Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!1 We often hear the expression, ‘Praise the LORD!’ And at church during worship songs, we praise him—even it if means going through the motions, as we are […]
OTHER RECENT POSTS
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.1 Our flesh needs food; so does our soul. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.2 They are life to those who find them, and healing …
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.1 This was Peter, who earlier denied Jesus three …
LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.1 Strong, bold words to speak before God. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. …
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we …
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry weary land where there is no water.1 Our starting point determines our trajectory. No amount of striving nor hurry will lead you to your destination if …
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the …
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, …
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!1 What a graphic picture! Can we actually taste and see the goodness of the LORD? Is there a prerequisite or posture that we should have to sense his goodness? Who are those …
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.1 The Greek …
Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die.1 No amount of denial will prolong our life; we all shall die a physical death one day. What does Solomon mean, therefore, by those who keep the commandment will keep his life? Was he speaking figuratively? …
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!1 How can we even rejoice amidst our seemingly insurmountable problems …
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? …
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as …
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God . . . …
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; . . . (it continues with a list of dual opposites); a time …
“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor …
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has …
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”1 From a collection of Israelite wisdom literature, the father encourages his …
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.1 What is meant by ‘set his heart’? The NIV used ‘devoted.’ It means to resolve, dedicate, and have a strong, intense desire and commitment to …
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.1 God calls. Creation speaks out! For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly …
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.1What beginning is being alluded to here? When was “the …
Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.1 Advances in medicine is amazing. Whereas historically physicians only speculated. But during the Renaissance period, a breakthrough came when Andreas Versalius went against the norm and cut open human corpses. …
[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by him all things were created . . . all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the …
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.1 What law is spoken of here? What future hope of …
Therefore we must pay much close attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.1 Long ago, at many times, and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he …
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.1 Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.2 To be ruled by a godless, hardened heart is dangerous. It needs to be trained and tempered by …
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made …
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken …
“Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all …
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.1 Jesus continuously modeled for us this behavior daily. He would always separate himself; E.g., withdraw from the crowd and go to a desolate place by himself;2 go up the mountain by …
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything …
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.1 Just as Hannah prayed for her …
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.1 The beginning and essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.2 Practical wisdom for living is the central concern of the book of Proverbs. It …
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, . . . . For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on …
Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, . . …
I say to the LORD, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD! O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.1 Rest assured. In dire situations, with confidence call to God! …
“I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, …
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart …
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of Scriptures we might have hope.1 What is written is believable; assuming that it had been written by a reputable author, well thought of, organized, and concise. The verse above refers …
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he …
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.1 The kind …
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love …
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through …
For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful …
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.1 To the worldly this teaching is absurd. How can …
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.1The word origin in Greek for breathed out are en—meaning “in” or “into” and phusao—“to blow”; and the …
Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!1 We often hear the expression, ‘Praise the LORD!’ And at church during worship songs, we praise him—even it if means going through the motions, as we are […]
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.1 Our flesh needs food; so does our soul. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.2 They are life to those who find them, and healing …
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.1 This was Peter, who earlier denied Jesus three …
LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.1 Strong, bold words to speak before God. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. …
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we …
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry weary land where there is no water.1 Our starting point determines our trajectory. No amount of striving nor hurry will lead you to your destination if …
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the …
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, …
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!1 What a graphic picture! Can we actually taste and see the goodness of the LORD? Is there a prerequisite or posture that we should have to sense his goodness? Who are those …
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.1 The Greek …
Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die.1 No amount of denial will prolong our life; we all shall die a physical death one day. What does Solomon mean, therefore, by those who keep the commandment will keep his life? Was he speaking figuratively? …
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!1 How can we even rejoice amidst our seemingly insurmountable problems …
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? …
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as …
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God . . . …
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; . . . (it continues with a list of dual opposites); a time …
“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor …
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has …
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”1 From a collection of Israelite wisdom literature, the father encourages his …
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.1 What is meant by ‘set his heart’? The NIV used ‘devoted.’ It means to resolve, dedicate, and have a strong, intense desire and commitment to …
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.1 God calls. Creation speaks out! For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly …
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.1What beginning is being alluded to here? When was “the …
Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.1 Advances in medicine is amazing. Whereas historically physicians only speculated. But during the Renaissance period, a breakthrough came when Andreas Versalius went against the norm and cut open human corpses. …
[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by him all things were created . . . all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the …
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.1 What law is spoken of here? What future hope of …
Therefore we must pay much close attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.1 Long ago, at many times, and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he …
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.1 Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.2 To be ruled by a godless, hardened heart is dangerous. It needs to be trained and tempered by …
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made …
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken …
“Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all …
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.1 Jesus continuously modeled for us this behavior daily. He would always separate himself; E.g., withdraw from the crowd and go to a desolate place by himself;2 go up the mountain by …
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything …
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.1 Just as Hannah prayed for her …
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.1 The beginning and essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.2 Practical wisdom for living is the central concern of the book of Proverbs. It …
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, . . . . For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on …
Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, . . …
I say to the LORD, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD! O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.1 Rest assured. In dire situations, with confidence call to God! …
“I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, …
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart …
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of Scriptures we might have hope.1 What is written is believable; assuming that it had been written by a reputable author, well thought of, organized, and concise. The verse above refers …
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he …
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.1 The kind …
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love …
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through …
For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful …
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.1 To the worldly this teaching is absurd. How can …
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.1The word origin in Greek for breathed out are en—meaning “in” or “into” and phusao—“to blow”; and the …