“Every one of their bows is broken; for the Lord is the God of recompense, He will surely repay.” – Isaiah 51:56b REFERENCE: Jeremiah 51:49-56 God noted all that Babylon did in plundering Israel and promised to pay back. Babylon will know Him as Jehovah Gmolah (‘ghem-oo-law’), the God of recompense (compensation, reward, restitution, or return). He is the God who avenges and pays back; He will not allow His children to suffer wrong without getting redress. He ensures that every action, good or bad, gets its due reward. He is the administrator (supervisor) of seedtime, harvest, and...
“And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So, he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” ~ Genesis 26:22 REFERENCE: Genesis 26:17-22 Are you in a place where all you do seem not to produce the expected results? Are you doing your best, yet some people or forces sabotage your efforts or hijack your ideas so that they never come to fruition? That was where Isaac found himself. Abimelech drove him out of the...
“And your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the Lord who strikes.” – Ezekiel 7:9b REFERENCE: Ezekiel 7:7-9 As a believer, you are a lively stone used by God to build a spiritual temple. However, the toll of sin on us stains our conscience, leads us into error, and fills our minds with wicked thoughts. For this reason, God brings out His chisel and sandpaper to chisel, reshape, and mold us into better-shaped, useful lively stones to build on Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. Makkeh means to Strike, Wound, Smite, Chasten, or Touch (God...
“O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” – Psalms 16:2 REFERENCE: Psalm 16:1-6 In the bible, God was called 'My God!' by many. Jehovah Elohay is the name that reveals intimacy, tenderness, and affection between you and God, the God you can call on in the day of trouble. The deposit of experience that resulted from God's deliverance in trials, troubles, tribulations, and tempests led them to call Him “My God!” This intimate name comes out of difficult situations God brings us through. Apostle...
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1 REFERENCE: Psalm 23:1-6 Rohi (Hebrew for shepherd) is a word that is rich in meaning. It paints a picture of one who watches, feeds, and leads; David captured all these attributes in this Psalm by calling the Lord, Jehovah Rohi – The Lord, my shepherd. God wants His people to know Him as Rohi (Genesis 49:24) since it reveals Him as the caring Father and Overseer of His children, “…we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” In Christ Jesus, God revealed Himself as the Good...
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” ~ Genesis 17:1 REFERENCE: GENESIS 17:1-11 After years of disappointment and delay, Abram encounters God in a vision. Knowing his history and longing, God revealed Himself to him with this unique name, El-Shaddai (Hebrew of Almighty God). ‘El’ speaks of God as the strong and omnipotent One, while ‘Shaddai’ is the plural form of ‘shad,’ the Hebrew root word for breast. It describes God as the omnipotent One with many breasts or the fully-breasted mighty...
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind…” ~ Matthew 13:47 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:47-51 Jesus used this parable to teach that the gospel net will always bring different people into the church, some with a heart for God, and others, just there to serve their purpose. The world is the sea in which the net is cast, and when the fisherman (preacher) draws it back into the boat, it drags in the good and the bad. Jesus taught that at the end of all things, God, through His...
“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.” – Matthew 13:29 REFERENCE: MATTHEW 13:24-30 This parable is one of Jesus’ most powerful. The lessons therein are many, but I will focus on ‘prudence.’ Prudence is the ability to manage circumstances with care and thoughtfulness. It is being careful to consider all possible dangers or consequences in a situation. The man in this parable planted good seed (wheat) in his field, and while men slept (became careless and relaxed), his enemy came and sowed tares (some stubborn weed). The wheat, as...
Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed…" – Mark 4:30&31 REFERENCE: MARK 4:30-32 Jesus was a great storyteller, and He told many parables. He used them to teach revolutionary and potent truths that still speak today. A parable is a story told to illustrate some doctrine or moral point, and Jesus told fascinating ones to describe how the kingdom of God functions. A picture speaks louder than a thousand words, and parables are words in picture form. We will be looking...
“Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” – Matthew 22:9 REFERENCE: MATTHEW 22:1-10 God’s heart for His kingdom on earth is that it grows. Any right-thinking entrepreneur starts a venture with the mindset of growth. The desire to grow is God’s nature in us; that is how He ‘wired’ us. After his creation, God commanded man to multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. The King in the parable was not satisfied with a half-filled wedding hall. So, he sent his servants to the streets to bring as many as they found. Why?...