“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 Psalm 139 is attributed to David and is a wisdom psalm of descriptive praise. This mixture of wisdom and praise is not uncommon…
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “On your hearts” means they are to be always remembered and…
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 Joshua now carries an authority imparted by the Lord Himself. Therefore, he has no reason to fear his big task or to doubt its…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 Seeking to understand all things about the ways of the Lord is futile, and becomes…
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.” Job 23:10-11 “I will come forth as gold” is a phrase that indicates that Job believes a trial would prove…
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26 This Psalm tells a story about the psalmist Asaph’s struggle with envy, doubts, and his faith in God. Being…
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 The Apostle Paul is apparently addressing Timothy’s lack of confidence in using his spiritual gifts, which form his pastoral aptitude. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives each of us spiritual gifts and…
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 To “love with words” is to feel love and speak loving words but stop short of doing anything. To “love with speech” is to profess what one does not have at all. The opposite of loving…
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9 “How God showed his love among us” was to visibly demonstrate it through Jesus’ work on the Cross on our behalf. “One and only Son” expresses the…
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39 To answer the Jewish lawyer’s question, Jesus quoted from a familiar Jewish confession of…