Luke 16 To totally understand the parable of the “unjust steward” Jesus wants us to take time from our recess and stick around a little more during discussion time. He is saying you need to connect the dots between what He taught in Luke 15 and Luke 16. Listen, all three stories teach us principles […]
Matthew 18 Little Children The disciples were trying to ascertain if they had the qualities to be the greatest in the kingdom. So, Jesus told them that they had to love as a child, and at the end of this dialog, he reminded them how one must forgive repeatedly. These are the qualities of humility. […]
Mark 6 In Proverbs we read: the fear of man is a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. [Prov 29:25] In this chapter we meet two men, one who is fearful of all men and one who is not. One has fallen into the snare or trap of the […]
Mark 1; Luke 3; Matthew 3 Fast Forward Once John the Baptist opened the hearts of men, people revealed the depths of their longing for the Messiah and His power. God does not disappoint, and Jesus comes onto the scene, proving he is the long-awaited Messiah. John was the voice; Jesus, the messenger prophesied long […]
Matthew 1 How would you respond if you had heard the news of your fiancee’s pregnancy and you knew it was not from you? Joseph was obviously very distressed as he was a man of integrity. Matthew records these words about him: “a righteous man,..he did not want to disgrace her,” He took these words to heart but did not act unrighteously […]
Malachi 1-4 Malachi, Malachi, what are you telling me? You are telling me the same thing Jeremiah has told me in chapter 3 of his book. People are sinful and unrepentant. They are told that simple statement and reject it. Both authors use the Socratic method of God asking a question and the people responding. […]
Nehemiah 11- 13, Ps 126: Are you Fickle or Faithful? As we close this book, we are reminded that God is sovereign. He sees and knows all that is going on, and He alone raises up and puts down men/women for his purpose. We also see that hearts need to be changed before work and […]
Nehemiah 6 Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, had been given permission to return to Jerusalem. He knew from being in the king’s presence that day after day, challengers arose. Nehemiah watched stored insights and became astute in how to handle these challengers. What a great learning environment that God had planned for Nehemiah. Have you stopped […]
Esther 1-5 One thing we learn from this story is how God can and will use even the impulsiveness of a king to bring about His plan to preserve His people. King Ahasuerus, as we have seen in chapter one, is an impulsive king. He makes snap judgments without thinking of the long-term consequences. He […]
Zechariah 1-7 Return and Be Blessed The OT prophets have a recurring theme for the Jews: they must return to God and His ways in order for Him to bless them. They remind the Jews that way back in Moses’ time, God clearly told them how He would bless them, and here it is again […]
