ing”Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
One of the things that begins to become clear throughout the Scriptures is that we become like the thing we worship. Whoever or whatever it is that we give our highest devotion gradually shapes us to more and more reflect its identity and character. Read the rest…
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Paul has in various other places had some pretty tough words for folks in the church who fall into sin and refuse to get unstuck. They range from giving them tough love to kicking them out of the community entirely until they are truly interested in getting themselves back together. Read the rest…
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Here, some 700 years before it would happen, Isaiah declares what is perhaps the deepest wonder of the cross. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins. All the things we have done wrong were placed on His shoulders. He took the punishment that should have been ours. And by ours, I mean everybody’s. The sins of the whole world living at the time, of those who had died before He did, and of those who have lived in the years of human history since were credited to His account. Read the rest…
“And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again to wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Throughout the book of Isaiah (and really throughout all the prophets), there are three sins that are consistently held up as triggers for the judgment from the Lord the people were facing. The first is injustice. God is just. Justice and righteousness are fundamental parts of His character. He is passionately concerned about what is right. When we violate that by doing what’s wrong (taking advantage of the poor and weak, for example), judgment will ensue. Read the rest…
“When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Reading through verses 16-31 here leaves a couple of strong impressions, both of which are important for us today.
The first is that the people of Israel were stupid. There were times they were misled and times they were weak or short-sighted and even times when they were deceived. But on many occasions they made the wrong decision in full awareness of the consequences and without any prodding from the enemy. They were stupid. They turned away from the Lord constantly. And they did it in spite of what we can now see as His obvious action in their midst. They did it in spite of experiencing the consequences of such actions in ways that were both dramatic and, often, immediate. It’s like they were dead set on going their own way instead of in the direction the Lord was leading them. They couldn’t even receive the good things He wanted to give them. Again, they were stupid. Read the rest…
The Nexus 