“‘…continually all the day my name is despised. Therefore, my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.’” “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, […]

    “…on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.” – Song of Solomon 3:11   Weddings as Parables The wedding day is to be the “day of the gladness” of the groom’s heart. It is the day that, by God’s design, his heart should rejoice in his wife….the

“If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” – John 21:22   The One and the Many Christianity, unlike any other religion, is both communal and individual, both solitary and collective. It is right to say that Jesus died for the Church (that is,

“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” – John 17:11 Note: for an explanation of this picture choice, watch this video. Oneness is Important to Christ Jesus’ prayer to His Father in John 17 is one of the highest, most

    “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head and arrayed Him in a purple robe.” – John 19:2   A Weight of Glory If God the Son were to have incarnated as an emperor who ruled the entire planet, this would already have been an infinite

        “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are

The Lord is the upholder of my life – Psalm 54:4   Upheld by Another What a wonderful word, what a wonderful hope. Our lives are upheld by someone else. The Christian’s life is not a free standing structure. It is not a self-supported tower, it is – from first to last – upheld by the strength

  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” – John 14:6   Reality is About a Person God is a person….not a force, not an idea, not a law, not an energy, but a person. He is “Supra-Person,” to be more precise, Father, Son, and Spirit – the divine Community in Unity, and

  “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32   The Heart Speaks… Out of the heart the mouth speaks, and out of a nation’s heart its Supreme Court decides. Last week, America’s “mouth” spoke, making gay “marriage” legal in all 50 states. So,

  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:21 In John’s account of Lazarus’ sickness and death, we are given an incredibly valuable gift, namely, the opportunity to view tragedy and suffering from God’s perspective. Because the narrative follows Jesus and not Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, it is as

  “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” – Genesis 3:10   True Fear The Bible has a lot to say about “fearing the Lord.” To summarize the concept in an accurate but far too simple way, we can think about

    “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” – Psalm 62:8 Trust, intimacy, and safety…three things that all healthy human hearts long for, and three things that are deeply intertwined. We do not have true intimacy with someone we don’t trust,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” –

    “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” – Genesis 18:14   Is Anything to Wonderful for the Lord? God has just informed Abraham and Sarah – both of them nearing one hundred years old – that they will have a son together within a year. Sarah laughs despite herself saying, “After I am

    Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of Justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”   Mysterious “Therfores” The “therefores” in this verse are the first tip off that something interesting

    Revelation 5:9,”Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain…”   In Revelation 5:9 we see something simple and yet staggering in its implications: Jesus is worthy to take the scroll and open its seals because He was slain. Consider that for a moment…because Jesus was

    John 3:16, “For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only Son…” John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have GIVEN me because you LOVED me before the foundation of the world.”

  “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no

    “If He should set His heart to it and gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to the dust.” – Job 34:14-15   The Intimacy of Existence “IF He should set His heart to it….” With these words, Elihu (the one friend of

    “Jesus wept.” – John 11:35   God Ordains that He Should Weep. Consider the wonder of that statement. God – who is sovereign over all things and who does whatever He pleases in heaven and on earth (Ps.135:5-6) – freely ordains that He Himself should weep. And this is true not only of