READ: Psalm 52, Jeremiah 49-51, Matthew 24, Romans 3 RESTING SMALL The entirety of God’s Word is truth (Psalm 119:160) and we are invited by Jesus to fall in love with His Word all over again. A distinguishing mark of those who have gone (or who are going) through suffering is their renewed love for […]
Region: Arab World
Abiding in Jesus: July 20
READ: Psalm 51, Jeremiah 46-48, Matthew 23, Romans 2 INWARDLY BEAUTIFUL In contrast to humanity’s praise of external beauty, God’s pleasure arises from what is inwardly pure. God is gently ruthless about cleansing His people, kindly severe in His pursuit of making us holy. Some of God’s methods are so mercifully brutal that it seems […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 19
READ: Psalm 50, Jeremiah 43-45, Matthew 22, Romans 1 UNLIKENESS Humanity has an ongoing tendency to attempt to drag God down to our level. Historically humanity has crudely done this through idols of wood and stone. The more insidious contemporary perversion is an ideological assault on the deity of Jesus. We must constantly affirm that Jesus […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 18
READ: Psalm 49, Jeremiah 40-42, Matthew 21, Acts 28 TO BE, NOT TO SEEM Contrary to God’s Word, which is very pure (Psalm 119:140), man’s word is very fickle. When a snake bit Paul on the island of Malta (Acts 28:4-6), the natives of the island determined he was a criminal unworthy of living, only […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 17
READ: Psalm 48, Jeremiah 37-39, Matthew 20, Acts 27 EVIL EYES Ancient Egyptians painted two eyes on their boats to protect them from misfortune–a practice still common in the Mediterranean. Many Muslims live in fear of the “evil eye”–a curse or difficulty brought on by the jealousy of another. The evil eye of jealousy is […]
LEARNING DISCIPLINE FROM A VIOLIN
A couple years ago I purchased a violin as a hobby. I started out really excited. The first few weeks I had it, I played it nearly every day. I figured out a couple tunes, and even did a Skype recital for my nieces. After a while, my interest fizzled, and I set my violin in […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 16
READ: Psalm 47, Jeremiah 34-36, Matthew 19, Acts 26 SETTING BROTHERS FREE “No one should keep a brother in bondage.” (Jeremiah 34:9) God spoke through Jeremiah to remind the Jewish people about literal slavery and its wickedness. In our modern refined fallen state, we still enslave our brothers, just in more subtle ways. Subtle slavery […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 15
READ: Psalm 46, Jeremiah 31-33, Matthew 18, Acts 25 THE INSTABILITY OF NORMAL Some of the most precious promises of Scripture are revealed in the context of duress and instability. We love the encouragement of the psalmist regarding God being our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1-2), forgetting somehow that it is war and conflict that […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 14
READ: Psalm 45, Jeremiah 28-30, Matthew 17, Acts 24 GLADNESS “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness.” (Psalm 45:7) This Messianic reference reminds us that gladness is derived from both love and hate. Our view of righteousness is often linked to austere puritan killjoys; […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 13
READ: Psalm 44, Jeremiah 25-27, Matthew 16, Acts 23 WINNING ENEMIES If you speak God’s Word, you will have enemies. Jeremiah was told to “stand… speak…do not diminish a word” (Jer. 26:2). As a result of his fidelity to God’s person and message, he was threatened with death: “When Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that […]
