Tag: hope
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The People of the Land
4Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.–Ezra 4 Just as soon as the building started, Judah faced frustration and opposition.…
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The Foundation of the House
11…And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.–Ezra 3 When the Babylonians carried Judah into exile, the Temple was destroyed. Imagine how that felt. What questions they might have secretly asked. Not only was the nation defeated, but was God? Now…
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Each to His Own Town
1Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. –Ezra 2 The return from exile wasn’t just a prophecy. It wasn’t just one of those…
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The Heart of Her Husband
11The heart of her husband trusts in her [the wife described in this chapter], and he will have no lack of gain.–Proverbs 31 Much effort is made describing the Proverbs 31 wife. And rightly so. Today, I want to describe the Proverbs 31 husband. Here are 10 such qualities. The verses from Proverbs 31 are…
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Lest He Rebuke You
6Do not add to his [God’s] words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.–Proverbs 30 Beware the trap of leaning on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). You may be really smart and your thoughts about Scripture may be indeed highly nuanced. But your commentary on the Bible is not more important than…
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A Companion of Gluttons
7The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.–Proverbs 28 It almost seems impossible that Jesus didn’t have this proverb on his mind when he gave his famous parable about the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Let’s use that passage to illustrate. A father had…
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Gracious, Seasoned With Salt
6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.–Colossians 4 When Paul wrote this to the Colossians, he had a Torah principle in mind. Let’s recall the command from Leviticus chapter 2. You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall…
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Put Off the Old Self
9…seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.–Colossians 3 As I journey with people who desire to change, I most always lead them through these verses. I have them ponder their old self, their…
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The Substance Belongs to Christ
16Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in…
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He Is Before All Things
15[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For byf him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And…
