Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God And the exact imprint of His nature…” In the evenings I’ve been preparing to preach this coming Sunday on John 1:14, about the Word being made flesh. One of the points I’m hoping to emphasize is the revelatory nature of the incarnation. I […]
Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that YHWH is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” See how the Spirit—through David—urges the people of God to press in further not merely know of YHWH but to feast, as it were, on Him, to taste and see for one’s self that He
Here are some notes from this morning’s journal. I wrote our Exodus 6:6-8 in an outline form as a way to make its chiastic structure more explicit. A>B>C>D<C'<D'<A’, with “D” as the central affirmation. I am YHWH >>> A) and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, >>>>>> B)
John 1:10, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.” This was part of the text that I preached on this past Sunday. As I was preparing for the message I was trying to sit under the weight of the reality that John
1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Everyone wants “love” to be on their side of the argument. Everyone wants to appeal to the “loving thing” to do, or to say that
Daniel 7:9-10, “…the Ancient of Days took His seat…A stream of fire issued and came out before Him…” Revelation 22:1, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” I’ve always been intrigued by the connection between these
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“Sing praises to YHWH, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name! For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” – Psalm 30:4-5 Much to see here! First, notice that this entire
Luke 3:16-17, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and whit fire. his winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” See the authority that John ascribes to the coming Jesus, to the
Colossians 3:1-4, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
Genesis 49:10, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” Genesis 49:10 is just another of many reminders that the crucified and risen Jesus is the harmonizing note of all
Revelation 21:23, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” In these last few chapters of the book of Revelation, John is envisioning creation as it is meant to be. This is redeemed creation,
Colossians 2:14, “[God cancelled] the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” No long description today, just a brief thought to consider….think about the imagery that the Holy Spirit leads Paul to use here. The “record of debt” or “handwritten decree”
Mark 14:36, “…not what I will, but what you will.” Edited thoughts from this morning’s journal entry: This prayer exposes us to the heart of what it means to be a human being in right relation to God. Yes, Jesus is fully God, but so too is He fully man. Just as we see
Isaiah 38:17, “Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; [and] in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.” This passage was not from my reading this morning so I don’t have a journal entry to share
Colossians 2:15, “…having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” This past weekend I was reading a book on Paul’s theology of the cross when I came across an arresting sentence by theologian James D.G. Dunn regarding Colossians 2:15. Dunn wrote: “The transformation
Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Often this verse has been watered down to mean little more than “Jesus will help me be all I can be.” Paul is emphatically not teaching that Jesus is the genie in our corner, ready and willing to give us the extra
Psalm 39:4-5, “O YHWH, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths…” I can’t think of a time when it is not wise to consider the brevity of life. When we are surrounded
1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” What exactly does this verse mean? Why does John say that “fear has to do with punishment”? Really? Fear has to do with
Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done…” I read this morning in Jeremiah 46:18 where the Lord says, “As I live declares the King, whose name is YHWH of hosts…” And it struck me….He doesn’t say what He is king of. He just says, “the King.” Of course, the reason is because
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Philippians 1:29, “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake…” Some thoughts from this morning’s journal on this passage: I want to consider the word “granted.” Paul says that it has been granted to the Philippians
