Tag: jesus
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(10′) Ruth & the Heebie Jeebies.
The warp and woof of ancient Israelite culture was the idea of redemption. On the one hand, you have the exodus which was Redemption par excellent from slavery in Egypt. On the other hand, you have all these other little redemptions going on such as redeeming widows, redeeming slaves, redeeming animals (clean/unclean), redeeming housing, farms,…
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(47) Commitment & Guidance
The following is a thought that I picked up from Pastor Ken Smith of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. I am putting it in my own words with a different set of scriptures. (1) Paul Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to…
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Note (3): Quick Jots on Waiting on God
1) All waiting on God is a filled waiting. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~ Eph 2:10 As we wait on God for something, He fills our wait with other things to do. Our waits are not a…
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Note (2): Imagination Can Fuel Fear
These following passages in the Bible show that imagination can sometimes get the best of our fears. (1) Genesis 32, 33: 6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided…
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(46) Faith & Tension
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails,…
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(9′) Prayer Involves Reasoning from God to God
“’Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.’” ~ Isaiah 1:18 Prayer involves reasoning from God to God. That is to say, prayer involves reasoning: Who God is: In Daniel…
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(8′) Jonah & Taking A Chance
~ In the story of Jonah, in the Old Testament, Jonah’s running away is the cause of stormy seas. And apparently, the only way that the stormy seas can be allayed is if Jonah is thrown into the sea. Here is an excerpt: 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and…
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(7′) The Lord, God our RearGuard
Isaiah 52:12 says But you will not leave in haste or go in flight;for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Comment/Devo:~ Isaiah is recognized by many scholars as a masterful writer. His Hebrew, while among the most difficult in the Bible, is also among the most…
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(40) Either/Or vs. One-Sided Contentedness
~In the Bible, I think we can see two forms of contentedness: 1. Either/Or Contentedness: “Stay tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good…” (Ruth 3:13a). “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to…
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(6′) Wisdom & Action Pattern in the Bible
Indeed, turn anywhere you want in the Bible, especially the Poetic and Wisdom literature (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.) and you will find that wisdom is associated with action. For example, “… when hands are idle, the house leaks” (Eccles. 10:18b). “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed” (Prov.…
The Dew and the Rain 