Something Greater

Temptation | A Brief Word Study | A Prayer | James 1:12-16 (Notation in parentheses refers to Strong's Greek Dictionary) James 1:12-16 (KJV) Blessed ( G3107 - supremely blest, fortunate, well off, joyful, rewarded, happier ) is the man that endures ( G5278 - to stay under or behind, remain, undergo, bear trials, have fortitude, persevere, abide, endure, take patiently, suffer, tarry behind ) temptation ( G3986 - trials, testing, putting to proof by experiment, experience of evil, solicitation, discipline or provocation, adversity ): for when he is tried ( G1384 - approved, tested, acceptable ) he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted ( G3985 - tested, tried, trapped, endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline ), "I am tempted ( G3985 - tested, tried, trapped, endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline ) of God": for God cannot be tempted ( G551 - tempted, tried, temptable ) with evil,...

On Display Jesus had broken through the sin-hardened ignorance of Paul. "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (ESV) FOREMOST: protos (foremost in time, place, order or importance); from pro ("fore", in front of, prior or superior to) "Foremost" occurs many times in the Bible. Simon was described as foremost of the apostles, not in order of time, but in importance (Matthew 10:2). The command to love the Lord our God is the first commandment, because of time , being the first command given by God. (Matthew 22:38). Paul was certainly not the first person in the world to sin. Paul is saying that as a sinner, he was most important . Really? M...

Broken, Wounded, and Hopeful | Psalm 119:166 Jeremy B lives in Israel and has a unique opportunity to explore the roots of Christianity while living in the reality of modern Jewish society. I appreciated a recent devotional he wrote. Jeremy has given me permission to reprint it here. Being in Israel on the Day of Atonement this year for the very first time left a deep impression on me, and caused me to give a lot of thought to the sacrificial system - especially its less appealing aspects. Watching some of the Orthodox slaughter chickens to provide some sort of atonement reminded me that salvation has always been a messy business and that looking deeply into it can be a shock for the faint of heart. This realization came at a time of interesting findings in the final stages of writing my thesis. Indeed, the sights and sounds of sacrifices took on a new and deeper meaning in light of a discovery I made a couple of weeks ago. This all may sound rather technical, but I wi...

Faithful Work, Loving Labor, and Hope-filled Patience Paul continually remembered the "work of faith" found in the Thessalonian Christians. Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father...(1 Thessalonians 1:3) "Work of faith" is translated from a single Greek word, "ergon", from which we get our English word, "ergonomics", the science that improves the efficiency and safety of work environments. It means business, employment, product, or act . "Faith" in the Greek means a conviction of truth, to persuade, to trust . What work qualifies as faithful? ...You became imitators of us and of the Lord...you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit..." (1 Thessalonians 1:6) ...You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-...