God ⁽⁸²⁸⁾

Psalm 98; Isaiah 49:5–6; Acts 10:1–34 It’s not enough to restore a backslidden, rebellious, unloving, non-grace-filled, unjust people who either don’t acknowledge or hate God. On top of that, the whole world that doesn’t know God is going to look to you for the light…

Psalm 80; Isaiah 65:17–25: John 14:18–31 I might be a nerd (okay, “might” should be replaced by “am”). When I was young I was fascinated by the stories of elves. In particular, I grew up with the Pinis’ Elf Quest. As I got older, I…

Psalm 80; Isaiah 5:1–7; Galatians 5:16–26 Both Psalm 80 and the passage from Isaiah 5 are not warmhearted Scriptures. They both address the reality that the Israelites have not been faithful to God. Other places in the Scriptures note that the Israelites were faithful in…

Acts 8:26–40; Psalm 22:25–31; 1 John 4:7–21; John 15:1–8 In many respects, the story of the Ethiopian is one of my favorites. It, along with the Samaritan woman, reflects the love and grace of God. Yesterday, in Amos 9:7, Cushite was used as a disparaging…

Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 9:7–15; Mark 4:30–32 The Lord’s condemnation of Israel puts Israel in the same category as the people that were pushed out of the Promised Land in the beginning. In many respects, the church in the West probably is similarly categorized. You may…