The Lion, the Light

Posted on 14 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

The Bible in the British Museum

© Trustees of the British Museum

Meet the Lion of Knidos, from Turkey.  He’s not mentioned in the Bible, but I let him join us in this series anyway.  When a lion weighs six tons, it is pretty hard to keep him out of anything. 🙂

He lives in the Great Court of the British Museum these days, probably the first thing you see when you enter.  We once ate our lunch on a bench below him.  You look up and see this huge marble lion above you — just like the Apostle Paul almost certainly did two millennia ago.

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“OMG” — and Other Ways Christians Take God’s Name in Vain

Posted on 13 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

Exodus 20:7

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

I briefly mentioned, in yesterday’s post, one way in which Christians take the Lord’s name in vain.  Unfortunately, too many of us have become very casual about this commandment, and I thought I’d take the time to mention some things we should consider.

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A Proverb for Today — Proverbs 10:24 (part two)

Posted on 12 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

“The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24).

On Saturday, we looked at part one, the Fear of the Wicked.  Today, I’d like to look briefly at the second half of the verse, and at how badly this and some similar verses are sometimes misused.

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A Proverb for Today — Proverbs 10:24 (part one)

Posted on 10 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

“The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24).

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Ur, U R 4 Real!

Posted on 9 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

The Bible in the British Museum

© Trustees of the British Museum

Genesis 11:31

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

Genesis 11:26-32 is the first mention of Abram (later known as Abraham).  It says Abram originally came from Ur of the Chaldees, on the bank of the Euphrates near Nasiriyah in what is now Iraq.

Until the middle of the 19th century, skeptics said that there was no such city as Ur.  In 1853-54, John Taylor, the British vice-consul at Basra, excavated the site, and found clear proof that it was Ur, a city which existed after all, the original home of Abraham and his family.

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Grief’s Value, Grief’s Danger

Posted on 8 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

Grief’s Value

It is a tribute to God’s good gifts of life and love.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Grief’s Danger

It is powerful and can enslave us.

I Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:
all things are lawful for me,
but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Just a quick thought I had after our study in Job chapter two last night.

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YOUR Canon of Scripture

Posted on 7 March, 2012 by Jon Gleason

Two days ago, I posted THE Canon of Scripture — how we know the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven of the New are the inspired Word of God.

YOUR canon of Scripture is different.  Yours is the part you read, study, believe, and obey.

If there are parts you don’t take seriously, you never read, you never teach (if you are a pastor or teacher), then you don’t really believe those parts are “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16).  You give lip service to the fact that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” but maybe you don’t really believe it.

I hope this blog helps you understand and apply the Scriptures, but if you can’t find time to read the Scriptures, perhaps you should quit reading blogs….

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