You shall hold fast…Deuteronomy 10:20 Holding on to God is not easy. God is holy. God’s holiness is like a consuming fire, Deut. 4:24. Being close to extreme holiness is difficult. Every prophet who was allowed to see into heaven where God resided fell to their face proclaiming their unworthiness. When disciples saw Jesus for […]

Of your own free will…Leviticus 1:3 Moses received from the Lord the rules regarding the various offerings. They were to be a free will offering. While the way the offering was to be presented to the Lord was not optional, the offering was to be of your own free will. And if you offer a sacrifice […]

My blood of the new covenant…Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20 At Mt. Sinai The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them. Exodus 24:12. Thus began discipleship. In […]

Lest he fall…1 Corinthians 10:12 Too often people want to reduce faith to catch phrases. They quote Scripture in part and not in whole: I can do all things in Christ…With God all things are possible…All things work for good…etc. Some of these phrases are misunderstood church doctrines: eternal security…once saved-always saved…perseverance of the saints…etc. […]

Baptized Let them was their clothes…Exodus 19:10 At the foot of Mt. Sinai, the people waited for a word from the Lord through Moses. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For […]

Reap in mercy…Hosea 10:12 Gardens planted in the Spring are now yielding their fruit. God is using the illustration of gardening to call us to Himself. Sow for yourselves righteousness. Reap in mercy. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you, Verse 12. […]

Little ones who believe in Me…Mark 9:42 Three witnesses: Matthew, Mark, and Luke record these words of caution by Jesus: But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9:42, […]

In the beginning was the Word…John 1:1 From the very first line of his gospel, John sets the record straight. The logos (the word) is the essence behind the word. The beginning of the beginning, is Jesus.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten […]

Voice of thanksgiving…Jonah 2:9 Verse 7: When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD…  It is not strange when we are in our most dire spot, we remember God. There in desperation we pray. And our prayer went up to Him, verse 7b, to His holy temple.  From the belly of the fish, Jonah’s prayer was […]

But Jonah…Jonah 1:3 Instead doing what God asked of him, Jonah ran the other way. The Bible says he went to Tarshish, which is the opposite direction of Nineveh. Jonah reminds us of the times we ran the wrong way. We have all missed those opportunities when the door was wide open. Thank God for […]