SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 4 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Then he cast a great round basin, 15 feet across from rim to rim, called the Sea. It was 7½ feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference. It was encircled just below its rim by two rows of figures that resembled oxen. There were about six oxen per foot all the…
churching where we are
Too often we think of church as a place where we go. The connection between ‘church’ and a building is rooted in the very word itself, which comes from the Old English word “circe”, which is derived from the Greek word “kyriakon” meaning “the Lord’s (house)” from the Greek root word “kyrious” mean “Lord”. Constrast…
open the curtains, let the Son shine in!
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 3 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place he hung a curtain made of fine linen, decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim. [2 Chronicles 3:14] Solomon and the workers are building the holy temple, and the Most Holy Place, a place that they will never be able…
my heart, His home
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 2 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?…
wisdom over wealth
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 1 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people—I will certainly give you the wisdom…
the ones Jesus celebrates
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 31 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. [Proverbs 31:8-9] Lemuel reflects on the purpose of power and authority entrusted to us by God – to speak up for the poor and…
just enough to honour God
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 30 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One. Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name?…
mercy for the oppressors
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 29 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The poor and the oppressor have this in common— the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both. [Proverbs 29:13] This proverb reminded me about how Jesus describes the grace of God for the good and the bad: For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends…
the prayer God delights in
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 28 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. [Proverbs 28:13] Solomon observes that people who sin live in fear (Proverbs 28:1], but those who are honest about their sinful attitudes and behaviours can find mercy and freedom. Denial or pretending do not…
painful words that heal
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 27 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. [Proverbs 27:6] Two stories from the life of Jesus come to mind when I think about this passage. I recall how Jesus speaks sharply to Peter when he resists Jesus’ talk about going to Jerusalem to die. But Peter took…