spirit (278)

Ian

Nice Dirt

Psalm 33:12–22; Genesis 2:4b–7; 1 Corinthians 15:42–49 It is doubtful that many (if any) people think humanity has it all together. There is the cynical quip that the greatest proof of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven’t contacted us. Regardless of your…

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Ian

Sackcloth and Ashes

Psalm 115; Ezra 9:5–15; John 16:16–24 Collective guilt has been on the top of many lists in the last year. Regardless of your political, philosophical, or religious perspective of the collective guilt issues, it does allow us to better understand the pressure that Ezra felt…somewhat.

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Ian

Hand Power

Psalm 115; Numbers 8:5–22; Titus 1:1–9 In Numbers, the outline for priestly behavior is pretty minimal. Do your job. They also have an end date, 50. Yes, there were other concerns (as the children of Eli showed in 1 Samuel). By and large, though, the…

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Ian

Inside Fruit

Psalm 115; Exodus 28:29–38; Philippians 1:3–11 The Holy Spirit as gift can often lead us to wonder if the Israelites ever had the Holy Spirit or spiritual gifts of any sort. The answer is some did and some didn’t. The Urim and Thummim were used…

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Ian

Writings Valued

Psalm 47; Exodus 24:15–18; Revelation 1:9–18 Holy scriptures have always been important. Note that the “s” wasn’t capitalized. This isn’t just the Holy Scriptures we define as the Bible (the 66 books of the Old and New Testament). This could include many things. The Apocrypha,…

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