Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: but he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My …
But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Cor. 9:27 When Paul says that he kept his body under, he is using the language of a pugilist. It is almost as if he is saying (according to the Greek word …
And [Moses] said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses" (Exodus 4:13-14). God had appointed Moses as the man to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, but Moses was begging off. There appears to be something …
I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them. Exodus 3:7-8 God sees the affliction of his people, he hears their cry for deliverance, he knows their sorrows, …
Flee sexual immorality. 1 Cor. 6:18 (ESV) We are living in a day in which any argument for traditional moral values is immediately shouted down with cries of "Oppressor!" What is at the head of this new moral atmosphere is the idea that man gets to define his own reality. It is an outgrowth of …
And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. Luke 4:13 The ESV translates "for a season" as "until an opportune time." I think that is right. It is not just that the devil left our Lord for a time, but that he left him until an opportune moment presented …
The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. Job 17:9 It is truly amazing that Job says this when he says it. For Job considered himself to be righteous. But he also said, "My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for …
Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours: Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. 1 Cor. 3:21-23 In Romans 8:38-39, the apostle Paul gives us a similar …
Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. Job 14:1 I am thankful for the Bible's frank embrace of our earthly realities: there is no denial of suffering, no minimizing our pain and trouble in the pages of Scripture. We are never asked to pretend that things are better than …
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Cor. 1:31 A few verses previously, the apostle had written, "That no flesh should glory in his presence" (29). Why? We are not to glory or boast as if our wisdom were the ultimately decisive reason why we chose to …