BibleVersity

He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." - John 9:25 (NASB)      Simple is better!   No, this is not an AT&T commercial, but we do have a tendency to complicate many things in faith. The story represented in the verse above is a great illustration. Jesus was doing what He always did, namely loving, teaching, and healing. This is where he meets this unnamed man who had been born blind. Like many of his day, the man apparently spent much of his time begging on the roadside for money and food. Jesus sees the man and proceeds to heal him. The manner in which heals him is pretty wild, for Jesus spits onto the ground, makes some mud with it, smears it on the man's eyes, and tells him to go and wash it off. As the man did what Jesus instructed, his eyes were miraculously restored. This was on Sunday, and the Pharisees did not like the fact that Jesus was "working" by healing the man. So,

"Thus I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD." - Ezek. 16:62 (NASB)      Ezekiel had the difficult task of prophesying in Israel prior to the invasion and captivity of its people. Many of the passages in this book are filled with painful words and metaphors that illustrate the depth of their rebellion. The verse that I am focusing on today lies at the end of one such passage. The part that struck me this morning is the last part of this brief verse, "and you shall know that I am the LORD."  As I meditate on this, the thought occurs to me that this is really the main thrust of  God's action in humanity. He wants us to know that He is the LORD. Knowing is comprised of two thoughts. The first is that of mere knowledge. The Bible is clear in revealing that this God, the LORD, is the only God. The historical, geographical, political, and prophetic events recorded in the Bible attest to its reliability. When we read or hear

"Lord, if You had been here, my brother wold not have died." - Jn. 11:21 & 32 (NASB)      This piercing statement was made not once but twice to Jesus, each time by a sister of Lazarus, and a friend of Jesus. However, the responses were much different. When Martha asked the question (v.21) , Jesus responded by telling her Lazarus was going to rise again (v.23) . She did not get it, so Jesus reminded her that He is the resurrection and the life. (v.25) She still did not get it. We know this because she responded to Jesus by avoiding His question. On the contrary, when Mary spoke those same words (v.32) Jesus responded by asking where Lazarus's body was buried, then proceeded to the tomb to resurrect him. (v. 34-44)         Why did Jesus respond to them differently? He could have just as easily asked Martha where Lazarus's body was buried. Perhaps Jesus wanted to engage the faith of each of these women at the level they were. In Luke, the story is told of Je

"But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy . . ." - Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)       Happiness and joy are not the same. I realize that any good thesaurus will list these as synonyms for each other, but they are different. According to one Biblical language resource, joy (Greek chara)  means "exultation, exuberant joy, good cheer, mirth, gladness of heart," and is "related to grace, as if joy is a direct result of God’s grace.”*  Happiness is an emotion. And, like other emotions, it can come and go in a whim. Joy, however,  is a spiritual state of being within the heart and spirit of believers. A believer can have joy even in the midst of great hardship, because the joy is a result of God's presence. If joy is a "fruit" or a byproduct of God's presence within is, then it stands to reason that as long as He is present in our lives, then joy is present also. Happiness is dependent upon circumstances, but joy is dependent upon the LORD. The LORD

"And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth..." - Rev. 14:6-7 (NASB)     We came to this passage during our verse-by-verse study last night at church and I wanted to share a couple of thoughts with you. The NT is clear that the preaching of the gospel is the responsibility and privilege of the church (see Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:7-8 ). The task was never left to an angelic being. In fact, after the birth of Jesus, the only angelic proclamations that we see is that which announced Jesus' resurrection at the tomb. If this is true, then why is this angel, in Revelation 14 , flying around preaching? There is no one else to preach. Dr. Stanley Horton and others agree that by this time in the tribulation all Jewish and Gentile believers across the globe have been decimated by the antichrist and his reign. Although there is no one to preach, the gospel message is still valid and available This is reminiscent o

"...'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" - John 8:31-32 (NASB)    There are many verses of Scripture that are taken out of context and used in inappropriate or inaccurate ways. I believe this is done many times innocently, but there are those who will deliberately use the Word of God for their own personal gain. This verse is a good example of Scripture that is often taken out of context. We love to quote the latter part of this text, "the truth will set you free," and the principle is incredibly powerful. However, when we skip the first part we risk losing its context and damaging the promise. The context is discipleship, or walking with Jesus. When we walk with Jesus daily, we can expect the Word of God to both reveal truth and bring freedom to us. But, if we choose to avoid Him, can we really expect to either know truth or to live free? I would argue the ca

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love . . ." - Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)    It is no coincidence that Paul begins this list we know as "the fruit of the Spirit" with love (agape). Love is the beginning, the middle, and the ending of this thing called faith. Our God is not merely a loving God, but love is His very essence, His nature (1 Jn. 4:7-8).   Love is the very reason God looked down on fallen humanity and provided a way for forgiveness, restoration, and salvation (Jn. 3:16) . Furthermore, among the endearing religious qualities of faith, hope, and love, it is love which is the greatest (1 Cor. 13:13). In addition, it is this quality if agape love which proves to the world that we are believers and disciples of Jesus (Jn. 13:34-35) . Finally, the greatest task that we can attempt, in honor of what Jesus did for us, is to emulate His life by laying down our lives for others (1 Jn. 3:16) .    Scholars have told us that the term agape does not exist in clas