Evil reigns, God holds backs. Nations rage, God looks on. ‘Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord are on the sinful kingdom’ (Amos 9:8). Wicked men flourish, as the devil applauds on. The righteous are left asking, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our … Continue reading “Do you think that these Galileans (whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices) were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will perish” – Luke 13:2-5
sin
“Let the Righteous One strike me – it is a kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it” – (Psalm 141:5)
One of the things God says is, ‘See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?’ (Jeremiah 9:7). When we go astray, God corrects us by refining and testing us, not by harming us. That is why David said, ‘Your rod and your staff … Continue reading “Let the Righteous One strike me – it is a kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it” – (Psalm 141:5)
‘‘For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks’’ ~ Matthew 15:19 (A Leprous Heart)
Reddish is the colour of the heart. But when leprosy sets in, it becomes white. It becomes cold, numb, unfeeling – it becomes leprous. While it may go undetected for a long time, the symptoms must eventually manifest. ‘For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander’ (Matthew … Continue reading ‘‘For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks’’ ~ Matthew 15:19 (A Leprous Heart)
“Kish had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others” ~ 1 Samuel 9:2 (The Head of Saul)
From the time Saul became King of Israel, his head became heavy causing him to accelerate on a slippery slope until his downfall was unavoidable. Before he became King, Saul was ‘an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others’ (1 Samuel 9:2). It is on … Continue reading “Kish had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others” ~ 1 Samuel 9:2 (The Head of Saul)
Enemies at the Gate
‘The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world’s people, that enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem’ ~ Lamentations 4:12 One of the ways Jesus describes Himself is by saying, ‘I am the gate for the sheep’ (John 10:7). Jesus uses this figure of speech to pass across the … Continue reading Enemies at the Gate
Messengers of Satan
While there are those who outrightly serve Satan, there are some who are on the devil’s payroll because they do his bidding. They may not be fully aware of this, but like Paul states, ‘The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind … Continue reading Messengers of Satan
Hairy Crowns
The hair is the ‘glory’ (1 Corinthians 11:15) of a woman and the strength of a man. It is the essence of a person. In fact, one regulation was, ‘Priests must not shave their heads or shave of the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. They must be holy to their God and … Continue reading Hairy Crowns
Diseases of Egypt
More terrible than the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians, were the lingering diseases that could not be shooed away. Even though the Israelites were not afflicted by the plagues, the diseases of Egypt latched on them so that even though they came out of the country, Egypt did not come out of them. This is … Continue reading Diseases of Egypt
For God’s Sake
‘For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own’ ~ 1 Samuel 12:22 We humans are born clueless and into a cruel world. As we grow up we realize that there is a 'force' bigger than ourselves. Most call it … Continue reading For God’s Sake
Escaping the Corruption
Escaping is not the same as avoiding. We escape what is part of us, and avoid what is not part of us. The Christian life is a maze that seeks to escape the corruption that come up as we go about our journey, a corruption that exists within and around us. In other words, corruption … Continue reading Escaping the Corruption
Decoded Word 