We Should Praise God for the Many Ways He Loves Us Love is a recurring theme in Scripture (686 verses). It shows up in most every book of the Bible (60 out of 66). The word is most common in Psalms (157 verses). Psalm 136 leads the way with 26 mentions of love, all in […]
We Revere Jesus’s Death So We Can Celebrate His Resurrection I’m never sure of what verb to attach to Good Friday. It’s a Christian holiday, a holy day. Though I do sometimes say celebrate Good Friday, it doesn’t seem like the right word. Neither does happy Good Friday, even though the outcome for us is […]
Discover the Truth and Spiritual Significance of Luke 9:23 What did Jesus mean when he said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23)? This reference to the cross—the torturous instrument of Jesus’s death—is enough to make us squirm. Though not to dismiss […]
He Becomes the Ultimate Sin Sacrifice Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, but today’s church still follows the Old Testament model for church: we have a church building where we go to worship God, hire a minister who represents the Almighty to us, and take a collection to support the whole thing. This is not what […]
Embrace a Different Way to Worship God The term “sacrifice of praise” is only found in one verse in the Bible. It’s a curious phrase. What does it mean? Whatever it may refer to, the first thing we see is we are to do it continually. We are to offer a constant sacrifice of praise […]
The Old Testament Law Talks about Offering Sacrifices to God, but What If He Wants More? King Solomon writes in the book of Ecclesiastes that we need to be careful when approaching God. “Guard your steps,” he says. This is wise advice. Then he adds something more: “Go near to listen.” He even places listening […]
Through Jesus We Become His Priests and His Temple, Which Should Change Everything In the Old Testament the people go to the temple to encounter God. The priests help them in this. They act as a liaison between them and God. In many ways we still do this today. We go to church to encounter […]
Jesus Died as the Ultimate Sacrifice So That We May Live The Old Testament of the Bible overflows with instructions about offering sacrifices to God and how his people but them into practice. One of those sacrifices served as an annual sacrifice for the sins of the people. The people had to repeat it each […]
Fear Causes Saul to Make a Bad Decision Though God chose Saul to be the first king over Israel, Saul has some character flaws that lead to his undoing. One time the Philistines come up against Saul and his army. Overwhelmed by the force opposing them, Saul’s men cower in fear. Impatience and Fear Samuel […]
We Discover Parallels Between Deuteronomy and Jesus’s Death The book of Deuteronomy, which most people skip and the rest of us skim, does contain interesting passages for us to consider. In one short section, God addresses capital punishment. Though the idea of executing people for their offenses may offend our sensibilities, don’t dismiss this passage. […]