Posts by Josh Moody

1 Kings 4-5, Psalm 119:17-24, Luke 1:39-56, Ephesians 2:1-10 Psalm 119:17-24: One of the primary mistakes that we tend to make when we think of studying God’s Word is to under-emphasize its supernatural quality. That is, we treat the Bible too much as a puzzle to interpret by our own strength, instead of doing the truly hard work…

1 Kings 2-3, Psalm 119:9-16, Luke 1:26-38, Ephesians 1:15-23 Psalm 119:9-16: The question with which this part of Psalm 119 opens is a question that has troubled young men from time immemorial. It is ever pertinent and important, and sometimes for some people seemingly unattainable. “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (119:9). While the psalmist…

1 Kings 1, Psalm 119:1-8, Luke 1:1-25, Ephesians 1:1-14 Psalm 119:1-8: We begin a journey through one of the most famous Psalms—as well as the longest chapter—in the Bible. It is well-known for its advocacy for God’s law. This strikes a strange note to many people today because they view law as equivalent to legalism, but the two…

2 Samuel 23-24, Psalm 118, Mark 16, Galatians 6 Psalm 118: The main theme of this psalm is the love of God, but that love is revealed in a specific place. Our tendency is to view God’s love as something generic, not particular, as something non-defined, not as something revealed at a particular point in time. Here, this…

2 Samuel 22, Psalm 117, Mark 15:42-47, Galatians 5:13-26 Psalm 117: The Psalms give many reasons (that is “affections” = the combination of both reason and feeling that moves the will towards action) to praise God. It is important for us to have such motivation. When we come to church, we can otherwise find that we are stalled…

2 Samuel 20-21, Psalm 116, Mark 15:33-41, Galatians 5:1-12 Psalm 116: We are told often that we are to love God. But why? To ask such a question seems sacrilegious. After all, are we not meant to love God out of duty? Or, are we not meant to love God because he is eminently lovable? But then why…

2 Samuel 18-19, Psalm 115, Mark 15:16-32, Galatians 3:15-21 Psalm 115: The psalm starts with an insistence that all of us would do well to recall and regularly recite: “Not to us” but to God’s name be the glory (115:1). Service to God is not to be self-service. Ironically, sometimes it is possible to seem as if we…

2 Samuel 16-17, Psalm 114, Mark 15:1-15, Galatians 4:1-20 Psalm 114: When we talk of “God’s presence,” we often think these days of something mild, pleasant, gentle. Certainly, the thought that “he leadeth me,” as the hymn puts it, has “heavenly comfort” to it. But according to this psalm, there is another side to the thought that God…

2 Samuel 14-15, Psalm 113, Mark 14:66-72, Galatians 3:15-29 Psalm 113: This psalm is obviously a psalm of praise. But it is one thing to say “praise the Lord”; it is another thing to be compelled with authenticity to praise the Lord. This psalm bridges the gap between instruction to praise and fuel for our praises. Consider these…

2 Samuel 13, Psalm 112, Mark 14:53-65, Galatians 3:1-14 Psalm 112: There are lots of theories around about how to be “successful.” Perhaps one of the most famous is called “how to win friends and influence people.” Another is called “the seven habits of highly effective people.” This is a mere taste of the numerous books, online resources,…