Ps. 52:8-9, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever…I will wait for your name, for it is good…” David as a tree in God’s house is an image for his trusting in the Lord. As in Ps. 1:3—and […]
Genesis 5:29, “Out of the ground YHWH has cursed, this one shall bring us relief…” These are the words spoken over Noah at his birth, and Noah in some sense fulfills them in that he goes on to grow vineyards, tangibly bringing a source of relief up from the cursed earth (Gen. 9:20). However,
Isaiah 11:1-2, 9, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…And the Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him…[and] the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHWH as the waters cover the sea.” First, the chapter begins with an anticipation of the “shoot from the stump of Jesse,” the
Hebrews 10:34, “…you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” If we honestly consider what the Spirit is saying to us in these words, it truly is revolutionary. How do disciples of the slain and risen Lord respond when—because they
Psalm 1:1-2, Blessed is the man…[whose] delight is in the law of YHWH…” The blessed person—that is, the deeply happy person—is the one who delights in YHWH’s law. Now, to delight in a thing is a sort of blessedness in and of itself, and to be blessed implies that that which we delight in
Is 55:10-11, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty…” Rain that falls on the fields is never wasted…it
Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” What our heart loves is where our heart lives. And where our heart lives determines everything about us, since from it flow all the streams of our life (Prov.4:19). May we—by the Spirit—be enamored with the crucified and risen Lord and so
2 Corinthians 1:5, “…just as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, so through Christ our comfort also abounds.” The phrase, “just as” at the beginning of this verse refers back to what Paul has been talking about in the preceding verses, namely, the afflictions which he and others believers suffer. This is important
1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” (I’ve given you three levels of complexity on this right up, so, read which ever version
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Psalm 116:8-9, “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before YHWH in the land of the living.” /// My soul, my eyes, my feet, my life Delivered now from woe And with the one who bore my strife I’ll walk in joy,
Isaiah 55:13, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for YHWH, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” With the resurrection, the thorns of our curse which crowned the brow of our King sprout into
John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus’ call to obey His commandment (s) (there are, I believe, two commandments in view when John uses the plural “commandments”, 1) to receive Jesus as the Son and Revealer of God, and 2) to love as He
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
Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What does “to live is Christ” mean? Verse 22, 24-25, it means the fruitful labor of living for the sake of others so that they might progress and rejoice in their faith in Christ. And what does “to die is
Ezekiel 14:23, “…and you shall know that I have not done without cause” No matter what happens, Christian, it is true.
Romans 11:17, “some of the branches were broken off, and you…now share in the nourishing root.”
John 15:4, “Abide in me and I in you.” At the heart of Christian community is individual intimacy with Christ.
Romans 5:16,”… but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.” Christ’s Obedience is greater than Adam’s Sin
Isaiah 12:6, “Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” The “for” means that, in Christ, God’s greatness is the ground for our joy.
Jeremiah 32:41, “I will plant them in this land…with all my heart and all my soul.’ He spilled His blood to plant His people.
