Good afternoon friends, Congratulations on completing first two months of M'Cheyne plan.   Just some thoughts about the last voice before God speaks.  Similar to a character in a play who doesn't show up until the final act.  Audience should wonder what is the significance of this character. Blessings, Jeff Elihu, the young bystander, weighs in.  After observing 3 rounds between Job and his friends, he is angry with both sides (32:2-5) and leads into his critique with a mixture of pride (answer me if you can) and humility (I too am made of clay). His name means "He is my God" of "Jehovah is God".  His father Barachel (Barack El or God blesses).  We are not told how he came to witness the debate between Job and his friends.  The three friends heard about Job and came from their homes.  So possibly Elihu was a neighbor and knew Job. So we can make at least two distinctions between the three friends and Elihu.  First, he critiques their arg...

Good evening fellow bondservants, Sorry for late posting.  Sundays seem to be a busy day, but in a good way.   Having been in Navy and then in nuclear power industry, rules and regulations are a very big deal.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) writes the regulations and then writes another document that gives a method of meeting the regulation.  Jesus gives us principles and then lives them out.  Such is the case in today's passage from Doctor Luke, Blessings Jeff  In four short verses Jesus gives universal warnings to  the disciples concerning the challenges of life within the group.   Jesus recognizes that the disciples will sin against each other and will tempt or cause each other to stumble.  Even though they follow a sinless master, the disciples will not reach sinless perfection.  So how are they to live with each other? They must never treat tempting others (or placing a stumbling block or trap) as a small matter ...

Happy Reformation Day!!! Just a short thought for today.  Hope you have a blessed time of worship tomorrow. Blessings, Jeff You have probably heard of God being sovereign.  This truth is summarized in phrase "God does all things for His glory and our good".  In this passage, we see that God's leading Israel on a long path through the wilderness was for the good of Israel.  God didn't consult with Moses about which way he thought would be best.  The people were not asked what they thought about the path.  God leads and Israel must learn to follow.  The same process applies to me and every believer.  When faced with a challenging path, I often ask "God, why do you want me to go that way when their is a quicker, easier path over here?"  When we pray, "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil", the path He chose before the foundation of the world is the path that avoids temptation and delivers us from evil.  In this case, Israel ...

Good (snowy) morning.   (Originally written Oct 30, '20)  As I write this, the reality of the beginning of winter is upon us.  There is much to be concerned about.  But I want you to be encouraged by God's faithfulness and steadfast love for His saints.   Blessings, Jeff Doors and blessings.  The Egyptians carved blessings on the frame of temple doors in a very interesting way.  Starting in the middle of lintel, the blessing was written forwards and backwards. For example, doGruositaergwoHHowgreatisourGod.  The idea was a continuous double blessing on the person going through the door.  I learned that from a Great Courses lecture on Egypt.  At Passover, God tells the Hebrews to do the same thing only with the blood of the lamb.    Later, in Deuteronomy 6:9, God tells the Hebrews, You shall write them (the words of the Law) on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  He graciously gave them a constant remin...

 Job 29:7-12  Pondering the way of wisdom Good afternoon brothers and sisters, Job is summarizing his case before his three friends.  This picture of Job at the gates of his town is out of this world in many ways.  Pray that you will ponder wisdom with me. Blessings, Jeff What an interesting political process!  Wisdom was recognized in Job before his calamity by townsfolk and even the elders sitting at the gate.  And in a pre-Mosaic law culture.  No opposing political parties, no campaigning and no elections.  I spent much of the day thinking about this.  Wouldn't it be nice if our world operated this way?  So why doesn't it?   Instruction - what does this passage teach about what God expects from me?  Seems that only a culture that values wisdom can operate with "elders at the gate".  The world says that the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and pride of life are what matter.  1 John 2:16  ...

 Good morning friends, What a loving Father we have!!  Paul's concern for the church in Corinth is not a product of his intellect or emotion.  They play a role, but "pursue love" is a devine imperitive.  Only God can issue this mandate.  It is not just Paul's idea on how to improve the social atmosphere. Pray with me that each and every member of the body here in Salem will pursue love. Blessings, Jeff The Corinthians were having problems using their spiritual gifts, specifically tongues and prophecy. Whatever you believe about the sign gifts and their operation today, Paul is addressing a symptom of lack of love.  He starts with  "pursue love".  Chapter 13 is the "love chapter".   Editor to Calvin's commentary gives this insight to "pursue" The word διώκετε," says Doddridge, "properly signifies ― to pursue with an eagerness like that with which hunters follow their game. And it may be intended to intimate, how hard it is t...

Good evening weary traveler, Maybe you have heard about God delivering His people from physical slavery in Egypt.  Maybe you feel like you are enslaved to any number of problems such as addiction, self-righteousness or fear of death.  I pray that you will hear God speak to you through this passage. Blessings Jeff  Let my people go, that they may serve me.  Serve is ‘âḇaḏ; a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.: — x be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, So God was delivering children of Israel from bondage to Egyptians so that they would be in bondage to God.  I think we often hear "Let my people go" without the "that they may serve me".   The unregenerate person wants "freedom" so that he can do what he pleases.   2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that t...