John 7 and 8 If you plant a kernel of wheat in the ground, it cannot grow without tender care. Nicodemus was given that kernel with the words “you must be born again.” [Jn 3] Now, it is months later, and that kernel of faith has been growing in small incremental steps. Will it pass […]
Mark 7, Matt 15 “Rules of Men and Rules of God” We are caught up in men’s rules: do thus and so because if you don’t, you won’t reach heaven. Martin Luther was caught in that vicious cycle. When he was at the Vatican, he crawled on his knees in penance. Later, he would read […]
Matthew 9 and 10 Jesus spent a fair amount of time walking among the people, listening to their conversations. He saw those paralyzed both physically and spiritually. He saw a desperate father in need of direction when all around him was collapsing. He encountered religious leaders who could not or would not see the helpless, […]
Mark 4-5; Matthew 8:14-31 To Leave the Results to God Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would” bring good news to the afflicted; bind up the brokenhearted; proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners;” [Isa 61:1] Yet, some did not experience those blessings because Satan, the master deceiver, had one goal: to blind “the minds […]
2Kings 14, 2Chron 26 You have heard this phrase: “the apple never falls far from the tree.” We find the truth of that parable in the life of King Uzziah, the son of Amaziah. Amaziah had a problem with pride, and Uzziah, it seems, had the same problem. So whereas many wanted to see the […]
Prov 5 There is an old saying, “loose lips sink ships.” Solomon wisely counseled his children to avoid that which seduces. It is tragic that later in Solomon’s life, his many wives turned his heart away from God. Seduction is one of Satan’s tools to disarm and destroy. He does it by twisting scripture, adding […]
Psalm 119 Here is a simple method for reading and pondering the words of scripture. Begin with a series of questions. For example, in the first stanza of 119, there are just eight verses. Try asking, as you read, some or all of these questions. Follow this example: What words are repeated? blessed What attribute […]
Exodus 36 to 38 That phrase was coined in the early ’20s to sell Victor Radios, but, in reality, chapter 36 shows us the gift that keeps on giving. God is the one who gifts each person. He gifted the artisans to build the Tabernacle, but He also gifted the people with a willing heart […]
Genesis 30 and 31 Integrity Neither Jacob nor Laban are considered to be faithful and men of integrity. Their words and actions reveal their hearts, but when Jacob remarks, “my integrity will testify for me later on,” we want to add our yes and amen. How often do we echo words such as those and then […]
Philemon “Fear and Faith” God in his sovereign love directed the runaway slave Onesimus from Colossae to encounter Paul, an aged prisoner, somewhere in Rome. Watching Paul and hearing his story, he would see, not fear but a peace that passes all understanding. He would learn the truth and power of forgiveness that would forever […]
