We all know that enduring the Cross is not a menial task. Still, Jesus endured it, even though he struggled at first when he said, “ Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me… ” (Luke 22:42). But what made him do it anyway? Hebrews 12:1 says that Jesus endured the shame of the Cross because of the “ Joy ” that was set before him. What Joy did Jesus see in the Cross? You see, when Jesus endured the Cross, he did not do it for himself. When he looks at the Cross, he understands the pain and the suffering that he must undergo. Still, he does it anyway because it brings Joy to him, knowing that the ones who believe in his death on the Cross will be saved. There was Joy because he saw you and me entrenched in sin and in need of healing, so freeing us from the shackles of sin and death gave him immense Joy. That Joy is his love for us. Therefore, let us be reminded on this Good Friday that Jesus endured the Cross with Joy because he saw us at the end of it all. Let his de...

“…hynrei, uta uba sngewsarong to un sngewsarong ha kane, ba u shemphang, bad ba u ithuh ïa nga...” Jeremiah 9:24 Haba ngi peit bniah ïa ka pyrthei mynta, ngi shem ba ka pynkiew skong ia kiba stad, kiba don ka spah ka phew, bad ïa kiba don ka bor. Hynrei, ha ka por ka jong u Jeremiah, u kren pyrshah ia kiba kum kita (9:23). Bad dei namarkata ka daw, ba ka hima Judah ka khyllem noh ha ki kti jong u Nebuchadnezzar. Ka daw bah kadei namarba ki nongialam jong ka ri, ki nongialam niam, bad ka ri hi baroh kawei, kam ithuh shuh ïa u Blei (2:8; 9:6). Haba pyndonkam ïa katei ka kyntien ‘ithuh,’ ha kaba iadei bad u Blei, bunsien hi, ka thew sha ka jingïadei kaba shimet ka jong u Blei bad ki briew jong u; ka thew sha ka jingïadei kaba jylliew. Shuh shuh, haba ong, “ithuh ia u Blei,” ka mut ruh ban sngewthuh, ba u Blei u long “U Trai uba leh ïa ka jingleh ieit, ïa ka jingbishar, bad ïa ka hok, ha ka khyndew,” [1] naba ha kine, u Blei u sngewbha eh (v. 24). Dei haba ngi leh ia kitei, hakhmat u ...

“Jar uba long uba lah ban shaniah ha iba khyndiat eh, u long uba lah ban shaniah ha kaba shibun ruh...” Lukas 16:10 Baroh ngi kwah ban poi sha kliar ki lum jong ka jingim, hynrei, phewse kiba bun na ngi ngim poi sha kata ka thong. Ngi hap ban kylli jingkylli, balei ka long kumta. Ka jingkylli ia ngi ka long, hato U Blei u lah ne em ban shaniah ia ngi ha ki kam kiba rit tam jong ka jingim? Lada ngi kwah tang ki kam kiba khraw ha ka pyrthei hynrei ia ki kam kiba rit ngi kyntiat, ngi long ki shakri ki bymhok. U Blei um khang ia kiba kwah ban long nongialam, ban don ka spah ka phew, ne kano kano ka bha ha ka jingim, hynrei kadei ban long da ka lynti kaba khuid kaba suba, kaba wanrah burom ia U Blei ha ka imlang ka sahlang. Namarkata, ha ka Bible hi, ka lynti shajrong ka long ban ngin hiar shuwa shapoh, lymda kumta, watla ngi poi sha kliar ki lum jong ka jingim, ngi long kiba suda, namar U Blei um don lem ban ngi hangta. PC: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-of-mountains-132...

Christmas season is a celebration of the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and a time to ponder and imagine more about how the scripture expresses the message of Christmas. The concept of the word ‘Immanuel’ is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 1:23, when it says, “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Immanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”” This Immanuel, who is Jesus Christ, is prophesied first in Isaiah 7:14. In both the context of Matthew and Isaiah, it was written when the people of Israel were going through turmoil because of war and foreign domination. In both instances, it gives hope to the people of God because it assures them that God is with them through thick and thin. It is the greatest promise that has ever been fulfilled. Still, he is with us even today through our trials and hardships. However, along with the promise of Immanuel, there is also the promise of ‘Bemanuel,’ which means “God in us”. The promise of Bemanuel is...

When reading Noah’s flood story and the Exodus account, our simplemindedness will only look at these narratives merely as the manifestation of God’s anger on humanity in the story of the flood and God’s triumph over Pharoah and the Egyptians to free the Israelites. Rarely will one look at these narratives as accounts with overtones parallel to the creation account (Genesis 1, 2). Furthermore, very rarely will we see that they also have ecological concerns embedded in them. Therefore, this paper will investigate the flood narrative and the Exodus account as parallels to the first creation account in Genesis only in part because it will only emphasize parallels that explicitly relate more to the ecological concerns embedded in the narratives. It will also reiterate the reason for an ecological crisis in the creation accounts in relation to modern-day context. It will also try to bring some implications for today’s context. In doing so, it will proceed first with Israel’s understanding of...

Secular literary forms and theories have been applied widely to the Old Testament in the recent past because they have unearthed new interpretations and insights from the Bible. More importantly, they have made the Bible relevant to today’s context. Even though they have their pros and cons, nonetheless, they have opened new doors in the study of the Hebrew Bible. Therefore, this paper will present a brief overview of some prominent secular literary forms and theories applied in the Old Testament. It will also discuss the scholarly views on using such literary forms and theories. Ultimately, it will critically evaluate briefly the applications of such forms and theories on the scripture. Therefore, we begin with what secular literary forms are. For the rest of the paper, please visit the following link: https://www.academia.edu/124327261/Secular_Literary_Forms_and_Theories_in_the_Old_Testament