“You, LORD, are the light that keeps me safe,” begins this psalm attributed to David, the man chosen by God to become Israel’s greatest king. From his youth as a shepherd, tending his father’s flocks day and night, David had known darkness and its dangers. But his confidence in the LORD was so sure, so true, that even in times of darkness he could proclaim, “I am not afraid of anyone.”
Read More strength, light, salvation, fear
Joseph? In Luke’s gospel we read a lot about Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary. Joseph was mentioned only in 1:27 as the man Mary was engaged to. It is very fitting that Matthew focuses on Joseph. He had a very difficult part to play! But God cared about Joseph too, and made sure that this story was recorded in Matthew.
Read More sin, salvation, genealogy, EmmanuelThe disciples are often amazed at Jesus, both by the wow factor of his miracles as well as his tendency to challenge the establishment and cultural norms. But what amazes Jesus? It’s always faith – faith that shows up in unexpected places (Matthew 8:10) or faith absent when it should be expected (Mark 6:6). So what is it about this Canaanite woman that causes him to cry out, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith!”?
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This passage tells us about the confirmation of the covenant that God made with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. It is an important part of God’s progressive revelation of himself to Israel and the world. The account involves three different groups of people: the people of Israel; Aaron and his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel; and then Moses and his aid Joshua. All of them are part of this confirmation ceremony.
Read More ceremony, salvation, covenant, holinessAfter describing the Ark of the Covenant we are told about the Table and the Lamp stand which are situated in the Holy Place outside the curtain that distinguishes it from the Most Holy Place. Like the ark and all of the objects within the tabernacle it is made of pure gold and any poles used to carry it around are overlaid with pure gold while objects outside the tabernacle are made of lesser metals like silver and bronze. The closer one gets to the Lord, the more valuable the metals.
Read More salvation, beauty, tabernacleJesus loved to teach using parables, heavenly stories with earthly meaning. They drove home the kingdom principle he had been making as he was teaching his disciples.
Smack in the middle of his lessons on his return, he tells a parable. It is the story of a groom who arrives at midnight to collect a house full of young women. The point being that he arrived at midnight. It was dark
Read More salvation, parables, second comingSuccessful business people understand the importance of measuring their return on investment. Before investing time, finances and other resources in any endeavour, they work out a business plan that will predict how much profit there should be in the project. Romans12 tells us that God has placed within the body of Christ those who are gifted administrators. In the midst of teaching about his return and the establishment of his kingdom, Jesus tells a parable that every Holy Spirit gifted administrator would understand.
Read More salvation, service, investmentFollowers of Jesus ought to be obvious to everybody. Somewhere in recent years Christians have come to be known for the things we are against rather than what we are for. It is true that we are called to be salt and light and the principles of the kingdom of God will often put Christians in opposition to the principles that move the world. But we are also called to be the loving hands and feet of Jesus.
Read More compassion, salvation, faithThe question, “Will only a few be saved?” was a live issue among Jews at the time. Some of them thought that of them – the Jews – only a few would be saved in the end. In their minds it all depended on lineage. So they narrowed presence at the banquet to certain Jews and not others. The question probably means, Who among us will be saved? The idea of Gentiles being saved was far from their minds. The answer they got from Jesus was not at all what they expected.
Read More grace, salvation, discipleshipHere we are in victory lane.
David, while not having the victory yet, is anticipating being in victory lane because he is asking for God’s help to claim the victory he seeks. Sure we are sometimes in distress and fearful of failure. Of course we face stresses in our lives that look like they will overwhelm us. But what matters is who we turn to first when those troubles arise.
Read More strength, salvation, needs, victory