Tag: trust
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Blessed Because He Was There – Genesis 39:5-6
Genesis 39:5-6 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake;And the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.And he left…
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When Fear Creeps Back In – Genesis 32:6-8
Genesis 32:6–8And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; And…
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The Long Detour of Human Help – Genesis 27:41-45
Genesis 27:41-45 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called…
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The Cry of the Altar – Revelation 16:7
Revelation 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. What a striking scene this is. John hears the altar speak. Whether that is literal or figurative, I cannot say with certainty. But this much is clear. The testimony comes from the altar.…
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When the Nest Turns Over – Revelation 12:13-14
Revelation 12:13-14 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times,…
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Contested Ground, Certain Prophecy – Revelation 11:2
Revelation 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. This verse is fascinating because it assumes two things at once. There is a temple in view, and yet…
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The Grace of Not Knowing – Revelation 10:4
Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. This is a fascinating moment. The seven thunders speak. John hears what they say. He is…
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Keep Rolling It Back to Him – 1 Peter 5:7
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Peter says to cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you. That is one of the tenderest lines in the whole letter. After talking about suffering, humility, leadership, and pressure, he comes to this simple invitation: bring the…
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Laughing, Yet Still Traveling – 1 Peter 3:5-6
1 Peter 3:5-6 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Peter reaches back…
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Boasting in the Wrong Thing – James 4:16
James 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. James does not soften this at all. When a man puts his confidence in his own plans, projections, or resources instead of in the Lord, God does not call it merely unwise. He calls it evil. That is strong language. But…
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A Vapor in His Hands – James 4:13–15
James 4:13–15 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for…
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Satisfied Because He Stays – Hebrews 13:5–6
Hebrews 13:5–6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Covetousness always whispers the same…
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When God Shakes the Ground – Hebrews 12:25–27
Hebrews 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. The warning here is simple and direct: do not refuse the voice of God. At Sinai, when God…
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Faith Is Not a Formula for Getting Your Way – Hebrews 11:32–35
Hebrews 11:32–35 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,…
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When God Says Go, Start Walking – Hebrews 11:8
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. There is something almost unsettling about Abraham’s story here. God called him to leave, and Abraham obeyed without knowing exactly where he…
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What You See Came From What You Couldn’t See – Hebrews 11:3
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews does not begin the story of faith with a small example. It begins with creation. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed…
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Faith Rests Its Weight on God – Hebrews 11:2
Hebrews 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. Faith can sound like something distant or complicated, but really, it shows up in daily life all the time. We sit down in a chair without inspecting every joint. We drive down the road trusting the car will respond when we hit the brakes.…
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Faith Sees It Before It Shows Up – Hebrews 11:1
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The writer of Hebrews has spent ten chapters laying the foundation. He has been showing us who Jesus is, what He accomplished, and why going back to old religious systems would be a terrible trade. Then he turns…
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God Meets Us There — Hebrews 6:16–17
Hebrews 6:16–17 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. The point here is wonderfully simple: God knows how slow we are to…
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Faithful Still — 2 Timothy 2:13
2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. Paul begins with a very honest statement. “If we believe not…” He is not talking about someone rejecting Christ completely. He is talking about those moments when our faith wobbles a little. Times when we struggle. Times when we question.…
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Knowing Who — 2 Timothy 1:12
2 Timothy 1:12 …nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Paul writes this while sitting in a Roman dungeon. It is dark down there. Cold. The kind of place where the…
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Do Not Trust the Chairs — 1 Timothy 6:17
1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches… but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Paul gives Timothy a message for those who have wealth. First, do not become proud. Second, do not trust in riches.…
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The Wealth That Cannot Be Bought — 1 Timothy 6:6
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. Paul turns the whole conversation about gain upside down with one simple sentence. In the world’s thinking, gain produces contentment. If a man acquires enough money, enough comfort, enough possessions, then he will finally be satisfied. That idea even shows up in religious circles. Some…
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A Little Wine and a Lot of Wisdom — 1 Timothy 5:23
1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. This verse almost feels like a quiet aside in the middle of Paul’s instructions to Timothy. After speaking about leadership, discipline, and purity, Paul suddenly gives a very personal piece of advice. Take a little…
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Lifted Hands — 1 Timothy 2:8
1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Paul gives us a picture here. Not clenched fists. Not raised voices in argument. Lifted hands. Open hands do not fight. They do not grasp. They receive. They surrender. And Paul says this is to happen…
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Who Is Really on the Throne — 1 Timothy 2:2
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Paul tells Timothy to pray for kings and all who are in authority. That would have sounded strange in his day. The emperor was not sympathetic to Christians. Rome…
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Steady in the Storm — 2 Thessalonians 3:3–4
2 Thessalonians 3:3–4 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. Paul does not deny the chaos. He does not minimize the opposition. He already mentioned unreasonable and…