Category: CONNECT THE TESTAMENTS

  • THE BASIS OF FIRM PEACE OF HEART AND TRUE PROGRESS

    Imitation of Christ THE VOICE OF CHRIST MY CHILD, I have said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you.” All men desire peace but all do not care for the things that go to make true peace. My peace is with…

  • DIFFICULT DEFINITIONS

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 47-48; Hebrews 11; Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 As an editor, I love definitions. The field of lexicography can be complex, but when a definition is finally solidified, there’s comfort to be found. It becomes something stable. This is also the reason I love the book of Hebrews: the author is keen on definitions, clarifying…

  • THE NEW DEAL

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 45-46; Hebrews 10; Ecclesiastes 11:5-10 “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.” These words were spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a speech which unveiled a series of economic strategies for ending the Great Depression. We love newness because it holds hope. The same…

  • CARPE DIEM

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 44; Hebrews 8-9; Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 The Latin phrase Carpe Diem, means “seize the day.” Taking risks to make your life extraordinary is biblical, if done according to God’s plan and principles. The idea behind this comes from Ecclesiastes: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days”…

  • REVENGE ISN’T SWEET

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 42:29-43:34; Hebrews 5:11-7:28; Ecclesiastes 10:10-20 It’s easy to revel in vigilante justice, be joyful in the irony of someone getting “what’s coming to them,” or feel satisfied when “bad Karma comes back around” to others. The colloquialisms around the subject alone demonstrate our infatuation with justice. Joseph is similarly impassioned; he schemes…

  • A LITTLE FOLLY

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 42:29-43:34; Hebrews 5:11-7:28; Ecclesiastes 10:10-20 Like dead flies in perfumer’s oil, the writer of Ecclesiastes aptly proclaims that a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Sometimes fools are elevated to positions of power, while those who are fit for the position are given no influence. The Preacher says, “I have seen slaves…

  • RADIANCE

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 40:1-41:37; Hebrews 1-2; Ecclesiastes 9:11-18 When I was a boy, my dad took me to his construction site, and told me, “Don’t look directly at the welding light; it can blind you.” But a welding flame is cool and dangerous. As my father was talking with the foreman, I fixated on the…

  • UNDUE FAVOR

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 38-39; Matthew 27:32-28:20; Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 Genesis 38 interrupts the climax of the Joseph narrative with another tale: Judah and Tamar. Switching protagonists is surprising enough, but the tale itself shocks us. We’re hardly given time to process the strange cultural practices of the ancient Near East, prostitution, deception, and the sudden death…

  • PRIDE IN DISGUISE

    Connect The Testaments Sometimes recognizing our sin for what it is can throw us into deep shame. In Matthew, we find that two of Jesus’ disciples experience this moment of remorse—Judas after he betrays Jesus, and Peter when he denies Jesus. From their responses, we learn what true repentance looks like. Judas is remorseful when…

  • BE VIGILANT

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 35:16-36:43; Matthew 26:14-56; Ecclesiastes 8:10-17 Faith doesn’t always come to bear until we are faced with our own fallibility. When we “enter into temptation,” it often means we haven’t been vigilant—that we’ve stopped pursuing the God who has pursued us. In the aftermath of temptation, we recognize our spiritual laziness. We become…