Romans 12:2
Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
Isaiah 63:9
Isaiah 63:9, “In all their affliction, He was afflicted…” Two things to notice in this picture: First, the same nail is piercing both the hand of the believer and of Christ. In a mysterious sense which I am still—and will likely ever be—trying to wrap my mind around, Christ bore our sufferings on the
Psalm 123:2-3
Psalm 123:2-3, “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of the maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to YHWH our God, till He has mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O YHWH, have mercy upon us…” Two things to
2 Corinthians 5:1
2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” We had a prayer meeting at our local church last night and, after prayer, I was talking with some of the
Amos 5:21, 23-24
Amos 5:21,23-24, “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies…Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” God’s people are worshipping Him with
Romans 8:36-37
Romans 8:36-37, “As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” First, notice that I translated the word immediately following the citation of Psalm 44:22
John 17:19
John 17:19, “For their sake I consecrate myself that they may be sanctified in the truth.” I’m not sure why the ESV translators use the two words “consecrate” and “sanctify” here, but the Greek word is the same. Jesus says that He consecrates / sanctifies / sets Himself apart so that His people might be
1 Corinthians 1:21
1 Corinthians 1:21, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” This is a paradigmatic verse. Notice that the world did not know God through wisdom, therefore it pleased God
1 Corinthians 1:21 Read More »
Joel 3:15-17
Joel 3:15-17, “The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. YHWH roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But YHWH is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. So you shall know that I am
Romans 5:21
Romans 5:21, “…just as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Short Thoughts: Sin reigned over humanity in the sphere of spiritual death; Grace reigns over the new humanity through the agency of Christ’s self-outpouring righteousness…a reign that leads to eternal
Romans 5:18-19
Romans 5:18-19, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many were made righteous.” What is Christ’s “one act of
Isaiah 28:12
Isaiah 28:12, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose.” If we long to enter more fully into the rest that Christ gives, let us follow Him in pouring ourselves out to give rest to a sin-weary world — as He has given to us.
Psalm 119:28
Psalm 119:28, “My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!” The fact that this is in the Bible means that the saints will sometimes endure soul-dissolving sorrows….and that when this happens, our sovereign, sorrow-bearing Lord is sufficient for us in it.
Matthew 11:29 + Psalm 23:1-3
Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” + Psalm 23:1-3 Short Thoughts: Our souls will find rest in green pastures and beside still waters when we learn from our Master to bear the
Matthew 11:29 + Psalm 23:1-3 Read More »
Leviticus 24:15-16
Leviticus 24:15-16, “Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of YHWH shall surely be put to death.” Short Thoughts: The implication is that, for those who do not step out from under the covering of YHWH’s name through high-handed rebellion, *someone else* will bear their sins…. Long Thoughts:
Leviticus 24:15-16 Read More »
Matthew 6:24
Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and…” Fear. Of course you know that Jesus actually says that we cannot serve both God and money.
Revelation 22:2
Revelation 22:2, “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Short Thoughts: May our words and deeds be like leaves from Calvary’s Tree of life, by which the nations are healed of sin’s curse and death’s shadow and made to know their God. Long Thoughts: This passage is, of course,
Revelation 22:3-4
Revelation 22:3-4, “…the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in [the city], and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face…” The face of God will be eternally (and increasingly) beheld in the Lamb who was slain and yet lives forevermore; the cross of Christ blazes at the
1 Peter 1:16
1 Peter 1:16, “…it is written, ‘You shall be only, for I am holy.’” Holiness is not primarily prim abstention from evil, it is primarily passionate adoration of excellence (which will naturally lead to certain abstentions). The holiness of the Triune God is His own infinite devotion to Himself within Himself. Our holiness
Leviticus 21:18,23
Leviticus 21:18, 23, “For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame…shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish.” Short Thoughts: Under the Old Covenant, the holiness of YHWH barred any priest with a physical defect from drawing near to
Leviticus 21:18,23 Read More »