A Man After God's Own Heart

King David is described in scripture as “a man after God’s own heart.” I had assumed God was referring to David’s heart of worship. That is what David is famous for. David wrote many of the psalms of praise. David established a rotation of worshipers to play and sing in the temple 24/7. But God is not highlighting David’s heart of worship. God is highlighting . . .

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The Crux of the Gospel

I chuckle every time I read this verse. The Roman governor, Festus, was perplexed as to what to do with the apostle Paul, who had been left in prison. When Festus assumed command, he expected the Jewish leaders to accuse Paul of some vicious crimes. Instead, they argued about “their religion” and about some dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. I chuckle because this Roman governor unknowingly speaks the crux of the Gospel in one sentence. . . .

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Racial Unity in Jesus

Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the crucifixion of [Jesus’] precious body on the cross. Ephesians 2:15 TPT

By dying as our sacrifice, Jesus has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us (Eph. 2:14b) and has brought us back together as one family.

There is an allegorical picture of this in . . .

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Revealed to be "Anointed Ones"

Do you see the difference?  In the first version, the implication is that a group of people decided that instead of referring to the disciples as “The Way” or some other designation, they would be called Christians.  In the second version, God Himself reveals some new thing about Jesus followers! This is a game-changer!

This is much more significant than . . .

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Freedom to Praise

I would love it if I could read the Word of God in its original language.  Every detail, every name, every number, is written for our learning.  And so much is lost in the translation.  For example, these verses on healing in Acts are actually a lesson on living a praise-filled life.

The notes in The Passion translation point out that the name of the town where Peter is ministering, Lydda, means “strife.”  And the healed man’s name, Aneneas, means “praise.”  So, this man named “Praise” is living in a place called “Strife . . .

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