“So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Jesus had just blown their minds almost beyond the point of recovery. He had introduced some ideas to them using a metaphor–one that He would later make explicit when He inaugurated the Lord’s Supper–that, frankly, grossed out most of the crowd. So they left. And as the crowds were departing, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they wanted to leave too. Read the rest…
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is a rather jarring beginning to a letter. Count it all joy when you experience trials. Really?!? ALL joy? How? Why? Read the rest…
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. . . .It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Doing things the easy way is always…easy. Unfortunately, we don’t often take the easy way. In fact, I suspect most of us can honestly say we don’t ever take the easy way. But, this doesn’t mean the hard way can’t still turn out good. Read the rest…
“Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Much of the judgment heralded in the prophets is tough to read. It is gloom and doom that sometimes seems to roll on for pages without reprieve. But, if there’s anything we can take from all of this today it is this: Our choices have consequences. Read the rest…
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Two points here. The first is that you won’t find a more direct connection between the Father and the Spirit than this. While the connection between the Father and the Son is fairly easy to make in the Scriptures, for the sake of the Trinity, it is more difficult sometimes to connect the Spirit as the third person. What Paul says here makes it pretty plain. The Lord is the Spirit. There you have it. Read the rest…
The Nexus 