In my previous post, I wrote about how the Lord promised to give strength to Israel to go in and conquer the land. But the strength came from an unusual source, it came as they obeyed the words of the Lord: “Soon you will cross the Jordan River , and if you obey the laws and teachings I'm giving you today, you will be strong enough to conquer the land.” (Deut 11:8) I also wrote that we are not part of those to whom that strength was given in order to go in and conquer the land. Nonetheless, it is important to obey God’s word. We can see that from the opposite, that is when we disobey, our strength can be dried up: “ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up.” (Ps 32:4) Normally, in order for our bodies to function properly and effectively, we need fuel and that fuel is food. And without the fuel, we would have no strength. Yet there is a food that is necessary, not just for strength, but for life: “...
In my previous post, I wrote about “sound” words. Those are words that are solid, firm, reliable and stable. They are also free from error and are based on thorough knowledge and experience. But it’s not enough to just define what they mean, it’s also crucial to determine their source. The sound words that are sound in every way come from Jesus: “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,” (1 Tim 6:3) Prior to the post about “sound words”, I wrote about words that are not “idle” words. These not “idle” words are mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy: “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deut 32:47) Such words, as other translations put it, give life and they mean life for us. In this post, I want to focus on one aspect of what sound words a...