This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. [Colossians 1:1] In my church background, talk about being “chosen by God” was primarily a debate about whether we are ‘saved’ because God chose us or because we chose God. Otherwise known as the doctrine of election or…
ask the birds, He cares!
SCRIPTURE: Job 12 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you. For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the…
how to increase your strength!
“Well, what do you know…” I discovered the reason for my being so weak and tired. It’s got to be a diet issue. I was watching this historical documentary on how to increase one’s strength, and it definitely makes the point that if I want to be strong to the finish, I’ve got to…
a theological question
I received an email from a friend, looking for feedback on a particular belief that they are uncertain about. They need to know if what they are thinking is biblically (theologically) true. Here is the what they wrote me: I have a theological question. I think this is true, is it? It is a serious issue…
holding doctrine gently
SCRIPTURE: Job 11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty? Such knowledge is higher than the heavens— and who are you? It is deeper than the underworld — what do you know? It is broader than the earth and wider than the sea. [Job 11:7-9] Zophar is right on…
despair in dark places
SCRIPTURE: Job 10 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: What do you gain by oppressing me? Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands, while smiling on the schemes of the wicked? [Job 10:3] You formed me with your hands; you made me, yet now you completely destroy me. Remember that you made me from dust— will you turn…
there is a redeemer
SCRIPTURE: Job 9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength. [Job 9:33-35] Job…
almost true
SCRIPTURE: Job 8 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water? While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass. The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. [Job 8:11-13] Jesus told many stories in…
real, raw relationship
SCRIPTURE: Job 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I cannot keep from speaking. I must express my anguish. My bitter soul must complain. [Job 7:11] What are people, that you should make so much of us, that you should think of us so often? For you examine us every morning and test us every moment. Why won’t you leave me alone,…
a stream that never fails
SCRIPTURE: Job 6 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook that overflows its banks in the spring when it is swollen with ice and melting snow. But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears. The brook vanishes in the heat. [Job 6:15-17] Have you ever been let down by your friends?…