This site has been going down for the last two to three days each month because of going over bandwidth. So I will be switching hosts. I don’t want to say who the current one is because I love them and have used them for 15 years. But they have a bandwidth limit of 50GB while most others are “unlimited” (kind of). Hard to believe this blog is going over, especially since I removed almost all of my other stuff like my old photography blog and web design stuff. I think I will go with HostGator or Bluehost. If anyone feels there are others that are better for the price, let me know.

Since I haven’t put anything up in a while I’ll give you a little Scripture.

Isaiah 32:17
“And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.”
via Joni Eareckson Tada – A Verse for Pain

Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Don’t you love how it all fits together?

In a moment of weakness* I prayed for my NFL team today (they won). If I’m not careful, next I’ll be quoting Scripture as if it applies to winning a championship or a gold medal.

How many times have we heard, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me”? (Phil 4:13 ESV) And it’s only quoted by those who are successful of course. This is similar to the non-Biblical, “you can do whatever you put your mind to” except with the Biblical version God will help you be what you think you should be. One reading through Proverbs (or just James 4:13-15) should rectify that.

To make a point, how about a selective quote of:

Philippians 4:12-13 TNIV
I know what it is to be in need. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, hungry [and] living in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

This applies more to the poor and the weak.

Full quote so as not to misuse Scripture:

Philippians 4:10-13 TNIV
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Another confession: When I was the age of these fine young athletes and devout Christians, I also took verses out by themselves and used their apparent meaning for my own purposes and still do on occasion when I’m not careful.

But I would think it’s better to get Scripture out there than not. Would you agree?

*I’m not doing very well right now. If you could pray for me I’d appreciate it. I’d like the comments to pertain to the post though. I’ll remove this when I come out of it.

Proverbs 30:5-6 KJV
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Add thou not unto his words, because they are pure and perfect. This forbids the advancing of any thing, not only in contradiction to the word of God, but in competition with it; though it be under the plausible pretence of explaining it, yet, if it pretend to be of equal authority with it, it is adding to his words, which is not only a reproach to them as insufficient, but opens a door to all manner of errors and corruptions; for, that one absurdity being granted, that the word of any man, or company of men, is to be received with the same faith and veneration as the word of God, a thousand follow. We must be content with what God has thought fit to make known to us of his mind, and not covet to be wise above what is written; for, (1.) God will resent it as a heinous affront: “He will reprove thee, will reckon with thee as a traitor against his crown and dignity, and lay thee under the heavy doom of those that add to his words, or diminish from them,” Deut 4:2; Deut 12:32. (2.) We shall run ourselves into endless mistakes: “Thou wilt be found a liar, a corrupter of the word of truth, a broacher of heresies, and guilty of the worst of forgeries, counterfeiting the broad seal of heaven, and pretending a divine mission and inspiration, when it is all a cheat. Men may be thus deceived, but God is not mocked.”

–Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible

Matthew 11:25-26 HCSB
At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For although we are walking in the flesh, we do not wage war in a fleshly way, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

At the risk of offending some people, I think that to look for and believe there are contradictions in the Bible is because of unbelief. I would rather really look into it and find ways of defending the living and active document that God inspired than be suspicious.

I’ve also always believed that there are difficult portions to cause us to trust it by faith as opposed to judging it. Matt Perman has a different take on that idea and writes about the Bible’s “contradictions”.
A Few Thoughts on the Fast Company Article, “What the Bible Got Wrong”

HT: Justin Taylor

I love it when Scripture explains Scripture. Whether it’s Paul or the other NT writers expositing the Old Testament, one idea completed in another part of Scripture, a verse explaining what went right before it, etc.

I read a version of the latter–Isaiah 5:7 explaining what goes before it in the first six verses. I feel like it’s a bonus.

Isaiah 5:1-7
Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard on a rich and fertile hill.
2 He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.
3 Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
5 Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it.
6 I will make it a wild place where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it.
7 The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.

Comments welcome.

Scripture isn’t hard to understand, it’s hard to accept.

–Rich Rhodes

I like this because when it comes to basic doctrine many of us want to try to change an interpretation of Scripture so that it’s more acceptable to us, especially us in the West with our sense of democracy and fairness. Some even go so far as to explain away miracles because they just don’t seem possible.

I like to think that as time as gone on I’ve grown to embrace what Scripture says and embrace paradoxes (apparent contradictions) even if it doesn’t seem fair or reasonable to me and my logic.

I found a blog called Scripture in Pictures. From the About page:

“Scripture in Pictures” is an inspirational devotional blog. The concept is simple – a verse or set of verses, and a picture that speaks of that verse. We pray that they might inspire you, or that you will find a use for them in your personal materials – please feel free to use them in your own blogs, presentations or in publications such as church bulletins or messages. We would love to hear about where you have used the images.

I like these quotes:

[T]here doesn’t seem to be anything objectionable in principle about scientific knowledge informing our interpretations of Scripture. The problem arises, however, when scientific knowledge is given ‘veto power’ over our best historical-grammatical interpretations of Scripture, forcing us to accept very contrived readings of the text.

As a follower of Christ, I don’t want to hold any lower a view of Scripture than he did. So if I’m ever faced with a choice between what Scripture appears to tell me and what science appears to tell me, I will always err on the side of Scripture in the absence of any more satisfying resolution.

You can find them in this excellent post: Scripture or Science?

Careful handling of the Bible will enable us to ‘hear’ it a little better. It is all too easy to read the traditional interpretations we have received from others into the text of Scripture. Then we may unwittingly transfer the authority of Scripture to our traditional interpretations and invest them with a false, even an idolatrous, degree of certainty. Because traditions are reshaped as they are passed on, after a while we may drift far from God’s Word while still insisting all our theological opinions are ‘biblical’ and therefore true. If when we are in such a state we study the Bible uncritically, more than likely it will simply reinforce our errors. If the Bible is to accomplish its worth of continual reformation–reformation of our lives and our doctrine–we must do all we can to listen to it afresh and to utilize the best resources at our disposal.

D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies

I just finished this book and found it excellent even if some parts were a bit over my head.

The above quote pretty much describes the course I’ve been embarking on starting about two years ago. I’ve barely scratched the surface and will probably not get much farther than that after a lifetime of study, but I hope I will be able to more correctly explain the word the truth (2 Timothy 2:15) as time goes on.

THIS BOOK contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good is its design and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in the judgement, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

–Anonymous

Isaiah 43:4 NLT
Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.

With most of us living in a modern democracy we may have a tendency to expect God to be fair and democratic to our sensibilities and that He should make complete sense to us. If we always try to reason our way into making God fit into that criteria we will either be frustrated or misguided.

Isaiah 55:8-9
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Romans 11:33-36
Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

For who can know the LORD’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to give him advice?
And who has given him so much
that he needs to pay it back?*

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:5 TNIV
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Jeremiah 32:39
I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.

Psalms 86:11
Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; 8 they are double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Daniel prayed: “Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. To you, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and power, and have now revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have revealed to us what the king ordered.”
Daniel 2:20-23 (NRSV)

Psalm 4:4
Be angry and do not sin;
on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.

Ephesians 4:26
Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,

Ephesians 4:26 – Be ye angry, and sin not – That is, if ye are angry, take heed ye sin not. Anger at sin is not evil; but we should feel only pity to the sinner. If we are angry at the person, as well as the fault, we sin. And how hardly do we avoid it. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath – Reprove your brother, and be reconciled immediately. Lose not one day. A clear, express command. Reader, do you keep it?

–John Wesley

The Septuagint, which is copied by St. Paul, Ephesians 4:26, translate this clause, Οργιζεσθε, και μη ἁμαρτανετε; Be ye angry, and sin not. The Vulgate, Syriac, Ethiopic, and Arabic, give the same reading; and thus the original רגזו rigzu might be translated: If ye be angry, and if ye think ye have cause to be angry; do not let your disaffection carry you to acts of rebellion against both God and your king. Consider the subject deeply before you attempt to act. Do nothing rashly; do not justify one evil act by another: sleep on the business; converse with your oten heart upon your bed; consult your pillow.

–Adam Clarke

Psalms 37:8
Refrain from anger and give up [your] rage;
do not be agitated-it can only bring harm.

Ephesians 4:31
All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness.

Colossians 3:8
But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.

James 1:19-20
My dearly loved brothers, understand this: everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

Philippians 4:13 NASB
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 NIV
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 TNIV
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I really like the TNIV rendering. Can you imagine if the TNIV was the standard rendering throughout the years how this wouldn’t be constantly taken out of context (shown below) and/or misinterpreted?

Philippians 4:11-13 TNIV
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I’m not only learning the importance of context but also that the word all or everything isn’t always “an amount or quantity from which nothing is left out or held back” even in English:

Everything
1.
a. All things or all of a group of things.
b. All relevant matters: told each other everything.
2. The most important fact or consideration: In business, timing is everything.
American Heritage Dictionary

The Real Jesus

Jesus on the radio, Jesus on a late night show
Jesus in a dream, looking all serene
Jesus on a steeple, Jesus in the Gallup poll
Jesus has His very own brand of rock and roll

Watched Him on the silver screen
Bought the action figurine
But Jesus is the only name that makes you flinch

Oh, can anybody show me the real Jesus?
Oh, let Your love unveil the mystery of the real Jesus

Jesus started something new
Jesus coined a phrase or two
Jesus split the line at the turning point of time
Jesus sparked a controversy
Jesus, known for His mercy, gave a man his sight
Jesus isn’t white

Jesus loves the children, holds the lambs
Jesus prays a lot
Jesus has distinguishing marks on His hands

If anybody walks behind the Good Shepherd
If anybody holds the hands that heal lepers
And if you recognize the eyes that see forever, please…

Jesus, Jesus
Oh, can anybody show me Jesus
Oh, let Your love unveil the glory, the real Jesus

Oh, can anybody show me the real Jesus?
Oh, let Your love unveil the glory of the real Jesus, the real Jesus

–From the album Wide Eyed and Mystified by Downhere, a free download down here.

The song begins as a commentary on Western culture’s numerous misunderstandings of the person of Christ, but it quickly reveals itself as a call to the church to proactively wrestle with what it means to live as Christ’s representatives in the world.

Galatians 5:6 HCSB
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

1 John 4:14-17 HCSB
And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God–God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

17 In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world.

1 John 3:23 HCSB
Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us.

Also see:
Jesus, Made in America

Jeremiah 10:23 NET
LORD, we know that people do not control their own destiny.
It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.

If you had to select only five or six verses you would pray every morning which ones would they be?

My choices as of now are:

Psalms 86:11 HCSB
Teach me Your way, Lord,
and I will live by Your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.

Luke 9:23 HCSB
If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Luke 11:3 HCSB
Give us each day our daily bread.

Matthew 6:33 HCSB
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness

Luke 22:42 HCSB
“…not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Colossians 1:11-12 NRSV
may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Psalm 19:14 HCSB
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

If you’d like to list your own, please do so here or make a new post on your blog and let us know.

John 1:1-14 HCSB
In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man named John who was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 2:5-11 HCSB
Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death–even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow–of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth– 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 1:15-20 HCSB
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; 16 because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. 19 Because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him, 20 and to reconcile everything to Himself through Him by making peace through the blood of His cross — whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Hebrews 1:2-3 HCSB
In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. 3 He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

How about memorizing all of them? I’m one for four so far.

A 12 Point Cure for Complaining

See other good articles at this site.

HT: CAMPONTHIS

In case you would like a list of Scripture mentioned:
Philippians 2:14
1 Thessalonians 5:18
James 1:2
Luke 13:2-3
2 Corinthians 4:19
1 Peter 2:23
Genesis 18:25
Psalm 34:4
Romans 8:28
Hebrews 11:35-39
2 Corinthians 12:9
Romans 8:35-39