Tag: holy
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For and/or In and/or Of
Matthew 13:44–52 Translating the Scriptures is hard work. Whether it be the 1611 King James Bible, The Amplified, the New International Version, the Christian Standard Bible, the nuances of multiple languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) along with cultural overlays, makes it incredibly difficult. Then you have the literal translations, the “thought” translations, the “concept” translations,…
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Want
Exodus 20:1–21; 1 Kings 3:16–28; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 The tale of envy and spite in the story relayed in 1 Kings is abominable to most of us. How could any person ever do that, even if it is not their child? Yet, there are far too many tragic stories of people treating their children—their legacy—with…
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Too Small
Deuteronomy 7:7–11; Judges 6:13–16; Matthew 13:31–33 One of the best scenes in the movie, The Princess Bride is when Princess Buttercup and (the Dread Pirate Roberts) Wesley are about to enter the Fire Swamp. Buttercup looks at Wesley and asks, “what about the R.O.U.S.s?” “The Rodents of Unusual Size? I’m sure they don’t exist.” He…
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Here’s Looking At…
Matthew 27:1–11; John 21:12–23 What’s that to me? Sounds like you have a problem. These and similar phrases/questions are quite prevalent in our society. The first issue that they shine a light on is pride. This may not only be the pride of the responder, but it may also be the pride of the asker.…
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Storied Reflections
Jeremiah 2:1–13; Matthew 9:35–38; John 7:37–39 Jerusalem was heading at full speed away from God and toward destruction. In many respects, this passage is God’s lament for Jerusalem. It is also, in many regards, the lament for the entire heritage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When we read, “Israel was holy to the LORD, the…
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Red or White?
Genesis 18:16–33; Jeremiah 5:1–9; Romans 3:5–24 God hates me. God would/could never love me. God doesn’t care about me. No one can measure up to that standard. Any of those sound familiar? When we read stories such as Sodom and Gomorrah it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of destruction. Yet, there…
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Fruit Basket
Daniel 3:8–30; Matthew 7:15–20; Revelation 20:11–15 Thinking about fire is often not comfortable. Homes burn. Forests burn. On the other hand, metal is purified through fire. Through that fire, many beautiful and amazing things are made. Just like in our own lives, fire serves different purposes in the Scriptures. The number of times it is…
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Wicks Asmoldering
Isaiah 7:1–9; Philippians 4:4–9 Ahaz received encouraging words from God through Jeremiah. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was not exactly known for positive words. Ahaz, not altogether faithful, received a positive message. In many respects, Christians in the United States are like Ahaz. Far too many are lukewarm. They think they do “enough”. Ahaz…