Day: April 23, 2018
A bruised reed he will not break
A bruised reed he will not break I love how Isaiah 42 shows God’s heart for the broken. Even in the midst of delivering hard news for his people, pumping through this chapter is a beautiful reaffirmation of the deep, deep love of God. Christ (who wouldn’t come until about 700 years later), is described so gently: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not stuff out.” And look at what’s happening, even as old resources and surroundings become unfamiliar and hostile: “I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all …
Lo, in the midst of the throne … stood a Lamb as it had been slain.” Revelation 5:6
Lo, in the midst of the throne … stood a Lamb as it had been slain.” Revelation 5:6 Why should our exalted Lord appear in his wounds in glory? The wounds of Jesus are his glories, his jewels, his sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus is passing fair because he is “white and ruddy:” white with innocence, and ruddy with his own blood. We see him as the lily of matchless purity, and as the rose crimsoned with his own gore. Christ is lovely upon Olivet and Tabor, and by the sea, but oh! there never was such …
You Are His Concern
You Are His Concern Exodus 4:19-20 (KJV) 19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. Isn’t God gracious? We have a Lord who knows our hearts, knows our thoughts, and knows our fears. When Moses had left Egypt forty years before there were those who sought his life. He was probably featured …
What Can You Do for God?
We serve God and bear witness to Him in many ways, including through our character and attitudes. MATTHEW 6:20-21 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What Can You Do for God? Oftentimes we elevate serving God to the point that we overlook opportunities to have a real impact for Him. But the truth is, serving Him usually involves what’s happening in your life on a daily basis. I remember my …
The Prophecy of the Two Sticks
Ezekiel is now told to take two sticks and write upon them. One stick was to be labeled with the name Judah and the Children of Israel his companions, the other tribes. The other stick was to be labeled with the name Joseph and Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions, again the other tribes. In general, Ephraim is used as a synecdoche (part referencing the whole) to refer to the whole Northern Kingdom of Israel. The tribe of Ephraim inhabited the northern part of Israel. Jeroboam I, the first king of the Northern Kingdom was from the …