1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"

From Background Notes [BN] for June 4th & 5th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Kingship ultimately is about heart-ship.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent

From Background Notes [BN] for May 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our knowledge of God in Jesus Christ is not merely an intellectual activity consisting only of propositional statements about God. Beyond our thoughts... 

Genesis 15:18

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates

From Background Notes [BN] for May 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

On that day which celebrated the abundant heart of God, Yahweh saved Abraham.

Genesis 15:1

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In our study this week, we turn our attention to the heart of God. Biblical writers are sparse in directly using the word “heart” with reference to God. But...

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

“Penetrates, divides, judges, uncovers, lays bare, gives an account.” These are strong verbs of our heart check, and...

Psalm 19:14

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jesus [also] desired his followers to have words that come from hearts that pleased God. He says in our text, “Words either condemn or acquit the condition of the heart, for they are its overflow.”

Luke24:25

He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

From Background Notes [BN] for May 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Flooded with darkness, their hearts could neither understand, nor feel, nor respond to the risen Jesus who walked with them in his newly resurrected body.

Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

From Background Notes [BN] for May 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

To be single-hearted restores the unity of our persons, replacing the divided self with the wholeness of persons once created by God and now reborn in His likeness.

Luke 8:2

...and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out

From Background Notes [BN] for May 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Were these actual forms of demon possession or were they mental disorders or, perhaps, a combination of these?

Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 14th & 15th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

(This week) We will consider the central and vital aspects of human nature created by God and which give identity to human beings as made in the image of God.

Proverbs 31:10

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

We've chosen to end these Background Notes with a return to an ancient text from the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible.

Genesis 2:18

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What Genesis 2 brings to our understanding of Genesis 1 is the inner workings of God's creative act in the case of "humanity", something we do not see in relationship to the other living things. Why "male and female" for human beings?

Exodus 20:12

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

From Background Notes [BN] for May 7th & 8th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Israel’s story is filled with the lives of many honored women, some of whom were literal mothers, while the others represent motherhood on a higher level.