Vanity of vanities, all is vanity…Ecclesiastes 1:2 Solomon uses the word vanity over thirty times in Ecclesiastes. The Hebrew word literally means vapor, or breath or a gentle breeze. Perhaps this is why Solomon compares life to a vapor. Visible but temporary; here and then gone; like the morning fog. Chapter 1, verse 14: I have […]
Are you the first man who was born? Job 15:7 Now that is an interesting question. Of course, it was asked of Job by Eliphaz. But let’s take a broader look at the question. What rights belong to the first born? In the days of Job, the first-born son received the larger inheritance from the […]
Having nailed it to the cross…Colossians 2:14 Our understanding of our freedom in Christ is the cross. We have been freed from The Law by the cross. He has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. […]
I am with you…Jeremiah 1:19 This is the second time God told Jeremiah He would go with him, Jeremiah 1:8: Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. God knows our circumstances. God knows where He is leading us. All He asks is that we trust Him. […]
Warning every man…Colossians 1:28 Jesus wrote seven letters to seven churches. They are recorded in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. Each letter is a warning. Each letter is a reminder of God’s forgiveness. While all sins are forgiven, the consequences of sin remain. “Warning” is a seven-letter word. When Jesus warned of the signs of […]
The Lord called to Moses…Leviticus 1:1 The LORD called to Moses and spoke with Moses from the tabernacle of meeting saying, Leviticus 1:1. God called to Moses by name. As God did from the burning bush, Exodus 3:1. As did Jesus with Saul on the road to Damascus, and with Lazarus in front of his […]
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt…Colossians 4:6 Seasoned with salt is a curious addition to grace. Jesus also used the phrase ‘seasoned with salt.’ Mark 9:49: For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. (Note: not all translations include the phrase in the latter […]
Christ, who is our life…Colossians 3:4 As pilgrims in this wilderness of darkness, we are led by the Light. More than light; He is our life. More than our life in this life, He is our promise of our resurrected life: When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in […]
He departed to a solitary place…Mark 1:35 The word translated ‘solitary’ is most often translated as “wilderness.” It literally means lonely or deserted by others—solitary. Jesus sought out such a place to pray. Some people do not seek out such isolation; solitude finds them. God led His people into the wilderness for a reason. He […]
The day of vengeance of our God…Isaiah 61:2 We are well aware of Isaiah 61, verses 1 and 2A. This is the passage Jesus quotes in His hometown synagogue in Nazareth, Luke 4:18-19. There we notice Jesus stops mid-sentence. Jesus ended with “to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. The scroll of Isaiah said, “to […]