Anytime we give in to fear and say ‘no’ to a step of faith, there’s a price to pay; fear always costs us something. In fact, we end up regretting our choice later. Truly, regret is a close relative of fear, and together they have … Read More
I Want to See Christmas Again
Christmas is one of the radically “never-thought-it-could-happen” works of God. Think about it – a virgin is pregnant, a stable becomes a birthing room, a gazillion angels sing in the sky, and government officials actually seek out the child who is the Christ! And that’s … Read More
A Turkey of a Scrooge
It’s crazy how gratefully giving we act on Thanksgiving, only to turn around and behave so grabbingly gluttonous on the following day. Yeah, Black Friday can abruptly turn a Turkey into something really anti-Thanksgiving – a Scrooge! Crazy, ain’t it? One day we’re all into … Read More
God’s Victorious Nature
When we say “victory,” we need to think “finish.” That’s a good synonym in the Bible for the concept of victory. And rest assured God is exacly up to that — finishing what he started. In fact, I was somewhat intrigued by the amount of … Read More
Isaiah 56 and the Holocaust
The name of the Holocaust Museum in Israel, Yad Vashem, literally means “a memorial and a name,” and is taken from the phrase in Isaiah 56:5. No doubt the name is indicative of the purpose: to preserve a memory. [You can see some of the … Read More
Drawing Close
One of our readers (and now fellow blogger!) asked, “What are some ways to practically draw close to God?” In other words, we know he’s close and personal; what can we do on our end to access that? Ater all, the first half of James … Read More
Why the Sabbath Emphasis in Is. 56?
Even a quick reading of Isaiah 56 reveals that, as God is displaying his personal and “familial” nature to the Jew, as well as to the foreigner and eunich, the Sabbath plays a critical role in this chapter. Why? Is it for today? Are we … Read More
His Two-Pronged Faithfulness
It’s a common verse we preachers use — Isaiah 55:11. Two words in this verse help me understand what really happens when God’s Word goes out. The words are “accomplish” and “achieve,” and they speak of different aspects of “success” of God’s Word. “Accomplish” contains … Read More
No Bait and Switch with God
Isaiah 55 opens with an astounding invitation. — “COME!” In fact, 18 verbs are used to say the same thing — invite all to come! Why? Because only God can really deliver on the promise of lasting satisfaction. In the openeing verses Isaiah talks about … Read More