“Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.” (ESV)
When was the last time something unjust or even simply deeply inconvenient happened that prompted you to think, “I’ve got to do something about this”? Did you follow through on that thought? How did that go? Read the rest…
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV – Read the chapter)
This verse is one of the single biggest clichés in the Scriptures. We hear it often as a way to justify practically anything. If something bad happens, well, God will work it out for good. If something good happens, see, Paul was right. If something good doesn’t happen quickly after something bad, well, we must not love Him very well. If tragedy strikes, God can still bring good out of this even though you can’t imagine what it could be. Clichés! Read the rest…
“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Where do you look when you are surrounded by troubles in this life? When things seem to have fallen completely to pieces, on what do you first set your eyes? Read the rest…
“…let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
I love the last part of this. When our God pardons us from our sins, we are not just barely forgiven. He “abundantly pardons” us. God doesn’t just say, “Well, you didn’t really measure up, but I’ll let you slide in just under the radar.” No, He wipes our sins away as far as the east is from the west. He forgives us completely and we are able to stand perfectly clean in His sight. Read the rest…
“…for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
One time on a retreat in the mountains I went for a hike. Now, I had been hiking before, but this was the first time I had done any real hiking. All of what I had done before had been short hikes on trails that were well-maintained and about as obvious to follow as a sidewalk would have been. And wouldn’t you know it, on my first experiment with the real thing, I got lost. Read the rest…
The Nexus 