Something Greater

Isaiah 12, Part 1: Anger Turns to Comfort What has gone before... The LORD promised a divine Judge who would end oppression and wickedness on earth. Isaiah 11:4 (ESV) With righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. The dispersed tribes of Israel will be regathered and restored to the land around Jerusalem. Isaiah 11:12 (ESV) He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. All nations on earth will turn to Jerusalem in worship of the LORD. Isaiah 11:10 (ESV) In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. Moving on... Now, in Chapter 12, Isaiah breaks into song, calling all the earth to join in worship ...

Truly Beautiful and Deeply Good What has gone before... Paul has urged the leaders, the men, to cease their angry, devisive control of the church in Ephesus. Using prayer as a model for holy leadership, he exhorts the men to pray with the right motives, with godly desires. Moving on... Paul's focus of concern for the men is how their prayers might be hindered by their angry, quarrelsome hearts . For women, Paul asks that they examine how their choices in dress and adornment should genuinely reflect what is in their hearts. "Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works." 1 Timothy 2:9-10 (ESV) Paul's exhortation to women begins with "likewise", meaning that his words to both men and women share something in common. The central truth of both admonitions is fo...

Anger and Glory Stephen concluded his counter-accusation against the religious rulers who had arrested him. Their immediate reaction was anger. "Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him." Acts 7:54 (ESV) "These things" encapsulates all of Stephen's defensive argument, beginning with the second verse of Chapter 7. God promised land to the descendents of Abraham. More than only land, God's promise included a relationship of faith and worship , sealed by the covenant of circumcision. Despite jealous betrayal, slavery, wealth, famine, oppression, murder, and persecution, some of the descendents of Abraham held faith with the covenant, although not all. God formed Moses into His great Deliverer and Lawgiver, bringing the Israelites out of the oppression of Egypt . God raised David to be His Warrior King, defeating all enemies and securing for Israel their own land. God sat Solomon on a throne tha...