Posts filed under ‘Judaism’
Joseph’s Life and Lessons, Part 1
One parallel we can make between Joseph and Jesus is that just as Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, Jesus also was sold by his own fellow Jews. Joseph had done nothing morally wrong that warranted him being treated so badly. It’s even possible that as a 17-year-old young man, the things he said to his brothers and father were not done in a bragging way as previously mentioned, but possibly in a very innocent way. It would be natural for people listening to these things to take umbrage or to become very jealous if their hearts were not right with God.
Continue Reading January 22, 2019 at 11:38 AM Leave a comment
Hebrews 4: What is the “Rest” Mentioned?
We’re all tempted to be discouraged and to throw in the towel. We seem to fight ourselves and our desires to continue serving God or doing what we really want to do. I’ve been there. You’ve probably been there too. This is why the NT writers emphasized persevering so much. It’s not that we can lose salvation. It’s that we have to work against our sin nature, which tries desperately to continue to control us. We must persevere in ignoring the dictates of that sin nature. It is not easy continuing to live the Christian life. It is made more difficult because we are constantly fighting against our sin nature’s desire to stop serving God.
God of All Comfort
God is the God of all comfort. He longs to comfort us, but this does not mean that “bad” things will never happen to us, does it? No, it does not and implies that “bad” things will happen. God never promises to keep bad things away from us. He allows them for a very important reason, which we’ll get to in a moment. In fact, He comforts His children who undergo various types of trials and problems in this life, whether in the secular, political, or personal realms.
Is It This or That?
The Jews could not grasp what Jesus said. In Matthew 24, He used the word “this” to reference a generation and it seems clear enough (though there is plenty of disagreement), that He ultimately was referring to the generation that would be alive during the coming Tribulation, which would end as He returned. However, there is also a near/far view because things certainly started with the generation living at the time of Jesus, didn’t it?
Micah Explains True Religion in One Short Verse
Micah also states that we should “love kindness.” What does that mean? It means we should endeavor to be kind to all people and by its very nature, it means that we put our own wants and needs on the back burner. You cannot be concerned about how others “feel” if you are concerned primarily with yourself. To be kind means to always think in terms of how the other person feels. What’s happening with them? What are they having to deal with? How can I make their life easier?
Daniel Chapter 11, Part 1
Before I get into that chapter, I’d like to point out something. There are several schools of thought related to the entirety of the book of Daniel, including chapter eleven. As with everything else biblical, critics have come out of the woodwork to either downplay, attempt to negate, or even change the way they want us to look at this eleventh chapter of Daniel. In a broad brush stroke, some of the “concerns” these so-called higher critics have is applied to the entire book of Daniel, not just specific chapters, like chapter eleven.
What’s Your Level of Commitment?
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel had spent decades living for God. By the time they got to Babylon, it was firmly embedded in their thinking and outlook. They could no more set aside their obedience to God than they would drink muddy, putrid water. There was no question about their direction. They were all in for God regardless of the cost.
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