Luke 11:21-22, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides the spoil…” Jesus Christ is “the stronger man” who has plundered the palace of Satan…and He […]
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. The Passage Explained With verse 5, Psalm 23 seems to shift its central metaphor from that of shepherd and sheep to one that more prominently pictures YHWH as the master of a
Proverbs 10:24, “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.” For God’s graciously chosen, Spirit-filled people, the filling of the universe with the Glory of God through the slain-and-risen Son will be the satisfaction of their deepest desire. But for those enduringly opposed to Him
Matthew 18:33, “And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I have mercy on you?” If we’ve truly received the debt-forgiving mercy of our crucified and risen Master, we cannot remain merciless toward debtors in our lives…
James 1:14-17, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
James 1:2-3, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Christian, the fires of our love-ordained trials will become the cords that bind our faith more surely to Christ–the one who bore the equivalence all of our suffering
Hebrews 13:12-14, “Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach that He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh…” May an overriding desire for Christ, granted by the indwelling Spirit, drive us to
Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me. For the sake of your goodness, O YHWH!”
Psalm 7:12-13, “If a person does not repent, God sharpens His sword and prepares to shoot His bow. He prepares deadly weapons against him; He gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.” The One who will finally fire the arrows of divine wrath IS the one who was first pierced by their equivalent on the
Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Proverbs 5:3-4, “The lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” It is true of all idolatry…
Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” To take up our cross means to follow after Jesus Christ–the Beautiful One who has satisfied our soul, who is the End of all our Desiring, who is Divine Love incarnate. It means to press
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on
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Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in YHWH; I will take joy in
Hebrews 10:1, 5, 7, “…the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities…Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, ‘…Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.’”
Luke 7:48, “And He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” Jesus suffered beyond imagination so that anyone who receives Him as Lord and God can hear this words spoken over them from the throne of the universe–today.
Hebrews 6:19-20,” We have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf…” Our oath-assured, blood-secured hope is to enter the Sabbath Rest of our Triune God through the person and work
Luke 2:10-11, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Nahum 1:6-7, “Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by Him. YHWH is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” Who can endure the
