Spiritual practices and spiritual encouragement

Psalms, Bible Study, Spiritual Practices

6 Ways Scripture Art Enhances Bible Study

Scripture art—art based on Scripture—is a powerful way to interact with God’s Word. Here’s a little historical background followed by six ways Scripture art enhances both personal and group Bible study.

Biblical Imagery and Art

Detail of Book of Life in “Last Judgement” by Michelangelo (Web Gallery of Art: Public Domain, Wikimedia)

The Bible tells us that God often gave messages to prophets in images, not just spoken words. The books of Genesis, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Revelation are filled with detailed descriptions of visions and dreams that paint pictures in our mind’s eye and inspire artists to create works such as The Last Judgment by Michelangelo.

Art in the Bible

God at times inspires gifted artists to serve him. Moses said this of the craftspeople in charge of constructing the tabernacle (Exodus 35:30-35):

See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel … and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.… He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.

In his book, Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story and Imagination, screenwriter Brian Godawa says of this passage that “It is not insignificant that this is the very first passage in the Bible in which God fills a person with his Spirit, and that person was an artist” (51, emphasis his). He concludes, “Art is not merely a calling, but creativity is shown in Scripture to be a gift from God. The Lord is described as ‘putting skill’ into the artisans and ‘filling them with skill’” (53).

Art in Church History

Confessing and forgiving in "Return of the Prodigal Son"

A wayward son finds forgiveness and his father’s embrace in “Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (circa 1668)

It is no wonder, then, that the church has always used art in worship. Stained glass windows in spired cathedrals tell Bible stories in ways even children can understand. Great artists such as Rubens and Rembrandt portray Bible passages using paint on canvas and help us see details we may have missed.

For example, Craig Hazen in his novel, Five Sacred Crossings, describes how people from different backgrounds react to Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son. Some relate to the son, others to the father, still others to a ghostly background image. People see themselves and loved ones all represented in the single painting.

6 Ways Scripture Art Enhances Bible Study

In our book, Discovering Hope in the Psalms, Pam Farrel, Karla Dornacher, and I encourage women to go further than completing the in-depth Bible study. We offer options for creatively interacting with Scripture. No, we’re not expecting Rembrandt-level works. But we hope the creative options will help God’s messages of hope settle deeply in readers’ hearts. The book’s merging of in-depth study, details for seasoned Christians, devotions for newer Christians, and creative options is the reason Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries wrote this about it: “What an incredibly unique and creative Bible study Pam, Jean, and Karla have created! It’s multilayered, dimensional, theologically rich, touching the senses—enlightening the mind, capturing the heart.”

Psalm 23 by Karla Dornacher. Used by permission.

In the two months the book has been out, readers have posted photos of their endeavors in the book’s Facebook group. Today I’d like to share with you six ways we’ve seen Scripture art—art based on Scripture—help people hide God’s words in their hearts.

1) Scripture Art Deepens Understanding

When artist Annie Magee from Victoria, Australia, began going through Discovering Hope in the Psalms, she challenged herself to create art to go with every daily lesson. That’s right: every lesson! That’s 40 artistic creations. Here I share three of her creations.

Chapter 1 – Psalm 1: The Hope of God’s Blessing

Psalm 1 by Annie Magee. Used by permission.

She didn’t tell us right away what it meant, but you may have guessed the basic back story: Her husband of 19 years abandoned both God and her, wounding her heart with rejection.

Chapter 4 – Psalm 23: The Hope of the Lord’s Good Care

Psalm 23 by Annie Magee. Used by permission.

She didn’t know when she painted it what the cord around Jesus’ wrist symbolized. But as she prayed over what it might mean, she realized it was Jesus saying, “I will never forget you.” As she portrayed Psalm 23 creatively, layers of meaning came forth. God’s gift of art helped her understand his abiding love and heal her heart.

Chapter 8 – Psalms 30 & 146: Hope Fulfilled

Annie wrote this:

I have … been going through a type of mourning for almost 2 years now, and as I completed Chapter 7 on Sunday just gone, the Lord responded to my Psalm prayer, He told me I can lay that to rest now. When I heard Him whisper this to me, a little joy returned, and I felt as though I have begun to live again. He has shown me so many incredible things throughout this study. Now, as I begin the final chapter, He has shown me that my mourning is turning to dancing. Blessed be the Lord.

Psalm 30 by Annie Magee. Used by permission.

Studying God’s messages of hope in the Psalms gave Annie the foundational understanding she needed. But when she creatively expressed the verses, their hope poured more deeply into her heart and healed her wounds. My heart sings for joy at how God has given his daughter hope in his unfailing care.

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2) Scripture Art Increases Learning

In Brain Rules, John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, quotes research that shows “Students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone” (175). He cites studies that show involving two or more senses increases learning by 50% to 75% (171 ff.).

This is why Scripture art is so effective. It engages the senses of sight, touch, and (if painting) smell. It provides additional layers of learning. Here’s how my co-author, Pam Farrel, interacted with Psalm 51.

Pam Farrel studies Psalm 51

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3) Scripture Art Increases Meditating

Psalm 1 says that the righteous person meditates on God’s instructions day and night. Interacting with Scripture creatively is a means of meditating on it.

One creative option is coloring Karla Dornacher’s illustrations with colored pencils, gel pens, or paints. The illustrations have a verse written in them with key words emphasized. Coloring Scripture art takes some time, but that’s time spent meditating on a verse’s words.

Psalm 51 bookmark traced and colored. By Karla Dornacher. Used by permission.

Many display their finished Scripture art, thus fulfilling the gist of Deuteronomy 6:9: “You shall write them [God’s commands] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” This helps them continue to meditate on the verses even after they’ve finished the study.

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4) Illustrations to Color Make Scripture Art Doable

Few have Karla Dornacher’s or Annie Magee’s skills. So Karla’s illustrations make art doable for the rest of us. Coloring the Scripture art in the book is entirely optional. But women who don’t consider themselves artistic are buying pencils, giving it a try—and liking it. After all, this isn’t the Crayola coloring we did when we were five (in fact, there’s even a Colored Pencil Society of America for professional artists). For those who want to grow artistically, Karla offers free videos, such as this one on making key words stand out: Colored Pencil Gradient Letters. Here’s my coloring of the Psalm 2 opening page.

Psalm 2 bookmark colored by Jean E. Jones

Virginia Thompson of San Juan Capistrano, California, says she wasn’t interested in coloring when she got the book, but thought she might as well give it a try. She found herself praying for people as she colored. I’ve been coloring the bookmarks through embroidery and find I have the verses memorized by the time I’m finished.

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5) Scripture Art Starts God Conversations

My friend Diane Smith of Resort Living Interiors in California encourages Christians to use decorative items that can start conversations about God around the house. The bookmarks in Discovering Hope in the Psalms are one way to start conversations. Marliese Grace Jackson in Garrison, Texas, made a container garden to prompt conversations about Psalm 1.

Scripture art Psalm 1 Marliese Grace Jackson

Psalm 1 by Marliese Grace Jackson. Used by permission.

Deborah Lewis Boutwell of First Baptist Pinewood in Tennessee invited her niece to show her small group how to put a verse from chapter 3 on mugs, a terrific way to invite conversations about God.

Scripture art Psalm 51 Deborah Lewis Boutwell

Psalm 51 by Deborah Lewis Boutwell. Used by permission.

Judy Webb of Aliso Viejo, California, created a journal for illustrating psalms and taking notes. She takes her art journal with her on a home visits to the elderly to help start conversations.

Psalm 51:10 notes and art by Judy Webb. Used by permission.

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6) Scripture Art Enhances Group Study

The five Scripture art benefits above apply to personal Bible study. But Scripture art also enhances group Bible studies. Here are three ways.

a) Scripture art is inviting

Karla Dornacher’s illustrations invite women in, even those who might normally be intimidated at the thought of “study.” Here are two reasons. First, pages with art are friendly. See, for example, the approachable opening page of the chapter on Psalm 23 beneath Karla’s Bible:

Psalm 23 by Karla Dornacher. Used by permission.

Second, a bookmark that illustrates the key verse adorns the opening page of every chapter, and that means women can grasp the main point immediately. This draws them into the study. In other words, the Scripture art makes in-depth study more approachable for women not used to it.

b) Scripture art encourages friendships that spans generations

Small groups that span generations easily bond over doing Scripture art together. Debbie Rothrock’s Discovering Hope in the Psalms study group in Shelton, Washington, has women from 18 to 72 attending and learning together. When they discussed chapter 1, they learned how to trace and frame art.

Psalm 1 by Debbie Rothrock’s small group. Used by permission.

Tausha Vollbrecht Love attends the evening Discovering Hope in the Psalms Bible study at Holly Springs Baptist Church in Garrison, Texas. Then she babysits for the morning group, which is also going through the book. She taught the children about Psalm 1 and helped them make simple fruit trees planted by water.

Scripture art Psalm 1 Tausha Vollbrecht Love

Psalm 1 by Tausha Vollbrecht Love. Used by permission.

c) Scripture art allows people to use their gifts

Encouraging artists to share their creations and teach others in our small groups allows more people to use their gifts and talents.

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Conclusion

God’s Word is powerful. Let’s engage with it in every way we can.

How to Embroider Scripture Symbolically

Embroider Scripture: Psalm 30

Edited 9/12/23.

I like to embroider Scripture. It’s fun and doesn’t take a lot of talent. By the time I finish a piece, I’ve got the Scripture memorized and I’ve meditated a lot on its meaning. Then I can frame and hang it so that it becomes not just a daily reminder of the passage, but a conversation piece for guests.

Last year I finally finished a large needlework that had taken years to complete. I wanted to try some smaller, faster pieces. I sketched some ideas for Psalm 71:14. But that was right about when artist Karla Dornacher joined author Pam Farrel and me in creating the book, Discovering Hope in the Psalms. She created bookmarks that people could trace or cut out. I realized these would be perfect small projects!

I hoped to finish all of them before the book came out, but that didn’t happen. I’m working on the third bookmark now, so here I’ll explain how to embroider Scripture from two of the book’s eight bookmarks. I’ll also explain the symbolism I used. I hope this inspires you in your own creative endeavors, whether or not you choose to embroider Scripture.

How to Transfer Bookmarks to Fabric

The bookmarks I used are on page 223 of Discovering Hope in the Psalms. Mine differs a tiny bit because I used Karla’s early illustrations, before she created the page with four bookmarks.

If you have an all-in-one printer that can scan and copy, the easiest way to transfer the bookmarks is to scan and print or copy the page on printable fabric. I scanned and printed the bookmarks on EQ Printables Inkjet Cotton Lawn Fabric Sheets that I loaded into my HP Inkjet.

If you don’t have access to an all-in-one printer, big box office stores can print on fabric. Or you can go low-tech and trace the bookmarks onto your fabric with a sharp, pale fabric pencil.

Optional: Add a Colored Background to the Fabric

I used Adobe Photoshop to add a semi-transparent gradient background to each bookmark before I printed.

How to Prepare Fabric to Embroider Scripture

If you’re using printable fabric, follow the instructions that come with it for removing excess ink. When it’s dry, sew 4” strips of scrap fabric to all sides, enlarging the 8.5” x 11” original to 16.5” x 19” so it can fit into a 13” diameter embroidery hoop.

Supplies

Bookmarks printed on fabric

Prepared fabric (see above)
Embroidery hoop at least 13″ across
Embroidery needles
Needle threader
Embroidery scissors
Magnifying lamp (I use the Carson DeskBrite)
Embroidery thread of your choosing

How to Embroider Scripture: Psalm 30:11-12

I love Psalm 30. The first stanza always reminds me of how God delivered and saved me: “You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.” So the butterfly Karla put on the bookmark is perfect because a butterfly symbolizes being born again. I changed the bunting around “into” and “me with” to a vine to represent Jesus is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:4).

Paul used a seed “dying” in the ground before springing to new life as a metaphor for our earthly bodies dying before Christ raises us in new, resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-44). In my mind, then, the flower stands for the resurrection. The last line of Psalm 30 is “I will give thanks to you forever,” which speaks to me of the resurrection. I changed the scallops at the top and bottom into tiny flowers to represent friends and family who will resurrect as well.

Light orange is my main color because it’s such a happy color, making it perfect for a verse about dancing and gladness. The pale blue background complements the orange. The butterfly and flower seemed a perfect way to practice needle painting. I had to adjust the shape of the flower a bit and left off some internal lines.

Downloads and Links

The Discovering Hope in the Psalms Super Bonus Bundle has more detailed instructions, including the DNC thread colors and stitches I used. For more on needle painting (including more on preparing and protecting fabric), see Needle Painting Embroidery by Trish Burr. For more on selecting color schemes, see Colour Confidence in Embroidery by the same author.

How to Embroider Scripture: Psalm 73:26

Embroider Scripture: Psalm 73:26

The choirmaster Asaph wrote Psalm 73 about how God kept his feet from slipping when envy of the wicked nearly destroyed his faith. The white and gray flowers represent how we see some truths clearly and others dimly until heaven.

“GOD” is white to represent that he is light. I used a padded stitch to look like light radiating. The white didn’t stand out enough from the background so I added a scarlet border to represent the blood of Jesus, the means to bringing us to God.

“STRENGTH” is steel gray to represent the strength of steel, but it’s on a soft, padded background to represent God’s tenderness. He strongly but tenderly binds our broken hearts.

The word “heart” is scarlet, the color of a human heart physically. “Forever” is silver to give the feel of stars sparkling, which reminds me of eternity.

“Portion” is interesting. The first layer is white to represent being filled with the Holy Spirit. I added scarlet lines and dots to represent being filled in another way, through the blood of Jesus. It turned out messy looking and I considered pulling it out, but I decided the Cross was messy. So I left it to remind me of the great pains God took to bring us to him.

The leaves are variegated green because gray would have blended them in with the flowers too much and black would have distracted from the words. It’s purely utilitarian, though I suppose green could represent new life!

I used whitework techniques here. Whitework is typically done on a solid white background, but I didn’t choose the technique until after I’d printed the fabric. I couldn’t keep the Scripture reference where it was and so far don’t see a good place to add it. I’ll probably put it on the ribbon backing I’ll add later.

Downloads and Links

The Discovering Hope in the Psalms Super Bonus Bundle has more detailed instructions, including the DNC thread colors and stitches I used. For more on whitework, see Whitework with Colour by Trish Burr.

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August 22, 2017/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Psalms, Bible Study, Parables, Poems & Pictures, Spiritual Practices

6 Simple and Fun Ways to Meditate on God’s Words

Psalm 1 tells us the blessed person will meditate on God’s instructions, not simply hear or read them: “Blessed is the man … who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). “Meditate” means to think deeply and carefully about something. But sometimes we don’t know how to do that. Here are six simple and fun ways to meditate on God’s words.

How to Meditate on God’s Words

Here are the general steps I use to meditate on God’s words. These aren’t hard-and-fast steps so much as habits I’ve found useful over the years. If you’re new to any of these, try one or two ways for a few weeks until you’re comfortable with them, then add another.

Figure 1: Record the results of meditation with symbols, notes and quick sketches

1. Pray for Guidance

I pray for the Holy Spirit to guide me and show me anything God wants to particularly speak to me about. Prayer reminds me reading God’s words is a conversation, and that sets the tone for meditation.

2. Meditate While Reading the Passage

I read through the passage looking for what God is saying. I think about how the passage relates to me and others today. If there are instructions, I ask myself if I’m following them and how I could implement them. I ask God about anything I don’t understand.

3. Meditate While Reading Notes

If you have a Bible with study notes, you can read the notes next. I highly recommend Bibles with study notes—they explain ancient customs and help you understand context, which enhances meditation on God’s words.

Currently, I’m reading through the NIV Zondervan Study Bible so after I read a passage, I read the notes on it and look up some of the cross-references.

For the Psalms, I put a flower next to the psalm’s header to let me know I’ve read the study notes. I add a second flower to let me know I read my favorite Psalms commentary on it, too. When I’ve finished all the notes in a book of the Bible, I put a flower next to the book’s name in the table of contents.

4. Record what You Learned from Meditating in Your Bible

Figure 2: underline similar and contrasting ideas using color

Draw and write the results of your meditation right into your Bible. My Bible’s pages are very thin, so I use the Pigma Micron Bible Study Kit, which is six colored pens that don’t bleed through Bible pages.

I draw symbols next to the text to represent main ideas (for example, a green cross to represent Old Testament passages that relate to Jesus–see Figure 1). Some of the scribbles make sense to only me, but that’s okay: I’m not doing it for other people, just God and me. I know what they mean and they remind me of themes quickly. I created a legend at the back of my Bible to keep track of the symbols. In previous Bibles, I’ve used fewer symbols. This Bible’s notes trace major biblical themes so I’m using more symbols to track these. It’s a good idea to start simple and build, using just symbols meaningful to you.

I look for repeated ideas and either underline them in the same color or put a small symbol next to every instance so I see the connections (see Figure 2).

I might squeeze in a few notes anywhere I can find space, such as the top margin or next to a heading (the prose sections of this Bible—such as the historical books and the letters—have tiny margins). The books of poetry (such as Psalms and Proverbs) have a little more margin so I might illustrate key concepts in more detail (see Figure 1).

Figure 3: Meditative prayer on Psalm 1

5. Meditate Prayerfully

I often finish up with meditative prayer about what I’ve read. The passage is God’s words to me, so I respond by talking to him about what he said. The book, Discovering Hope in the Psalms (that I co-authored with Pam Farrel and Karla Dornacher) teaches how to do this. Here are the basic steps:

Praise God for something I see of his character in the passage
Confess anything that convicts me in the passage
Ask for help to do something the passage calls me to do
Thank God for something in the passage

6. Meditate Creatively

After I meditate using my Bible, I decide if I want to do anything further to work the verses into my life. Here are some things I might do to continue meditating on a passage after I’ve closed my Bible.

Figure 4: A personal psalm based on Psalm 1

Plan to do something the passage says to do
Write a particularly encouraging verse in a journal, usually with thoughts and illustrations
Write out a passage so I can memorize it
Dictate the passage into my smart phone so I can memorize it
Write a psalm or poem based on the passage (see Figure 4)
Creatively interact with the passage in other ways

Creatively exploring a passage is another form of meditation. It helps us remember a passage better. Many creative expressions are also ways to proclaim a message, either on social media or in our homes where they might spark conversation. Our book, Discovering Hope in the Psalms, has lots of creative ideas, including Karla Dornacher illustrations which can be colored (see Figure 5).

I also like putting verses into cross stitch and embroidery—these are fun ways to memorize Scripture and I end up with something pretty that keeps the verse before me for years while also becoming a conversation piece. Recently, I purchased a Crossway Journaling ESV Bible to hold more detailed illustrations, and I’ve started sketching ideas for that. This will be a way to meditate in a different Bible.

Figure 5: Psalm 1 art from “Discovering Hope in the Psalms”

Resources

Here are Amazon affiliate links to products and ideas I referred to or used:

Pens that won’t bleed through thin Bible pages: Pigma Micron Bible Study Kit
Blog post 5 Reasons to Write a Wisdom Psalm (and How to do It)
Colored pencils (I used 24-color set) Prismacolor Premier pencils
Colorless blender pencil for bark; kneaded eraser and colorless blender marker for grass and water Prismacolor accessory kit

And of course, the new book I co-authored with Pam Farrel and Karla Dornacher:

August 14, 2017/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Reviews, Christian Living, Psalms

6 Best Books on Psalms for Prayer and Understanding

One of the delights of deciding to write a book on the Psalms is the excuse to read many books on them. Here are the six best books on Psalms I’ve found, ordered from broadest appeal to narrowest. They’ll enhance your prayer life and deepen your understanding of these prayer songs.

By the way, the Bible study guide I wrote with Pam Farrel and Karla Dornacher, Discovering Hope in the Psalms, is due out August 2017. It will walk you through praying with and understanding psalms as you discover eight hopes in the psalms for you.

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Best Books on Psalms #1

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society

By Eugene H. Peterson

Audience: Christians wanting to draw closer to God

This superb book is by the translator of The Message. It contains sixteen inspirational chapters on the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120–134). The Jews sang these songs as they made their way to worship God at the temple in Jerusalem, and so Peterson presents them as “’songs for the road’ for those who travel the way of faith Christ.” This is a book to read over and over. If you can read only one book on the Psalms, this is the one.

Quotation

I knew that following Jesus could never develop into a “long obedience” without a deepening life of prayer and that the Psalms had always been the primary means by which Christians learned to pray everything they lived, and live everything they prayed over the long haul.

Pros

Easy to read and understand. Delightful writing style. Folds many Christian disciplines into praying psalms.

Cons

If you don’t own it already, you should.

Best Books on Psalms #2

Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically

By Gordon J. Wenham

Audience: Thoughtful Christians with good biblical background wanting to worship with psalms

This book transformed the way I prayed psalms. I already prayed laments (prayer request psalms) and praises, but Wenham’s insights into how praying a psalm becomes transformative deepened the way I approached these psalms and emboldened me to memorize psalms for prayer. It also showed me how to pray other types of psalms, such as wisdom and royal psalms. This book is rich and deeply layered, with chapters such as “The Unique Claims of Prayed Ethics” and “Virtues and Vices in the Psalter.” The chapter, “Appeals for Divine Intervention,” examines three of the harshest psalms: 35; 69; 109. This is an outstanding theological work on interpreting Psalms. I return to it often—it’s that good.

Quotation

If we praise a certain type of behavior in our prayers, we are telling God that this is how we intend to behave. On the other hand, if in prayer we denounce certain acts and pray for God to punish them, we are in effect inviting God to judge us if we do the same. This makes the ethics of liturgy uniquely powerful. It makes a stronger claim on the believer than either law, wisdom, or story, which are simply subject to passive reception: one can listen to a proverb or a story and then take it or leave it, but if you pray ethically, you commit yourself to a path of action.

Pros

Thoughtful, clear discussion of ethics in the psalms and how praying the psalms should transform our lives.

Cons

Requires a good biblical background, and that may deter some.

Best Books on Psalms #3

Interpreting the Psalms: An Exegetical Handbook

By Mark D. Futato

Audience: Christians who want to understand Hebrew poetry and who are comfortable with college reading level

This is a 200-page introduction to interpreting Psalms. It’s the first book I read on Hebrew poetry, and it answered questions I’d always had as well as questions I hadn’t known to ask. It spurred me on to read even more. The first chapter explains Hebrew poetry. The second examines the Psalter’s arrangement. The third touches on historical influences. The fourth discusses psalm categories. The fifth and sixth help the teacher develop an outline. While this book isn’t directly about praying the psalms, knowing how to interpret them enhances prayer. If you can’t afford Ross’s commentaries below, then get this.

Quotation

My objective is to acquaint you with the principle that parallelism is the art of saying something similar in both cola [line segments] but with a difference added in the second colon. Hebrew poets thus invite us to read slowly, looking for a difference in the second colon, be that difference small or great.

Pros

Excellent introduction to interpreting Psalms and understanding Hebrew poetry. Fast to read.

Cons

No transliteration of Hebrew (though English translations are supplied). The last two chapters are really too short to be useful.

Best Books on Psalms #4

A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume I (1-41)

Best Books on Psalms #5

A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume II (42-89)

Best Books on Psalms #6

A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume III (90-150)

By Allen P. Ross

Audience: Pastors and Bible teachers comfortable with graduate reading level

I own quite a few commentaries on Psalms, but this three-volume set far surpasses the rest. Volume I has an introduction to interpreting biblical poetry that equals or surpasses that of Futato above. Ross supplies a history of psalm interpretation (as do Wenham and Futato). He also details literary forms. Then comes the psalm-by-psalm commentary—this is where Ross shines. Each contains the author’s translation; composition and context notes; exegetical analysis (including summary and outline); the main commentary on the text; and message and application notes. This last section has preaching tips and is where Ross’s pastoral heart comes through clearly. There are extensive footnotes, including many Hebrew word studies on difficult words such as she’ol.

Volume I Quotation from introductory chapters

A type is a divinely prefigured illustration of a corresponding reality (called the antitype) it is a form of prophecy, the major difference with direct prophecy being that the passage can only be understood as prophetic once the fulfilling antitype has come into full view. This topic will be discussed in the notes on the royal psalms.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Ps. 22:1)

The words of the psalm hyperbolically describe the suffering of David but become historically true in Jesus.

Volume II Quotation from Psalm 51 message and application

We, like the psalmist, can and must have complete cleansing before we can fully and freely serve God in any capacity. Our eternal destiny may not be in doubt when we sin, and neither was David’s because he appealed to that covenant relationship, but our fellowship and service will be. God will not tolerate unconfessed sin, but will discipline for it.

Volume III Quotation from Psalm 137 commentary in expository form

All of this is to say that the communal prayer of Psalm 137 was a prayer in harmony with the prophetic oracle concerning the coming judgment on Babylon. They were actually praying for God to do what he said he was going to do, bring punishment on the Babylonians that was a just recompense for their barbaric activities.

Pros

Comprehensive. Many word studies (index in Volume III). Teaching and application tips. If you’re teaching or writing on the Psalms, this is the commentary set to get.

Cons

Typographical errors in verse references. No transliteration for Hebrew words, though English translations are always supplied.

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Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene Peterson

February 24, 2017/4 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Encouragement, Christian Living, Message Series

The Ultimate Reason Behind Unforgiveness

What’s the ultimate reason behind unforgiveness? Part 5 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

Forgiving without excusing is hard, so hard it sometimes seems unforgiveness won’t ever let go.

When I stopped excusing my mother’s actions as based on ignorance and inability to help herself, I had to learn something new: forgiving without excusing. I made good progress when I prayed in ways that bolstered faith in God’s promises and good care. The anger eased significantly. But it still sometimes flared unexpectedly.

Unforgiveness & a Cry for Help

Then one day it erupted in a way that scared me. I was driving my pale blue Toyota Corolla to work as the sun was just rising, when I spied a girl in a steel blue school uniform skipping gaily, two perfect dark braids bouncing on her carefully pressed short-sleeved shirt.

Her mother loves her, I thought. And then, I hate her!

In that moment I feared what I would become if I didn’t forgive my mother: filled with hatred and jealousy towards those who had what I wanted, even if they hadn’t wronged me. My stomach churned as I realized I had it in me to be like her. In my pride, I hadn’t thought that possible. Though I might never hurt a child as she did, if I harbored hatred I would be like her.

Suddenly, I wondered when she first chose not to forgive. Had she stood at the same crossroads, but made the easier choice and let bitterness seep in, not knowing it would spread and finally rule?

I clenched the steering wheel in desperation. “God, I don’t want to become like my mother. Help me forgive!”

Unforgiveness & a Cry for Justice

Unforgiveness finds Justice in the Crucifixion

The Crucifixion (Rembrandt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

I considered how Jesus compared forgiving sin to forgiving a debt, and thought perhaps if I prayed aloud to release her from her debt—for God not to punish her for her sins—that might equal forgiveness even if my emotions dallied.

“God, I want you not to punish—” Do I? “No! That’s not what I want! I want Justice!”

And then I understood. More quietly I finished, “But I also want to be forgiven.” I paused as I remembered my ugliest sins.

I turned onto the freeway. Ahead, the morning sun had risen above the horizon. “God, I know my many sins against you far outweigh hers against me. So I pray that you draw my mother to know you, and if she receives Jesus as her Savior, then Justice will be done by his shed blood. And if she rejects Jesus, then Justice will be done when her sins are held against her. I forgive her as I want to be forgiven, and leave her in your hands.”

At that moment I knew it wasn’t mine to determine whether my mother received eternal forgiveness. That was between her and God. It wasn’t even mine to know to what degree my mother’s actions were intentional: Only God sees the heart.

In my heart, mercy had triumphed over judgment.

Peace washed up and through me. Yes, Justice would be done. I was humbled by the glimpse of the depths to which I could fall without God’s grace. And I was no longer angry. I truly wanted God to give my mother the same grace I wanted him to give me.

Unforgiveness Stripped Away

That was many years ago. Neither the jealousy nor the rage returned. As new affronts came—whether from her or others—the lessons learned through forgiving my mother helped me continue to forgive without excusing.

How Excusing Sin Leads to Unforgiveness

In time I understood how excusing sin actually produced the pride that prevented forgiving. I had initially excused my mother’s wrongs by telling myself she didn’t know better; after all, no sane person would purposefully and knowingly harm children. Thus, my siblings and I were safe from repeating her actions because we knew better. We were better than she because we had superior knowledge.

When my false belief that she didn’t know better collapsed, its sister belief changed slightly: “My siblings and I and most people I know would never purposefully and knowingly harm children.” Now, we were better than she innately.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn & why unforgiveness is unwarranted

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (by Verhoeff, Bert / Anefo [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons)

And that was the pride blocking forgiveness: this subconscious sense that I was somehow better than she and therefore more deserving of mercy. When I wasn’t.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who suffered eight years in a Soviet gulag, asked this about those who committed genocide:

Where did this wolf-tribe appear from among our people? Does it really stem from our own roots? Our own blood?

It is our own.

And just so we don’t go around flaunting too proudly the white mantle of the just, let everyone ask himself: “If my life had turned out differently, might I myself not have become just such an executioner?”

It is a dreadful question if one answers it honestly.^{^[i]}

If I answer honestly, then I know that if my life had turned out differently (especially if I hadn’t come to Christ), I could have murdered or abused or terrorized or done any number of things I’ve escaped. I could have been like my mother. Because I’m not innately better. And therefore not more deserving of mercy.

We can Choose to Forgive

We can choose to forgive because forgiving is about more than one relationship with an offender: It’s about future relationships; about healing us; and about participating in divine Justice and Mercy.

The ultimate reason behind unforgiveness Share on X How excusing sin leads to unforgiveness Share on X

[i] Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago, 73.

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

December 13, 2016/5 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Message Series, Christian Living, Encouragement, Spiritual Practices

4 Sins that Require Faith to Forgive

How do we take hold of faith to forgive when forgiving is tough? Part 4 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

Some sins are relatively easy to forgive: unintentional sins and minor wrongs, for instance. Other sins are much harder. Here are four that require faith to forgive.

It takes Faith to Forgive Sins that Cause Great Loss

When we lose possessions, relationships, health, or dreams because of someone’s sin, we’ll need faith to forgive: faith that we cannot lose anything of eternal value. Our heavenly treasures can be neither stolen nor destroyed (Matthew 6:19-21).

Many early Christians lost everything (Konstantin Flavitsky, 1862, public domain)

I once lost a position after someone lied about me; I also lost relationships. I had to in faith believe that our losses and hurts here will not harm us in ways God cannot redeem. After all, God does work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Indeed, when we suffer loss and hardship with faith, we gain an eternal reward (1 Peter 1:6-7; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Our earthly losses are losses of temporal things only. We must let them go, for holding onto grudges over things lost makes those things idols raised above obeying God. Because of their faith, the first Christians “joyfully accepted” the plundering of their property because they knew that they “had a better possession and an abiding one” in the life to come (Hebrews 10:34).

It takes Faith to Forgive Malicious Slander

False and malicious slander is a fiery dart in the hand of the jealous, the power hungry, the fame seeker, the revenge taker, and the self-justifier. When aimed at us, we need faith to forgive: faith that believes only God’s opinion matters. Like Paul, we must consider others’ judgments “a very small thing” (1 Corinthians 4:1-5).

False witnesses accuse Jesus before the ruling council (José Madrazo, 1803, public domain)

A leader who believed the lies I mentioned above expressed harsh words about me. I memorized and quoted 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 regularly. I imagined myself holding up a giant shield of faith between me and the fiery darts of his judgments. The shield extinguished the darts, blocked them from piercing me, and moved my eyes from them onto our Redeemer.

Jesus warned that we would be unfairly maligned: “If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Matthew 10:25-26). We don’t need to harbor unforgiveness because God can and will reveal the truth. His timing is perfect, even if the truth isn’t revealed till the Judgment.

It takes Faith to Forgive Wrongs Committed Over and Over and OVER

When family members or friends apologize, but keep doing the same things, they appear insincere. After all, repentance means trying to change. It takes faith to forgive repeatedly. In fact, when Jesus told the apostles they must forgive others over and over, they responded, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:3-5).

Jesus had faith to forgive Peter denying him 3 times

Peter denied Jesus 3 times (Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1873, public domain)

I doubt there’s anyone who hasn’t faced repeated wrongs. When my husband and I were dating, we agreed to never bring up a past wrong once we’ve said, “I forgive you.” To respond to an apology with, “But this is the fifth time,” is not loving, for love “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5). Besides, bringing up past offenses separates even close friends, while putting forgiven faults behind us seeks love (Proverbs 17:9).

To forgive, I have to let go of that part of me which protests, “If she really cared, she wouldn’t keep doing this,” because how much someone loves me isn’t the point. That’s between her and God. My relationships aren’t about other people being what I want them to be: They’re about me being what God wants me to be.

Moreover, haven’t we all come to God confessing the same thing over and over again? We must grant the mercy we wish to receive. Only God knows the heart—which is why my part is to forgive and leave ultimate justice to God.

It takes Faith to Forgive Betrayal

Who hasn’t been betrayed by someone trusted? When we’re betrayed, it takes faith to forgive: faith that believes God rewards repaying hatred with love. Jesus calls us to love our enemies, do good to them, bless them, and pray for them, for God will greatly reward us (Luke 6:27-35).

Joseph had faith to forgive his brothers' betrayal

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery (Konstantin Flavitsky, 1855, public domain)

When betrayed, we must remember no one can circumvent God’s good plans for us (Romans 8:28-31). After I learned that my mother knew her sins against me and my siblings were wrong, I prayed for insight into why the anger held on even though I’d tried to forgive her.

My Right?

It struck me that part of the reason is that I had considered parental love and goodness a right. God commands them, to be sure. But God had adopted me and I had a new, perfect Parent who was giving me all I needed: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close” (Psalm 27:10).

Beyond God’s Redemption?

I pondered further. Had I lost anything that God couldn’t work for good? No, Joseph’s story showed that (Genesis 50:20), and I’d already seen some good come from it in that others with similar backgrounds were more open to talk to me about Christ. Had I lost anything of eternal worth? No, heavenly treasures can’t be destroyed or stolen (Matthew 6:19-20). Everything that’s of this earth alone will pass away, so if I haven’t lost anything of eternal worth, then in the long run I haven’t actually lost anything.

A Prayer of Faith

In faith I chose to believe that God could use my mother’s betrayal for good, not just for me, but also for others (2 Corinthians 1:4). I prayed, “God, I trust you to work my mother’s wrongs for good for me, my siblings, and others. Keep the three of us from repeating her sins. Thank you for opening my eyes to know you. Thank you for the ways I’ve already seen you work good from my past.”

The anger finally began to subside.

Yet for this betrayal, I needed one more step. That’s the topic of my next post.

4 sins that take faith to forgive Share on X How do we take hold of faith to forgive when forgiving is tough? Share on X It takes faith to forgive betrayal Share on X

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

December 5, 2016/7 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Spiritual Practices, Christian Living, Encouragement, Message Series

How Confessing and Forgiving are Inseparable

To forgive, combine confessing and forgiving as Jesus taught. Part 3 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

Jesus said something astonishing in the Lord’s Prayer about confessing and forgiving. He said we should pray,

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12

In so doing, he linked confessing and forgiving. He followed up with this:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14–15

New Testament scholar D. A. Carson says, “There is no forgiveness for the one who does not forgive. How could it be otherwise? His unforgiving spirit bears strong witness to the fact that he has never repented” (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World, 75).

A wayward son finds forgiveness and his father’s embrace in “Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (circa 1668)

Confessing and forgiving are strongly connected. True repentance is the necessary path to true forgiveness, for those who haven’t honestly and deeply repented of their own sins lack the capacity to forgive others.

Previously

In my last two posts, I discussed what forgiving isn’t and said that the first step towards forgiving is committing to forgive. I began the story of how I realized that I had been excusing my mother’s sin by saying, “I forgive her because she doesn’t know better.” When the fact that she had known better bowled over my excuses, I felt betrayed. Rage overcame me. Instead of excusing sin, I needed to do the much harder job of forgiving sin.

Confessing and Forgiving Come Before Confronting

When we’ve committed to forgive, the next step is not confronting those who’ve sinned against us in the hope they’ll apologize and make forgiving easier. Tim Keller explains why: “Only if you first seek inner forgiveness will your confrontation be temperate, wise, and gracious. Only when you have lost the need to see the other person hurt will you have any chance of actually bringing about change, reconciliation, and healing” (The Reason for God, 197). Yes, Jesus said to talk to Christians who’ve sinned against us (Matthew 18), but we must forgive first.

The next step is to pray to forgive in the way Jesus taught: “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). The prayer’s order is essential: confessing and forgiving.

Confessing and Forgiving: “Forgive Us our Debts”

When I need to forgive someone, I begin by confessing my own sins. This reminds me of the grace I need and thus prepares my heart to offer grace. Without regular confession, pride slithers in, and pride doesn’t forgive.

1) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal Recent Sins

I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal my sins, and then I allow my mind to skim over the events of the last day or so. If anything causes a twitch in my conscience, then I stop and ask the Holy Spirit to show me if I’ve done wrong. I ask him to remind me of verses that might apply.

If I’ve sinned, then I name the sin and confess it to my heavenly Father along with a Scripture that applies: “Father, I took up a reproach against Kathy. But Psalm 15 says those who draw near to you must not take up a reproach against a friend. I confess this was wrong and I ask for your forgiveness.”

It’s important to name the sin so I don’t treat it lightly.

2) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal Similar Sins

The Hundred Guilder Print, by Rembrandt

Next I ask the Holy Spirit to show me if I’ve ever committed the same sin I’m about to forgive. Most often I have. If not, I look for similar sins.

With my mother, some offenses I had surely repeated, but no, I’d never committed some of the worse offenses. I had, however, intentionally hurt others. One example rushed to mind: at twelve I lied to my friend Kathy’s mother to get her in trouble.

Initially, I wanted to excuse this because I was retaliating. She had told our schoolmates that she had seen my mother hitting my head as I tried to get out the door on the way to school. She told them that there must be something terribly wrong about me for my mother to hate me like that. I was furious and wanted to pay her back by proving her mother hated her too. Was that a good excuse? No. God judges us by how we judge others, not how we judge ourselves. I had intentionally tried to hurt someone. I needed grace, and I needed to give it.

Besides, retaliation is itself a sin. Kathy may have hurt me unintentionally when she gossiped (at twelve, she may not have known her words would wound). But I believed it wrong; when I retaliated, I did what I believed was wrong. That’s always sin:

For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
Romans 2:1

3) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal Associated Sins

I ask the Holy Spirit if I have sinned in any way that is associated with the sin of the person I want to forgive. For instance, if there was a disagreement, did I misspeak in any way? If so, I need to not only confess that to God, but I need to apologize to the person for my part in the difficulty, no matter how small.

In the case of my mother, at the moment I discovered she had known her actions were wrong I hadn’t reacted in any sinful way. But something was nagging me about Kathy. I remembered that when my mother saw Kathy watching her, she ducked behind the kitchen cabinets. I had realized then that she knew her actions were wrong. There was another time, too, when a security guard threatened to call the police if he ever saw her speed around hairpin mountain roads with us in the back of the car again: she turned red and hung her head in shame.

Speaking Truth in the Heart

In my heart, I had known she wronged us intentionally. Why then had I grabbed so quickly to my teacher’s explanation that abusive parents were either ignorant or abused? Besides, it didn’t even make sense biblically. Jealousy drove Cain to kill Abel, not ignorance or wrongful hurts. My teacher was wrong: ignorance and hurt aren’t the only reasons people hurt others; we can, like Cain, choose sin.

I’d lied to myself and to God. Why? Partly because I held the false belief that thinking bad things about people made me a horrible person. But also because I believed good Christians forgive and good Christians aren’t filled with rage. Clinging to the lie pushed the anger underground and let me believe I was a good Christian doing the right thing.

I confessed my lie and the presence of anger and rage I knew shouldn’t be there.

My prayers changed that day: I started examining my emotions as I prayed so I could be utterly honest about what was inside me. Such honest prayer was humbling: it forced me to admit I’d thought too highly of myself.

Confessing and Forgiving: “As We Forgive our Debtors”

When I’ve confessed my sins, I pray, “Forgive me my sins as I forgive those who sin against me.” Then in prayer I move to forgive those who’ve sinned against me.

1) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal the Truth about What I’m Forgiving

Rather than brushing all sin under the carpet of unintentional, I now try to understand whether the evidence supports intentional or unintentional sin. Because “Love … believes all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7), I give the person the benefit of the doubt based on the actual evidence. I refuse to judge hidden motives:

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts
1 Corinthians 4:5

This helps me forgive what actually happened. Forgiving something that didn’t happen isn’t true forgiving. Scripture calls sin a debt, and we can err on both sides of the debt equation. If someone owes me $1,000 dollars and I accuse her of owing me $10,000, then I will have a difficult time forgiving because doing so demands that I hold to a fantasy of having been wronged more than I have. On the other hand, If someone owes me $1,000 and I offer forgiveness for $100, the hundred is easier to forgive, but it requires I hold to the lie that the other $900 wasn’t taken.

Christ preaching on confessing and forgiving

Christ Preaching (La Petite Tombe), by Rembrandt

Either way, the truth has a way of poking through lies.

Those who wish to dwell with God must speak truth in their hearts (Psalm 15:2). If what we’re forgiving is unintentional sin, then we must forgive it as such. If we’re forgiving intentional, even malicious, sin, as much as it hurts, we must acknowledge it.

2) Name the Person and the Sin

When in prayer I forgive someone, I name the person and the sin:

“God, I forgive Kathy for gossiping about me”
“I forgive my mother for driving at high speeds around hairpin turns while drunk with us in the backseat”

Naming people individually keeps me from letting this be a flippant exercise rather than part of worship. Naming the sin ensures that what I’m forgiving is an actual sin. If I cannot name the sin according to what it’s called in the Bible, then I confess that I have held something against someone that was not a sin and ask the Holy Spirit to show me why I’ve done so. Naming the actual sin often leads to meditation on why God calls that action sin. It also leads me to the next prayer part.

Confessing and Forgiving: Ask God to Forgive Me as I Forgive

I then ask God to forgive me as I forgive this person: “I forgive my mother as I want you to forgive me; I give her the grace you’ve given me.”

This prayer does not mean forgiving others causes God to forgive me, as if I must pay for forgiveness (a paltry payment indeed, compared to what really bought my forgiveness). Rather, it reminds me of what my Lord wants me to do so I may do it at once.

***

In most cases, confessing and forgiving as I’ve outlined here is all I need do. But if I’ve suffered a great loss, I must pray three more prayers.

Confessing and forgiving are linked because true forgiving requires true repentance Share on X

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

What Forgiving Isn’t: 5 Stand-ins that Masquerade as Forgiving
Must I Forgive THIS Sin?
What Makes Confessing and Forgiving Inseparable
Four Sins that Require Faith to Forgive
The Ultimate Reason Behind Unforgiveness

June 29, 2016/2 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Spiritual Practices, Christian Living, Encouragement, Message Series

Must I Forgive THIS Sin?

The first step towards forgiving is committing to forgive, but to do that, I need to know: must I forgive this offense? Part 2 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

In my last post on What Forgiving Isn’t, I shared six substitutes that masquerade as forgiving, but which merely manage emotions for a time. Forgiving deliberate sins that cause significant hurt and loss can be difficult, but it’s possible with the Holy Spirit’s help.

My first real struggle with forgiving came in my twenties with the sudden revelation that my mother had known her hatred and mistreatment were wrong. For years I had prayed, “I forgive her because she doesn’t know better.” I thought I had forgiven her because this prayer immediately eased the anger and hurt. But the revelation that she knew better crashed into the fence of excuses I’d used to corral my emotions, and now anger, hurt, jealousy, and rage galloped over me like wild horses.

I tried telling God, “I forgive her,” but the tumultuous emotions wouldn’t go away. I wondered if it were possible to forgive and still be angry.

The first step towards forgiving when forgiving is hard is making a commitment to forgive. But before we can make such a commitment, we need to know if we need to forgive.

Must I Forgive If I’ve tried But I’m Still Angry?

I truly thought I’d forgiven. But had I? Was saying “I forgive” enough?

I looked at Scriptures about anger. Ephesians 4:31 said, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Truth be told, I was filled with rage and anger, possibly even bitterness and malice. I tried to get rid of it by emotionally thrusting it away, but it wouldn’t go.

Ephesians 4:32

I read the next verse: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” It was easy to be compassionate when I thought she didn’t know better, but how was I to be compassionate towards someone who had intentionally wronged my siblings and me? Yet this verse juxtaposed compassion and forgiving with rage and anger. It didn’t look like I could claim I’d forgiven.

Besides, a few verses earlier said, “’In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (v. 26). This anger had built up over years.

While it’s true that it takes time for emotions to calm after a loss, the level of anger made me sure I hadn’t yet forgiven from the heart.

A thought occurred to me and I asked God, Must I forgive? I looked at different situations.

Must I Forgive What the Bible Doesn’t Call Sin?

No, the presence of hurt or anger doesn’t necessarily mean someone has sinned against me. If something’s not sinful, I need to overlook it. For example, I might not like it that two of my girlfriends had lunch without me, but they didn’t sin.

We should also pray for the Holy Spirit to show us why we’re offended over something not wrong; it might be that what’s wrong is in us rather than the other person: impatience, pride, poor planning skills. For instance, if I’m bothered that a friend corrected me, I probably should confess pride and pray for the wisdom to take correction graciously: “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8).

Must I Forgive Unintentional Sin?

Jesus taught that unintentional sins are lesser sins than intentional sins: “And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:47-48).

So unintentional sins—sins of ignorance and sins of weakness—are still sins, and yes, we must forgive them, not excuse or ignore them.

Must I Forgive Repeated Sin?

“But he’s done it over and over again! He says he’s sorry, but he’s not changing so how I can I believe him?” Many spouses bring this one up.

They’re in good company. After Jesus taught about restoring a believer who has sinned against you, Peter went to Jesus and asked how often he had to forgive: “Seven times?” Jesus answered, “Seventy-seven!” Then he told the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. The bottom line is that if we’re grateful for the mercy God has shown us, then we must show mercy to others because the debt we owe God far exceeds the debt others owe us (Matthew 18:21–35).

Besides, how many of us haven’t repeated the same sins we’ve confessed many times before? If we want God’s mercy, others must have ours.

Must I Forgive Deliberate Sin?

Yes. Jesus never said to forgive only unintentional sins. He said, ^“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Must I Forgive Unrepentant Sin?

My mother wasn’t repentant. In fact, she still threw verbal darts. Did I need to forgive her?

I searched my Bible for the answer. Although a couple passages talked about forgiving the repentant, others spoke about forgiving all sin: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too” (Mark 11:25). It seemed that even if we ended relationship with someone unrepentant, we must still forgive in some sense. I didn’t know in what sense yet.

But I did know I had to get rid of the bitterness and anger, and forgiving seemed the only way.

Out of sheer obedience, I prayed, “Father, I forgive her.” The anger remained, but I knew my willingness pleased God. I committed to finding a way to forgive, trusting that the God who made me willing to change would also make me able (Philippians 2:13).

The first step towards forgiving is committing to forgive Share on X Must I forgive? Six situations examined. Share on X

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

June 16, 2016/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Encouragement, Christian Living, Message Series, Spiritual Practices

What Forgiving Isn’t: 5 Stand-ins that Masquerade as Forgiving

Forgiving isn’t always what we think it is. Part 1 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

Forgiving isn’t managing emotions. Most Christians know Jesus taught that we must forgive. But when anger and hurt linger, we sometimes turn to forgiveness substitutes that merely manage our emotions—and not all that well.

Here are five stand-ins that masquerade as forgiveness.

Forgiving Isn’t Pretending

One of my most vivid, recurring nightmares was about me lying in my bed as a man and woman quietly opened the door to my bedroom to see if I were asleep. In the nightmare, I watched them through nearly closed eyes as I pretended to sleep, repeating over and over again in my head, “I’ve got to pretend I didn’t hear or they’ll kill me; I’ve got to pretend I don’t remember or they’ll kill me.”

Our childhood home was violent. Pretending nothing happened was required.

But pretending nothing happened isn’t forgiving because forgiving is always based on truth.

When I started dating Clay, I brought the habit of pretending into our relationship. He’d ask if something were wrong and I’d respond, “No, everything is fine.” I thought telling myself everything was fine and making myself believe everything was fine was the same as being fine. Clay never let it pass and always probed. I’d be surprised at the anger that would come out when I tried to talk about things: obviously, everything wasn’t fine.

God wants us to speak truth in our heart (Psalm 15:2, 51:6). Pretending nothing is wrong is not only a lie, it’s a form of holding a grudge. Pretending’s purpose is to make others think you’ve forgotten or forgiven when you haven’t.

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Forgiving Isn’t Forgetting

As with many authors, movies often play in my head. Years ago I was with a group of ministry leaders when a woman spoke up about her struggles with forgiving an abusive mother. She said, “Maybe I just need to forget.”

Immediately in my mind’s eye I saw a raincoat-clad girl begin to climb down from a boat’s deck as the boat swayed gently in a calm sea. She reached the lower deck and entered a tidy, brightly colored room with yellow walls and a painting of a red boat on a calm, blue sea. On the back wall a dark brown curtain covered a closet. The girl went to retrieve something near the closet.

Suddenly the tip of what looked like an octopus tentacle reached out from beneath the curtain and grabbed her ankle. The girl struggled, but quickly broke loose, overturning a chair as she escaped. However, the tentacle—surely a sea monster’s arm—thrashed around, toppling more furniture and knocking the painting askew before retreating behind the curtain.

Jesus said we must forgive

That, I thought, is exactly what happens when you try to forget. Life seems calm and tidy, until something happens that brings you too close to the sea monster memory you’re avoiding. That memory disrupts everything.

Shoving Out of Mind Doesn’t Work

I was skilled at shoving things out of my mind. Perhaps it was because our father claimed he could read our minds and would punish us if he found we were thinking anything bad about him. I believed him. At a hair’s-breadth notice, my mind would blank out every negative experience.

In my twenties, another occurrence of my father’s rage triggered an onslaught of memories and all those shoved-down emotions came roaring back with more intensity than I thought possible.

Doesn’t God Forget Sins?

Sometimes I hear someone say that God forgets when he forgives and so should we. God doesn’t give up his omniscience such that every time a pastor preaches on David and Bathsheba, he declares, “What? I didn’t know David sinned!” In the Bible, when God says he’ll “remember” someone’s sins against him, he means he’ll punish them, and when he says he’ll “forget,” he means he will no longer punish. God knows the depth of what he forgives.

Shoving things out of your mind and trying to forget is merely an ineffective way to manage emotions: ineffective because life will trigger memories along with the accompanying emotions now multiplied.

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Forgiving Isn’t Taking the Blame

Victimizers blame their victims. Unless they repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness, how else can they live with their conscience?

I’ve accepted blame I shouldn’t have; I’ve jumped in with a “That’s my fault” plenty of times when it wasn’t true. Sometimes it was because I mistakenly thought something good or neutral to be bad. But other times I was simply hoping to be liked or looking for the easiest way out of conflict.

Jesus paid the price for our sins; he didn’t say he caused them. We can forgive without taking blame that isn’t ours. Knowingly accepting blame we don’t own is deception, not forgiveness. It’s a sign of being a people-pleaser rather than a God-pleaser.

Forgiving Isn’t Taking Revenge

On the other side, I’ve also given blame I should have owned, justifying cutting words because the other person was “more” wrong or was the first to do wrong. This makes forgiving harder because it requires the other person to take more blame than he or she is due, and most people refuse. Besides, God won’t let anyone truly walking with him get away with such nonsense for long.

It may feel like getting back at someone will make you feel better so you can “forgive,” but it won’t. Revenge escalates matters. Revenge—whether responding tit-for-tat, unleashing anger, or back-biting—exacts payment in place of forgiving. It’s also sin (Rom. 12:19, Col. 3:8).

Forgiving Isn’t Excusing

In my pre-teens and teens, I struggled with anger, particularly towards my mother. I longed to know why she hated me. My mom said it was because I’d ruined her life; my dad said it was because he wanted to hurt her so he told her I was smarter than she. Both answers hurt and I wanted something else: an answer that made neither my mom nor me bad people.

At about fifteen, I read the New Testament. I became a Christian in the middle of the Gospel of John. I read what Jesus said about forgiving, so I prayed, “I forgive,” over every hurt that happened.

At sixteen, I took a psychology class. The nice, graying teacher soothingly said that abusive parents were either abused themselves or just didn’t know better. I finally had an answer. I knew my grandparents weren’t abusive (my aunts have since confirmed that), so I hung on to ignorance: it’s easy to forgive someone who doesn’t know better. The anger washed away.

Until nearly a decade later when I sat in her dark living room with my sister and three-year-old nephew. He started whining that he wanted to go home. Both my sister and I jumped to hush him before my mother yelled or hit him.

She stopped us and said, “This house has a rule: No one is to say an unkind word to him.” I jerked back, stunned. She knew better! Jealousy consumed me and I said I had to leave. For years I had corralled all the anger and hurt behind the fence of “She doesn’t know better,” and now that fence had fallen and the emotions galloped out like horses finally freed.

Unintentional sin is much easier to forgive than intentional sin. But telling ourselves that deliberate sin is involuntary just because it makes it easier to forgive isn’t honest. When it comes to intentional wrongs, we must do the much harder job of forgiving without excusing.

What Forgiving Is

So forgiving isn’t pretending, forgetting, taking wrongful blame, taking revenge, or excusing. So what is it then? That topic begins in my next post.

A brief note is due: My father has changed and no longer has bouts of rage. My mother was prone to depression and was an alcoholic. I believe that before she died, she had deep regrets over many things.

Forgiving isn't excusing Share on X When it comes to intentional wrongs, we must do the hard job of forgiving w/o excusing Share on X Are you forgiving or merely managing emotions? Share on X

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

May 26, 2016/10 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Christian Living, Encouragement, Psalms

God’s Hidden Blessings

Our twenty-one-year-old Green Machine (aka Honda Accord) won’t pass the next California smog test, so we’re car shopping. (We save oodles of money by driving a car till it or Sacramento calls it quits. Since I don’t commute, that can take years.) As we drove into the big parking lots with rows of shiny cars, fluttering flags, and bright signs announcing “New!” and “Deals!,” I favored Honda because this is our second Honda that lasted twenty years with few trips to the shop.

Look for God’s hidden blessings & you’ll find joy

But last week our eleven-year-old silver CRV needed $1200 work to put out an engine light, and today it needs $1600 to fix the air conditioner that gasped, clattered, and died amidst a triple digit heat wave. Thankfully, it perished on a Sunday so driving a black labyrinth of freeways winding through brown and olive-green hills with the windows down and a big barrette clamping my hair back was rather nice. We even made a game out of counting cars with open windows during the thirty-mile drive: There were three.

But while I had forgotten the fun of a weekend open-air drive, I clearly remembered summer weekdays in stop-and-crawl traffic before AC when I would arrive at work with damp hair plastered to my forehead and neck and with the back of my blouse soaked. Yuck. Thankfully, we have the funds, so Clay took it to the Honda dealer first thing this morning and pounded away on his laptop in their chilled waiting room that smelled of coffee and just-baked chocolate chip cookies. (Yes, he indulged.)

The two big repair bills a few days apart made me wonder: Was it really that Hondas are exceptionally well made that we’ve been so blessed with low maintenance costs? Or have I been attributing to a carmaker something that was really God’s hidden blessings during tight times? There’s no way to know for sure how active God was in all of this, of course, though we do know that God takes good care of us.

God’s Hidden Blessings Come Daily

Psalm 71:15 God’s hidden blessings are beyond counting

In fact, Psalm 71:15 tells us that every day God acts for our good in ways we don’t even know about:

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.

This gem is in the middle of an elderly saint’s prayer psalm. He’s walked with God since childhood. He’s met many troubles, and he knows how to pray with hope and praise. He’s described his dilemma, recounted God’s character, and recalled God’s past help.

And something happens: He remembers his purpose is to tell others what God has done for him—a purpose that old age can’t rob from him. He announces how he’s going to do just that, for God does so much for him in twenty-four hours that he doesn’t even know the extent of God’s help!

What faith! The many ways he’s seen God act assures him that God has acted invisibly, too.

Noticing God’s Hidden Blessings

The psalmist’s attitude isn’t natural. It’s easier to forget God when things go well and blame him when things go awry. Ironically, people who are quick to grumble that God didn’t intervene in misfortune seem slowest to acknowledge the divine hand in blessings.

Conversely, those who are attune to God’s blessing begin to see his blessings even in the midst of hardship:

Jacob held to God’s promises, despite grief over news of his son’s death. He was unaware the young man was alive and in God’s care.
Joseph obeyed God, despite betrayal and false imprisonment. He was oblivious to God’s plan for him to save his family.
David sang of God’s faithfulness, despite King Saul’s jealous pursuit. He didn’t know how God would fulfill his promise to make him king.
Daniel prayed faithfully, despite the king’s edict against prayer. He wasn’t privy to God’s purpose to use this to proclaim his power throughout the empire.
Paul sang hymns, despite imprisonment. He didn’t suspect God planned an earthquake to open the prison doors.

God's hidden blessings come daily! Share on X

Am I Missing God’s Hidden Blessings?

So am I oblivious to God’s hidden blessings in my everyday life? When my health is good, do I take it for granted or do I give thanks? When it’s bad, do I complain first or do I thank God for my prior good health? Likewise, when a project goes well, do I congratulate myself on my exceptional foresight, skill, and hard work? Or do I thank God for giving me skills and help? When a project falls apart, do I blame God or do I acknowledge how my past successes may have depended on him?

Praise for God’s Hidden Blessings

The psalmist saw God’s saving hand everywhere. He knew God acted daily in his life. Looking back, he remembered that even when God made him see calamities, God always revived him. He acknowledged that God delivered him more times than he knew. And so he praised God.

Today I pause to thank God for hidden acts:

the car parts and house pipes and computer drives that lasted through the recession until funds arrived
the dangers avoided during many travels
my elderly father-in-law signing over his trust a few weeks before a mini-stroke left him mentally unfit
the mistakes I could have made but didn’t
the friends and mentors who’ve encouraged and guided

Surely, I do not know the number of his righteous acts, and I give thanks for God’s hidden blessings

I'm thankful for God's hidden blessings Share on X

August 25, 2015/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Encouragement, Bible Study, Psalms

What’s So Good about Royal Psalms?

What is a royal psalm anyway? And why should we care?

Just as today we hear many types of songs—love songs, anthems, lullabies, ballads, odes, rap and more—so the ancient Hebrews heard many types of psalms—royal psalms, wisdom songs, laments, thanksgiving songs, hymns, confidence songs, and more. Knowing a psalm’s type helps us know how to interpret it.

Royal psalms tell us how God intends to destroy evil

Acts 4 identifies all the people in Acts 2:1-3

About ten psalms are categorized as royal psalms because they’re about the Davidic monarchy; for example, a coronation song, a royal wedding song, and prayers for the king.

Since ancient Israel was a type of the heavenly kingdom, and King David was a type of King Jesus, royal psalms often have elements that apply to the kingdom of heaven and to Jesus’ reign. When they do, they’re also called Messianic psalms. Messiah means “anointed one”; Messianic psalms are about the One anointed to rule forever: Jesus. Sometimes an entire psalm can apply to Messiah Jesus, while other times just portions suit him.

Why is that important? The ten royal psalms help us celebrate our future and how God intends to end evil. They partially answer those big questions that stab our hearts when jihadists gloat over beheadings; when a friend’s spouse abandons her for a new love; and when pancreatic cancer threatens a young father.

The 10 royal psalms help us celebrate our future and how God intends to end evil Share on X

Let’s look at which psalms are royal and then see how to interpret them.

Ten Royal Psalms

Here are ten psalms scholars commonly classify as royal.

Psalm	Author	Royal Topic
Psalm 2	David	King’s coronation
Psalm 18	David	King’s battle victory
Psalm 20	David	Prayer for king for battle victory
Psalm 21	David	Praise by king for battle victory
Psalm 45	Sons of Korah	King’s wedding
Psalm 72	Solomon	Prayer for king’s dominion
Psalm 89	Ethan the Ezrahite	Davidic covenant
Psalm 101	David	King’s charter
Psalm 110	David	Priestly kingdom
Psalm 144	David	Peace by king’s victory

How to Interpret Royal Psalms

God set Jesus on the throne of the heavenly Zion

When we read royal psalms, we should consider first what they meant in their original context because that clues us in to what they mean when applied to King Jesus. Then we should look at any New Testament citations; to do this, check out your Bible’s text notes or cross references. Next, reflect on how the psalm might illuminate Jesus’ second coming and eternal reign. Finally, read the psalm with all of these contexts in mind.

Here’s a step-by-step example of how to interpret Psalm 2. Its verses are in the images so you can follow along.

Consider the Royal Psalms’ Original Purpose

How was the royal psalm originally used? For example, Psalm 2 doesn’t list an author, but Acts 4:25 tells us the Holy Spirit spoke Psalm 2 through David’s mouth. Psalm 2:7 speaks about God’s decree to David that his throne would be established forever, so Psalm 2 was probably written by David for Solomon’s coronation. After Solomon’s crowning, the kings descended from David most likely continued to use the song at their coronations since the decree was the authority by which all the sons of David ruled.

Psalm 2 was probably written by David for Solomon’s coronation Share on X

Notice Psalm 2:7 says the Lord calls the king his “son.” God called these kings “sons” because in those days, lesser kings (vassals) who served greater kings (suzerains) were referred to as “sons” of the greater king (1 Chronicles 28:5); God was the greater King whom these earthly kings served.

Still, coronations weren’t the psalm’s only use since it could inspire hope and purpose whenever the choirs sang it at the temple.

Look at New Testament Citations of Royal Psalms

The theme of Psalm 2 is in the center

How the New Testament cites the psalm tells us its current and future significance. Here are the New Testament citations of Psalm 2 (see the psalm’s text in the images).

Psalm 2:1-2
- Acts 4:25-26—Identifies all the people in Psalm 2:1-2: Jesus is the Anointed One; the Gentiles are the raging nations; the people of Israel are the peoples plotting in vain; and Herod and Pontius Pilate are the kings and rulers who set themselves against the Lord.
Psalm 2:7
- Acts 13:33—Jesus is the promised Son through whom God fulfills his promises
- Hebrews 1:5—Jesus sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high; he is superior to angels, for to no angel has God said, “You are my Son”; the Son’s inheritance in Psalm 2:8 is more excellent than angels’ inheritance
- Hebrews 5:5—God appointed Jesus, his begotten Son, to be high priest to offer sacrifices for sin

New Testament citations tell us Psalm 2 is ultimately about Jesus Share on X

Psalm 2:9
- Revelation 2:27—Jesus declares saints who conquer on earth will have authority like he has to rule with a “rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken”
- Revelation 12:5—Symbolically, a woman gives birth to a male child who will rule all nations with a “rod of iron”; a dragon tries to devour the child, but the child is caught up to God and his throne
- Revelation 19:15—Jesus as The Word of God riding on a white horse leads the armies of heaven; he will rule with a “rod of iron”; he defeats the beast, the false prophet, and the earthly armies gathered against him; the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire; the armies perish

From these we see that Psalm 2 is ultimately about Jesus. This is why most Bible translations capitalize “Anointed” in verse 2, “King” in verse 6, and “Son” in verse 7 so readers don’t miss the application to Jesus. Psalm 2 was partly fulfilled on earth when those against him crucified him. But now he sits at the right hand of God, enthroned on the heavenly Zion. Some still rebel against his rule. One day, though, he will return and end all rebellion.

Reflect on Messianic Elements in Royal Psalms

Other New Testament passages shed light on Psalm 2 even though they don’t directly cite it.

The final fulfillment of royal psalms is Jesus' reign Share on X

Remember how in verse 7 God called the kings descended from David “sons”? The relationship between the Davidic kings and the Lord God foreshadowed the greater, unique relationship between Jesus and his Father, for Jesus was born of God literally (Luke 1:32-35). When Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Revelation 21 tells the final fulfillment of royal psalms: a new heaven and new earth where God’s Son Jesus will reign forever.

Read Royal Psalms with All their Contexts in Mind

To really gain a rich understanding of and appreciation for the psalm, consider all of its contexts. Here are some suggestions for reading Psalm 2.

The King is coming so be wise

Original Context: Read the decree that Psalm 2 has as its central theme: 2 Samuel 7:12-16. Here God decrees that he will raise up one of David’s sons (Solomon) to build a temple, and he’ll establish David’s throne forever. Also consider the story of Solomon’s coronation and his brother’s two attempts to seize the throne; that’ll give you an idea of the revolt newly crowned kings often faced (1 Kings 1:5-53; 2:13-25). Then read Psalm 2 while paying attention to how it fit Solomon’s situation.
Jesus’ First Coming: Consider the rebellion Jesus faced from Jewish and Roman rulers (Acts 4:24-29) as well as Satan’s forces (symbolized in Revelation 12). Think about how that rebellion causes the stuff that fills the newspaper—evil, injustice, violence, betrayal, death, pain. Think about the Christians in other nations who are persecuted and slaughtered. Read Psalm 2 in the context of the rebellion against Jesus on earth then and now.
Jesus’ Eternal Reign: Ponder Jesus’ future reign (the White Rider in Revelation 19:11-16; the Judgment in Revelation 20:11-14; the new heaven and earth in Revelation 22:1-8). Follow that by reading Psalm 2 with the kingdom of heaven in mind.

Royal Psalms: The Hope of Messiah’s Reign

What is the hope of royal psalms like Psalm 2? It’s the hope of Messiah Jesus’ reign.

Yes, all around us we see rebellion, rejection of God and his commands, great evils, violence, death, and tears. But that is coming to an end. King Jesus is coming. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

What is the hope of royal psalms like Psalm 2? It's the hope of Messiah Jesus' reign. Share on X

July 16, 2015/3 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Encouragement, Psalms, Spiritual Practices

Psalm 2: Hope in the Midst of Injustice

Terrorists murder and maim. Con artists bilk the elderly. The rich exploit the poor. Abusers scar children. The promiscuous mock the chaste. Liars lock the innocent behind bars. Those who’ve sworn to uphold justice overturn it.

What is our hope in the midst of injustice? Psalm 2 tells us.

It’s a psalm originally composed for singing at the coronations of kings descended from David. It’s one of about ten psalms categorized as royal psalms because they’re about the Davidic monarchy.

Psalm 2:1-3 shows us from where injustice comes

A good, effective king was a cause for rejoicing. Such a king fought wickedness, judged righteously, executed justice, defended the poor, and crushed oppressors. A godly king brought the hope of justice and righteousness to the kingdom.

Since ancient Israel was a type of the heavenly kingdom, and King David was a type of King Jesus, royal psalms often have elements that apply to the kingdom of heaven and to Jesus’ reign. Psalm 2 is no exception, and the New Testament quotes it frequently, applying its words to Jesus, the Son of David. It foretells the crowning of Jesus the Anointed One—the Messiah—so it is also a Messianic psalm.

So what does Psalm 2 tell us?

God Decreed His Son King

Psalm 2:7a is the psalm’s center and tells us the psalm’s theme:

I will tell of the decree:

The rest of the verse explains the decree:

The Lord said to me,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.”

This refers to the decree God made regarding King David. When David wanted to build a temple for the Lord, he asked the prophet Nathan to ask God if that would be acceptable.

That night the Lord spoke to Nathan and told him to tell David no, David would not build a house (that is, a temple) for God, but rather God would build a house (that is, a dynasty) for David. God decreed that he would establish the throne of David’s son’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13). These sons of David would be called sons of God—a political term in those days because lesser kings (vassals) were called “sons” of the greater king (suzerain) whom they served. David and his sons were to be vassals of God.

The first son of David to reign would be Solomon. Most Bible translations capitalize “Son” so you don’t miss that the last Son is Jesus, not son in the same political sense as David’s other sons—that was mere foreshadowing of the Son of God born of a virgin. It is Jesus’ throne that will last forever.

Well and good, but what does that have to do with the evil we see around us? For that we look back to the beginning of the psalm.

Many Rebel Against the Decree

Psalm 2:1-2 (see figure) tells of a rebellion of those who don’t want to submit to the newly crowned king. Newly crowned kings often faced rebellion from those ready to test their strength. In Jesus’ case, the religious leaders rebelled and turned Jesus over to Rome to be crucified on trumped-up charges. They celebrated, thinking the threat to their authority demolished. They didn’t know God had raised Jesus from the dead and anointed him king on the heavenly Mount Zion.

Psalm 2:10-12 the final answer to injustice

Psalm 2:10-12 Those who refuse God’s Son’s rule will perish, but those who embrace it will be blessed

When Jesus ascended to heaven, his followers proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah who had sat down at the Father’s right hand. They offered the grace found in Psalm 2’s close: Be wise and warned, serve the Lord God, and “kiss the Son” (that is, pay homage to him as ruler) so that you will not perish, but have eternal life.

Today, Christians continue to spread this message in a world in which most still rebel.

For one day, trumpets will sound and the Lord will return (Matthew 24:31). On that day, it will be seen that all the plotting to reject his rule will be in vain (Psalm 2:1), and every knee will bow. Some will bow as the conquered bow, yielding to the inevitable before perishing. But those who willingly bowed on earth will bow then in gladness and joy, the hope of Jesus’ reign finally come.

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12). Yes, truly blessed: They will be in Jesus’ kingdom where there will be no injustice, no tears, no pain. All will be made right.

That is our hope in the midst of injustice today.

His Kingdom Comes!

Until that day, we pray, “Maranatha!” There in one word is the cry, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). It encapsulates what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we express our yearning for that kingdom in which our Lord rules with righteousness and justice. We offer ourselves as obedient servants longing to dwell under his reign. We agree that God’s commands are right and holy, and that justice demands sin’s wages be paid. We give thanks for Jesus paying the penalty for our sins through his death on the cross in order that we might live. We trust that as he rose from the dead, so shall we.

Maranatha!

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

July 1, 2015/0 Comments/by Jean E. Jones

Biblical Imagery and Art

Art in the Bible

Art in Church History

6 Ways Scripture Art Enhances Bible Study

1) Scripture Art Deepens Understanding

Chapter 1 – Psalm 1: The Hope of God’s Blessing

Chapter 4 – Psalm 23: The Hope of the Lord’s Good Care

Chapter 8 – Psalms 30 & 146: Hope Fulfilled

2) Scripture Art Increases Learning

3) Scripture Art Increases Meditating

4) Illustrations to Color Make Scripture Art Doable

5) Scripture Art Starts God Conversations

6) Scripture Art Enhances Group Study

a) Scripture art is inviting

b) Scripture art encourages friendships that spans generations

c) Scripture art allows people to use their gifts

Conclusion

See also

How to Transfer Bookmarks to Fabric

Optional: Add a Colored Background to the Fabric

How to Prepare Fabric to Embroider Scripture

Supplies

How to Embroider Scripture: Psalm 30:11-12

Downloads and Links

How to Embroider Scripture: Psalm 73:26

Downloads and Links

How to Meditate on God’s Words

1. Pray for Guidance

2. Meditate While Reading the Passage

3. Meditate While Reading Notes

4. Record what You Learned from Meditating in Your Bible

5. Meditate Prayerfully

6. Meditate Creatively

Resources

Best Books on Psalms #1

Quotation

Pros

Cons

Best Books on Psalms #2

Quotation

Pros

Cons

Best Books on Psalms #3

Quotation

Pros

Cons

Best Books on Psalms #4

Best Books on Psalms #5

Best Books on Psalms #6

Volume I Quotation from introductory chapters

Volume II Quotation from Psalm 51 message and application

Volume III Quotation from Psalm 137 commentary in expository form

Pros

Cons

What’s the ultimate reason behind unforgiveness? Part 5 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

Unforgiveness & a Cry for Help

Unforgiveness & a Cry for Justice

Unforgiveness Stripped Away

How Excusing Sin Leads to Unforgiveness

We can Choose to Forgive

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

How do we take hold of faith to forgive when forgiving is tough? Part 4 of “Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions.”

It takes Faith to Forgive Sins that Cause Great Loss

It takes Faith to Forgive Malicious Slander

It takes Faith to Forgive Wrongs Committed Over and Over and OVER

It takes Faith to Forgive Betrayal

My Right?

Beyond God’s Redemption?

A Prayer of Faith

Forgive Intentional Sin—Don’t Just Manage Emotions | In this series:

Previously

Confessing and Forgiving Come Before Confronting

Confessing and Forgiving: “Forgive Us our Debts”

1) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal Recent Sins

2) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal Similar Sins

3) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal Associated Sins

Speaking Truth in the Heart

Confessing and Forgiving: “As We Forgive our Debtors”

1) Ask the Holy Spirit to Reveal the Truth about What I’m Forgiving

2) Name the Person and the Sin