The Family Bible Journey Podcast

There was a fascinating practice of the Corinthians where they offered clay replicas of hurting or diseased body parts to Aesclepias for healing. They understood the connections between body parts better than most ancients. Paul builds on their understanding to make a case for unity and building each other up in the Church, instead of taking each other for granted.

We rejoice in the God Who has become our Salvation! These psalms of praise have more beautiful promises of God that were fulfilled in Jesus. We are made even more confident in our salvation because God told us how Jesus would redeem us hundreds of years before He was born!

In Psalm 116, God gives us a glimpse into His perspective on death. Instead of something to be feared, death is but the portal for His people into His eternal presence.

Christ comes to us in His Supper, to forgive us, strengthen our faith, and encourage all who commune together. We learn how the Corinthian cultural context led these Christians astray, and lessons we can learn from their struggles.

True godliness is possible only when we do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. But we are free to practice these things very differently. Apparently, in Corinth, head coverings had become a divisive issue. We learn why we should, and how we can encourage others in faith, even if their practice is quite different from ours.

Each of these psalms encourage us to join in the unending and eternal praise of God Almighty. All the false gods of this life are products of human imagination. We are focused on the all-surpassing God, Who's surpassing greatness and love are ever on the lips of his creatures.

Even though the Old Testament saints didn't know the Name of their Savior, they knew much about Who He Is, and what He would do for them. These psalms moves us to praise the God Who so clearly laid out His plan of salvation in advance, for our encouragement.

We learn how specific types of Christ from the Old Testament are great encouragements to us in our life of faith. It is so much easier learning from the mistakes of others than making them ourselves. Here we are reminded of the enduring value of types from the Old Testament.

What gets you excited? Not jsut a little excited. So excited that you would go out of your way to experience it? A favorite artist? Your favorite team? In this psalm we hear what gets God really excited.

The last book of psalms begins with confident assertions that God is always with His people. We can never outrun God and His love. He is ever with us to defend and protect us.

Paul challenges both pastors and people in this chapter. He challenges the people who were not supporting the workers in the church, expecting them to serve them for free. He also challenged pastors who would lord over their people. In this chapter, we see that we all have room for growth, as we aspire to be all things to all people.

This psalm reminds Israel of the many times their ancestors had strayed from God and how poorly things went when they did. When we learn from the mistakes of others, we are spared from suffering many consequences. The psalm ends with a plea for salvation and by blessing the God who saves His people.

God made the world for us to enjoy! So, let us live knowing we are blessed by God to enjoy beauty, food and the work we do.

God gives us freedom, as He does every other good gift, to benefit others. If we think it is ok to needlessly offend others, we are the fools. Instead of pleasing ourselves, we are called to please God by lifting each other up.

A psalm of repentance is followed by a classic psalm of praise that describes God's unlimited love in unequivocal terms. How did the psalmist know how to accurately describe God's love by using two perfect measures of God's love? Only by inspiration of the Holy Spirit is this possible!

These psalms of praise are capped off with an encouragement to live into the Lord's way of purity. What we fill our time and eyes and mind with is determinative in the character and quality of our life. Recognizing God's wisdom and love, we are encouraged to live pure and decent lives in all we say and do.

Paul talks about the real blessings and burdens of marriage. Being wed to another human being gives us ample opportunity to practice godly virtues. But whether or not we are married, we are called to godliness. Here we consider the real-life applications of our faith, whether we are married or single.

These psalms describe humanity and all of creation praising God for Who He Is! All other gods are figments of human imagination. When we praise the Lord for Who He Is, we join in the unending chorus of all creation.

God's people had been exiled, at least in part, because their leaders had embraced ungodliness instead of righteousness. In these psalms, leaders are reminded that God is not a fool, and will not be mocked, even if we fool ourselves or others. At the same time, the righteous are encouraged in godliness, because godly virtues will never grow old.

Sex is the most intimate of human connections. Used according to God's design, it's a great blessing. Taken out of marriage, it causes great harm. Here we are encouraged to lead pure and decent lives in all we say and do.

In this fourth book of the psalms, our focus shifts to God as an eternal king. It is likely that many, if not all of these psalms were written after the monarchies of Israel and Judah had fallen. Living under other rulers, God's people long for the righteous reign of God.

A fitting end to the third book of the psalms, this is an easter psalm. It rejoices in God's victory for His people. We sing it today, mindful of all the promises Jesus fulfilled for us.

Sexual scandals, such as the one in this chapter, have caused untold damage to the Church. Victims are further victimized when we tolerate such evil, and outsiders are fair when they lose faith in those caught up in such scandals. As Christians, we must confront sexual immorality in our ranks, while repenting of the evils of our age, and pursuing godliness in our relationships.

This solitary psalm of David in the third book of the psalms is a plea that God would preserve Him. Even though David was soiled with sin and had nothing to offer God, he knew God loved Him. When we are brought low, we too can pray to God, knowing that He loves to lift us up!