love (319)

Ian

Poison Pills

Psalm 70; Isaiah 50:4–9a; Hebrews 12:1–3; John 13:21–32 Taking insults is hard. Taking insults in today’s culture is reality…especially on social media. It’s not just social media, though, not by far. It is pervasive. Isaiah faced plenty of insults. He was spat upon. People physically…

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Ian

Star Light Star Bright

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Jeremiah 33:1–9; Philippians 2:12–18 I’m guilty. I’m guilty of not seeing God’s many blessings. God’s blessings have been more than I could count, granted, but I should count more of them. I was convicted by Jeremiah 33:9, “They will be in total…

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Ian

Love Surrendered

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Deuteronomy 16:1–8; Philippians 2:1–11 Passover begins very shortly. In fact, there is a great symmetry in this. Passover starts with Israel’s rescue from Egypt (sin), passing through the Red Sea (baptism), and in more modern understandings of Passover, the last day (or…

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Ian

Depths of Lent

Psalm 119:9–16; Isaiah 44:1–8; Acts 2:14–24 Lent has various aspects. The first is our mortality (“from dust you came; to dust you return”). The second is sin. Mortality and sin are connected. Without the original sin, there would be no death. Sin brought death to…

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Ian

Look and See

Jeremiah 31:31–34; Psalm 51:1–12; Psalm 119:9–16; Hebrews 5:5–10; John 12:20–33 In Christian circles and theology, we talk about the New Covenant. When we read about the New Covenant from Jeremiah, the honest person might question which New Covenant Jeremiah was talking about. “They will no longer need to…

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