“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain….” Exodus 20:7 (ESV) Recently, as a part of my research on the Name, I came across a podcast that really piqued my interest. The premise asserts that perhaps we have mistranslated the above quoted commandment. Or, at the very least, we have... Continue Reading →
The Little Foxes
“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” (Song of Solomon 2:15, ESV) We American Christians, slowly but surely, have begun to unstitch the threads that hold together our faith. Rather than taking pains to reinforce that stitching, we make little daily choices that threaten... Continue Reading →
Healthy…or Holy?
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalms 51:1-2, ESV) Have you ever had your pastor say something and you didn’t know whether to say, “Amen!” or “Ouch!”? Today’s post... Continue Reading →
Shedding Your Blood
"In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Hebrews 12:4, ESV). If there is one verse in the Bible that haunts me, one verse that can keep me awake at night, Hebrews 12:4 is that verse. Whether walking in my legalist phase, living in the “freedom of... Continue Reading →
Freedom
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 ESV). At first glance, the first seven words of this verse seem redundant. Obviously we weren’t set free for captivity! Aaaaaah…there it is. For some reason we Christians aren’t really comfortable with the... Continue Reading →
Think Possibly!
“But he said, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God’” (Luke 18:27 ESV). There’s a lot of talk these days about “positive thinking.” And there is merit to the practice. Unfortunately, there also exists the danger of going overboard and developing the mindset that we, in and of ourselves can do anything. This... Continue Reading →
A Walk in the Weeds
“He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared... Continue Reading →
A Jealous God
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:10-11 ESV). Isaiah 48:10 speaks of a purification, God using... Continue Reading →
Wisdom Wednesday: Guard Your Mouth
“From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Proverbs 13:2-3 ESV). We all likely know intuitively that our mouths can get us into a lot of... Continue Reading →
Wisdom Wednesday: Worthless Things
"I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me” (Psalms 101:2-3 ESV). I’ll... Continue Reading →
Skipping Stones 