December 7, 2015

The Psalm of the Word (Part 21): Reverence

The Psalm of the Word

Princes persecute me without cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your words.

I rejoice at Your word,
As one who finds great spoil.

I hate and despise falsehood,
But I love Your law.

Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous ordinances.

Those who love Your law have great peace,
And nothing causes them to stumble.

I hope for Your salvation, O Lord,
And do Your commandments.

My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.

I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.

(Psalm 119:161-168)

In this lesson, we will focus on the idea of reverence. If we fear God, we should hold His word in the highest regard. This will necessarily lead us to respond in a certain way toward His word.
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August 31, 2015

The Psalm of the Word (Part 7): Remembrance

The Psalm of the Word

Remember the word to Your servant,
In which You have made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me.

The arrogant utterly deride me,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O Lord,
And comfort myself.

Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked,
Who forsake Your law.

Your statutes are my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.

O Lord, I remember Your name in the night,
And keep Your law.

This has become mine,
That I observe Your precepts.

(Psalm 119:49-56)

This lesson will address the importance of remembering God’s word. His word will not do us any good if we do not know it. Furthermore, God’s word will not help us if we forget it. So let us consider what the psalmist said about remembering God’s word – why to do it and how to do it.
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March 11, 2015

Euphemisms for Death

Cemetery

“A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2).

Why would Solomon say that the day of one’s death is better than one’s birth? It was not because he was a severely depressed man who wanted to end his life. It was simply because he knew that life was vanity here, but we have something better in the hereafter (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7-8, 13-14).

The Bible uses several expressions (euphemisms) for death. A euphemism is a milder word or phrase used in place of a stronger one. A common euphemism we use for death is to say that someone has passed away. The euphemisms of death used in the Bible teach us some lessons – both of the reality of death and the hope we have after death if we are faithful. We should take these lessons to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
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January 13, 2015

Psalm 23 and the Christian

The Lord is My Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.

“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:1-6).

The twenty-third psalm is one of the most well-known and well-loved passages in the Bible. Though it was written during the time of the Old Law, there are certainly lessons contained in it that apply to us as Christians. Let us briefly consider these lessons.
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December 10, 2014

How People Approach the Judgment

Clouds

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Death is a reality for everyone. This fact is generally understood. However, many people do not recognize the reality or the seriousness of the other event mentioned by the Hebrew writer – judgment. Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Even though we will all face this judgment, not everyone approaches this appointment in the same way. Let us briefly consider five ways in which people approach the judgment.
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December 27, 2012

Where We Would Be Without God

Many believe that there is no God. Others believe that even if God does exist, man is capable of surviving and prospering without Him. But could we survive, let alone prosper, without God? If God did not exist, or if He did not have any concern for man, how would our lives be different?

In this brief article, I would like for us to consider this and ask the question: What would our existence be like without God?
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December 4, 2012

A New Creature

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When Paul spoke of Christians (those “in Christ”) as being new creatures, he did not mean that we are no longer human as if we had become a new species. We remain human beings made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). But there are significant changes that come when one becomes a disciple of Christ. Let us notice a few of the “new things” that come when one becomes a “new creature” in Christ.
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