Category: CONNECT THE TESTAMENTS

  • THE MISNOMER ABOUT GOD’S WILL

    Connect The TestamentsJoshua 7:1-8:35; 2 Corinthians 10:1-8; Psalm 49:1-20 We often hear a great misnomer about following God’s will. It usually sounds something like this: “God has commanded me to do x, so I’m going to go into x blindly without fear.” A phrase like this has elements of great truth—faith should carry us. But…

  • HE’S DEAD, BUT YOU CAN BE ALIVE

    Connect The TestamentsJoshua 1:1-3:17; 2 Corinthians 9:1-5; Psalm 47:1-9 “My servant Moses is dead” (Josh 1:2). Imagine the shock of this moment for Joshua, Moses’ right-hand man. He probably already knew about Moses’ death before God told him (Deut 34:1–8), but it’s in this moment that he really feels the tragedy. If you’ve experienced death,…

  • OPERATING STANDARDS

    CONNECT THE TESTAMENTSDeuteronomy 33:1-34:12; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 46 Sometimes I operate on the premise that if I’m honoring God and following Him, I don’t have to be concerned with what other people think. But carrying this too far is just as faulty as basing my identity on the approval of others. One leads to…

  • BOLD REQUESTS

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 30:1-31:29; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; Psalm 44 Psalm 44 is bold. Who asks the Lord to “wake up”? Who asks Him why He is sleeping? The psalmist doesn’t stop with these questions. He makes claims regarding God that seem like accusations: “you have rejected and disgraced us,” “you have given us as sheep for…

  • I’LL TAKE THE ARROW

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 29:1-29; 2 Corinthians 7:8-16; Psalm 42:1-43:5 “Better is an arrow from a friend than a kiss from an enemy.”When I first heard this saying, I was struck by what a truism it is. It wasn’t until years later, though, that I began surrounding myself with wise friends who would tell me the…

  • TEARING DOWN TO BUILD UP

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 28:1-68; 2 CORINTHIANS 7:2-7; PSALM 41 It’s difficult to take rebuke, especially when it’s unsolicited. We feel exposed and embarrassed when our sin is brought to light. And if we don’t have the humility to accept rebuke, the experience can leave us at odds with the brave soul who assumes the task.…

  • THE CURIOUS THING ABOUT GOD’S WORK

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 26:1-27:26; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Psalm 40:1-17 Doing God’s work is a curious thing. It requires both mad rushes and patiently waiting. Christ followers are meant to think like the psalmist did: “I waited patiently for Yahweh, And he inclined to me and heard my cry for help” (Psa 40:1). Yet Jesus’ followers…

  • COSTLY GRACE

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 23:1-25:19; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Psalm 39 When we say something hurtful to a friend or a family member, we know we can’t just ignore the harm we have caused (we should know, anyway). In order to repair the relationship and earn back trust, we have to acknowledge the rift we’ve created. But…

  • CURSES, THE OLD TESTAMENT, AND FREEDOM

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 21:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Psalm 38:1-22 “And if a man commits a sin punishable by death, and so he is put to and you hang him on a tree, his dead body shall not hang on the tree, but certainly you shall bury him on that day, for cursed by God is…

  • TENT MAKING FOR ETERNITY

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 18:1-20:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Psalm 37:23-40 Paul, the tent maker, knew the temporal nature of human-made structures. For someone who made and probably repaired tents, he knew all their flaws and tendencies for wear. So it’s not a stretch for him to draw the connection from tents to mortality: “For we know…