But Who is Jedidiah?

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The Bible has several examples of times when God intervened in human families to give someone a special name or change a given name to convey a special meaning about the role a person would play in God’s plans. We can read of God giving the names Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Israel (Genesis 17:5, 17:15, 17:19, 32:28) to convey truths about His plan, His promises, and His people, and to establish a reputation for them that would help shape them into what He wanted. At various other times God gave names to other people, and in most instances the name given by God was embraced and became the name the person was best known by. Continue reading →

In Deep, Going Deeper

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Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
(Rom 11:33 NIV)

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
(1 Cor 2:10 NKJ)

Maybe you’ve seen one of those submarine movies where the sub has been detected and is under attack from above, and they’ve gone down as deep as the submarine was designed to go. The captain orders them to go deeper still, but some other officer argues that they’ll be crushed like an eggshell if they go any deeper. Continue reading →

Chaining The Dragon

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Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while. (Rev 20:13 RSV)

John saw a vision of an angel coming down from heaven, on a mission from God. The angel was equipped with the key to the Abyss (or bottomless pit, as also mentioned in Rev. 9:1ff, and probably the same as Tartarus in II Pet. 2:4, Jude 6) and a great chain. This angel had the task of binding the dragon, Satan, the Devil, for 1,000 years. Continue reading →

Called Christians

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…So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26b NIV)

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28 NIV) Continue reading →

Living Waters

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Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” Now he said this about the Spirit which believers in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
(John 7:37b-39 NRSV)

Jesus gives life and refreshment to those who come to him, believing in him. Those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit have a Continue reading →

Poor Me

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Poor Naomi.
She said, “Don’t call me Naomi (Pleasant), call me Mara (Bitter), because the Almighty has made my life very bitter (mara). I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi (Pleasant)? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” (Ruth 1:20-21 NIV) Life had been hard for her, she’d lost her husband and sons and experienced terrible poverty. Continue reading →

Some Things Must Be Broken

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Prepare it with oil on a griddle; bring it well mixed and present the grain offering broken in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. (Lev 6:21 NIV)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Ps 51:17 NIV) Continue reading →

The Widow’s Oil

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In II Kings the 4th chapter, one of the Old Testament books of our Bible, there’s a story of a woman whose husband died leaving her and her two children unable to provide for themselves or pay their debts. Under the governing system of that time and place the woman knew her children would be taken for slaves if she could not find the money to get out of debt. Continue reading →

Baa Baa Black Sheep – (And Other Sheepish Tales)

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Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
One for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.

The Mother Goose rhyme above is not quite as I learned in childhood, but it is an authentic old version of the poem. As I learned the rhyme, the black sheep’s response was, Continue reading →