Isaiah 40 transitions from the declarations of judgment against Israel, Judah, and pagan Nations (brought on by sin and disobedience) in the first 39 chapters, to the return of Judah and Israel from captivity, speaking words of comfort and peace, the ultimate of which would be experienced under the reign of Messiah, with the rest […]
The purpose of a vine, particularly a grape vine, is to bear fruit; but in order to bear fruit, the branch must stay connected to the vine, as we see in John 15:3, where Jesus uses a vine and its branches to illustrate Himself and our relationship with Him. Now, the question is, how do […]
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6). The tendency of our human nature is to figure it out ourselves; but, like a traveler who does not follow the map, we end up at […]
“How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach […]
Psalm 119 is largely about the word of God, and its author utilizes several related terms such as law, commandments, precepts, statutes, and judgments, which are employed well over 125 times in this one Psalm alone (in the King James Version)! Anyone who speaks of a topic so frequently is obviously, deeply ingrained in it, […]
As Israel entered the Promised Land, they faced the walled city of Jericho, which looked to be impossible to penetrate and conquer. At God’s command, they marched around it every day for a week; perhaps we can view this action as claiming it for their territory, even while the fearful and seeming impossible feat of […]
Numerous times in the Bible men were instructed to wait on the Lord, wait for the Lord, or to stand still. Yes there are times when we must “roll up our sleeves” and go to work, but then there are times when the task is too great for us; our intellect is insufficient, or we […]
As we begin this New Year, Rose and I plan, for some weeks, to be focusing these meditation thoughts around the word of God. When a poetic rhyme accompanies the meditation it has been written by Rose, and her insights set the theme for the meditations. She and I seek to work together, with the […]
In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, “If anyone decides to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” There are three words here that I want to call special attention to; they are “deny”, “cross”, and “daily”. In the language Jesus spoke, to deny is to utterly deny, […]
Psalm 139:3 in the Amplified Bible reads, “You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.” In the language of the Psalmist David, to sift out meant to toss about, by implication to diffuse and winnow; so the picture is that of threshing grain, in which the grain is removed […]