will arrive at the zero sum. That’s when you add up all the things that consume our attention, demand our energy,…
“And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout,” Luke 2:25 Devout – What do you think about Simeon? The Bible calls him “righteous and devout”. Does this describe you? What pictures come to mind? Take the word “devout”. Do you see images of long hours…
“He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives . . . to set free those who are downtrodden” Luke 4:18 quoting Isaiah 61:2 Release . . Set Free – The imagery of forgiveness rises to priority position in the mission of Jesus. “Release” and “set free” are both instances of aphesis, our word…
“for this is My blood of the covenant, which is to be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28 Forgiveness – What does forgiveness look like? That’s not the same question as what it means. We are inclined to use a lot of theologically correct language when we talk about…
“if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26 Honor – Do we really take the words of Jesus as the absolute truth? Do we dwell on them, examining every nuance? If we do, then this verse should startle us. We have long been taught to honor God, but here His own Son…
“but we have renounced the hidden things because of shame” 2 Corinthians 4:2 Renounced – Christians are not the silent majority. In fact, if you are in the silent majority, you are either woefully deficient in your understanding of Christ’s commands or you are living on the wrong side of the God’s fence. Christians are…
“but we have renounced the hidden things because of shame” 2 Corinthians 4:2 Shame – When Paul penned this verse, he did not use the word entrepo for “shame” (see July 18). He used another common Greek word (aischunes). Both words are translated “shame” in English, but they are not quite the same. And this…
“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” 1 Corinthians 4:14 Admonish – The Christian life is not about going to heaven. It’s not about a higher morality. It’s not about being a better person. It’s about agreeing with God that I am hopelessly lost without…
“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” 1 Corinthians 4:14 Shame – Language is not simply descriptive. Language creates culture. In a very important way, what you speak determines how you view the world. That’s why the same event can be called a miracle by…
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” John 12:25 Hates – Are you ready for the rest of the paradox? Have you settled the issue of what you really love? Jesus says that if we make this life, the one…
