Digging in Deeper: Isaiah 30:26

“Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you experienced the “blow” of the Lord?  Israel was a stubborn group.  They had the Law from Moses and an overwhelming amount of evidence to support the wisdom of following that particular path as the only way to life and flourishing, but still, they constantly looked at the nations around them with envy in their hearts. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Romans 6:20, 22

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. . . .But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is one of the more confusing arguments Paul makes over the course of his letter to the church in Rome.  First, he says Christians were slaves of sin before being saved, then, he says that Christians, once they have been saved and set free from sin, are slaves of God.  So we are saved from slavery only to enter into another kind of slavery?  What gives?  Why not just stay where we were at first? Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Acts 20:24

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been asked the conversation-starting question of with whom in history you would most like to have dinner?  I’ve heard several people answer that they would like to have dinner with Jesus because who wouldn’t want to have dinner with Jesus?  I’ll tell you who: Just about everyone who actually did.  From the various reports of people eating with Jesus in the Gospels, He would have been a terrible dinner guest. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: John 21:17

“He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’  Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.'”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you ever told someone you love them?  I suspect you have.  I suspect you’ve even meant it.  But, how deeply did you mean it?  Were they merely sincere words, or was there more behind them?  Were they primarily emotional words, or was there a conviction that ran deeper?  Saying, “I love you,” is easy.  Loving someone is entirely more difficult. Read the rest…