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- 183) Eph 5:10 . . Find out what pleases the Lord. People depending upon their intuition to know what pleases the Lord are of course doomed to failure because the information isn't available like that, no, it's something to "find out" which involves learning by means of books, sermons...

- Genesis 9:7-19 ● Gen 9:7 . . Be fertile, then, and increase; abound on the earth and increase on it. The idea conveyed here is that Man was not supposed to unite and stay in one place, but to scatter, diversify, and establish communities all over the globe. ● Gen 9:8-10 . . And God said to...

- Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 ● Ecc 7:15-16 . . In my own brief span of life, I have seen both these things: sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness, and sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness. So don't overdo goodness and don't act the wise man to excess, or you may...

- 181) Eph 5:5-7 . . For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-- such a man is an idolater --has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with futile words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient...

- Ecclesiastes 7:10-14 ● Ecc 7:10 . . Don't say; How has it happened that former times were better than these? For it is not wise of you to ask that question. The problem with the good old days is that we often conveniently forget the bad parts and sometimes invent good parts to take their...

- Genesis 9:5-6 ● Gen 9:5 . . But for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning: I will require it of every beast; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man! Noah's Law #2 mandates capital punishment; viz: eye-for-an-eye retribution...

- 177) Eph 5:2 . . Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Christ's love went way beyond just being friendly and helpful. His was a sacrificial kind of love; in other words: it was protective and supportive at the cost...

- Genesis 9:4 ● Gen 9:4 . .You must not, however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it. That restriction is against life-blood; so then blood that cannot support life dead blood --is exempt. Life-blood, is actually blood that's alive; blood that hasn't begun to spoil; viz: it's still fresh...

- Ecclesiastes 7:5-9 ● Ecc 7:5-6 . . It is better to listen to a wise man's critique than to listen to the praise of fools. For the levity of the fool is like the crackling of nettles under a kettle; for that too is transitory. The "praise of fools" is from the Hebrew word shiyr (sheer) which...

- 175) Eph 4:32 . . Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (chuckle) that resembles a line from one of Bill And Ted's adventure movies: "Be excellent to each other" Within the context of the letter Paul wrote and sent to the...

- 172) Eph 4:29 . . Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. "helpful" is from the koiné word oikodome (oy-kod-om-ay') which means: to build up (as opposed to tearing down). "foul or...

- Genesis 9:1-3 ● Gen 9:1 . . God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: Be fertile and increase, and fill the earth. Divine blessings should never be construed as laws, rules and/or commands. They're typically expressions of good will and/or empowerment. God included Noah in the...

- Hope Defined ● 1Pet 3:15b . . Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you. The koiné Greek word for "hope" in that passage, and in others (e.g. Rom 8:23-25) is elpis (el-pece') which means expectation; viz: elpis isn't wishful thinking...

- Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 ● Ecc 7:1a . . A good name is better than fragrant oil, A companion to that saying might be a proverb also authored by Solomon. "Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman bereft of sense." (Prv 11:22) Cosmetics, fashions, jewelry, hair, manicures...

- Ecclesiastes 6:10-12 ● Ecc 6:10 . .Whatever happens, it was designated long ago and it was known that it would happen; as for man, he cannot contend with what is stronger than he. I guess you could call that attitude fatalism. Some things really are predestined and often we just have to...

- 166) Eph 4:17-19 . . So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the pagans do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of...

- Genesis 8:21d-22 ● Gen 8:21d . . nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done. All the living things in this case refers to that which survives by means of the breath of life. (Gen 6:17, Gen 7:22) The promise is qualified by the phrase "as I have done" So Gen 8:21...

- Ecclesiastes 6:1-9 ● Ecc 6:1-2a . .There is an evil I have observed under the sun, and a grave one it is for man: that God sometimes grants a man riches, property, and wealth, so that he does not want for anything his appetite may crave, Here we go with that "gift of God" thing again; but...

- 163) Eph 4:1 . . As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. What if a believer neglects to live a life worthy of their calling? Will they be lost? No; believers have eternal life, which is a kind of live that cannot die; therefore...

- Genesis 8:20-21c ● Gen 8:20a . .Then Noah built an altar to the Lord This is the very first mention of an altar in the Bible. I don't really know if anyone else constructed one before this. Abel and some of the others may have, but it's very difficult to be certain. At any rate, Noah's altar...