What does it mean to bless the Lord? The Hebrew word is bāraḵ and means to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration). In Psalm 103:1-5, David lists five things God does for us that ought to cause a response of worship and adoration. He addresses this admonition to our souls …
Tag: Grace
Credit That Never Runs Out
A few months ago, I purchased a cute little round table for our kitchen, in anticipation of hosting all five of our grandchildren. The tall pub-height table with two barstools just wasn’t going to work. Obviously, this wasn’t “high-end” furniture; I had to screw on the legs, but it worked well in the space and …
The Gravity Of Sin
Yesterday our adult Bible study group encountered this question in the study materials: How do human beings typically evaluate the gravity of sin? There were many answers, but we could all agree that we underestimate it, and without the perspective of the cross, we will never truly appreciate the gravity of our sin until we …
False Gospel: Legalism or License
Today I began Galatians (Chapters 1 & 2), which Paul wrote to the believers at a church he helped establish on his first missionary journey. The purpose of his letter was to correct the erroneous teaching of the Judaizers, specifically that the Gentiles who came to faith in Jesus were required to also be circumcised …
12 Days of Christmas {Gifts} – Day 7
This past weekend I watched a mother and father lay the body of their precious 43-year-old daughter in the ground. Notice I said “body” because she is fully alive and in the presence of Jesus; she just changed her address because cancer got the better of her earth suit. On the saddest day of their …