life (519)

Ian

Dirty Work

Psalm 80; Isaiah 32:9–20; James 3:17–18 "Tremble, all of you who are at ease; shudder, all of you who are secure!” —Isaiah 32:11 (CEB) Isaiah’s words were directed towards people who were confident that the military might and influence of Egypt would protect them from…

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Ian

Junk Food Fast

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…

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Ian

Even Smaller Than That

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…

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Ian

Joy to Tears

Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 8:1–7; Acts 8:1b–8 For many people, singing in worship of God is a significant part of their life of faith. They love the joy-filled worship of God. The image provided in Amos takes those joy-filled songs and turns them into songs of…

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Ian

A Matter of Age

Psalm 95; 1 Samuel 16:1–13; 1 Peter 5:1–5 Are you old, or are you young? It might seem to be an easy answer. Even with twins (or other multiples), there is always one who is older. Except, that far too often, we focus on chronological,…

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