Blog (Page 224)

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;” vs. 27 The first to embrace the gospel in the cities where Paul preached, were generally from the working class; many of them were slaves. Only occasionally would someone with wealth and power become a believer. These low-born types loved the message of equality and freedom that they heard from the early…

1 Corinthians 1:18-24 “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” vss. 22-23 For centuries Christian apologists and theologians have written books and published scholarly articles in an effort to present the gospel message in an orderly and systematic way. Much of their writing and reasoning has been masterfully done and has brought satisfaction to countless readers. But still skeptics remain–some of them deeply committed followers…

Psalm 15:4-5 “…who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.” vs. 5 The practice of lending money at interest developed many thousands of years ago and was addressed several times by the writers of our scripture. Like the psalmist these thinkers believed that those who lived blamelessly and in accordance with God’s standards would not think of lending money at interest. Initially this…

Psalm 15:1-3 “O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2 Those who have become accustomed to living by grace may look at verses like this and breathe a sigh of relief, “Thank God we don’t have to live under the burden of the law anymore!” That’s a comforting thought…and it is good to know that…

Micah 6:1-8 “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” vs. 8 If we were asked to choose a single verse from scripture as a personal mission statement, we’d be hard pressed to find a better one than this gem from the pen of Micah. The prophet is obviously frustrated with his people’s preoccupation with the…

Matthew 4:18-23 “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.” vs. 18 As Jesus began his ministry, the first item on his “to do” list was to enlist some disciples, folks who he could teach and who he could send out on missions. These disciples would also insure the continuation of his ministry after he was gone. His…

Matthew 4:12-17 “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” vs. 17 According to Matthew, following John’s arrest, Jesus left the region of the Jordan and returned to his home territory, eventually making his home in Capernaum, at the north end of the sea of Galilee. His message initially was exactly the same as John’s, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Something momentous was about to happen, it was…

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.” vs. 17 Paul is bothered by the divisions in Corinth and has real insight about the causes. He implies in this verse that it’s the sheer eloquence and wisdom of some of the preachers who have wandered through the congregation. They are so good that they…

1 Corinthians 1:10-16 “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” vs. 10 Paul had some lofty expectations for that congregation in Corinth. He wanted them to be united in the same mind and the same purpose. It seems a reasonable ideal but, in…

Psalm 27:6-9 “Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” vs. 9 The psalmist couldn’t help thinking that God might for some reason turn against him and desert him in a time of need. It seemed logical. Even though God had been faithful in the past, there was always a chance that God…

Psalm 27:1, 4-5 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” vs. 1 Sometimes the world comes at us with a vengeance and there’s trouble and suffering on every hand. Stuff happens that we never anticipated and never dreamed possible. In those moments, faith in the Lord is an incomparable resource, a blessing more valuable than any credit card or retirement fund.…

 Isaiah 9:1-4 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” vs. 2 For the prophet the coronation of the new Judean king was the occasion for great joy, a time to celebrate light after a long period of darkness and despair. From now on things would be different, prosperity would return, and the glory of former days would be restored. We see some…