Mark 1; Luke 3; Matthew 3 The Traits of a True Servant of God The prophets Isaiah and Malachi prophesied that God would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing to his people in due season. John the Baptist was that blessing that came in the form of the true servant, humble […]
Matthew 2; Luke 2:39-52 Sometimes God speaks to us in a dream as he did with Joseph of Genesis and Joseph, the husband of Mary here in Matthew. First, when Joseph hears of Mary’s pregnancy, the angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream to not fear but “arise” and take Mary to be his […]
Isaiah 49 Eternally Secure Of all the disciples, only John remained at the cross and witnessed the death of Jesus. Later Jesus came and stood before them, but Thomas was absent. He had said I will not believe unless I can put my hands in the holes where the nails penetrated. Jesus lovingly came and […]
Eccl 7 – 12 After 12 whole chapters of pithy sayings, Solomon finally concludes that all that he has found has little of any value. Only what is done for God will pass the test of time and eternity. He poses the last question by asking us to choose what we will build on. Eccl […]
2 Chron 2-3, 1Kings 5-6 There is a church in a city in Florida that has sat for years untended and unfinished. Whoever was in charge did not seek peace, and today the courts are in control with no resolution. Recalling that image and the backstory is so unlike the story before us today. David’s […]
Proverbs 19 As Solomon sat in his throne room, receiving people, we can see how practical he was at solving their problems and giving wise advice. He noted from his many interactions that poor people were either accepted or rejected by society, much like James saw. He stressed that “Wealth adds many friends, but a […]
Song of Solomon Ch 1-8 The author, supposedly King Solomon, shares intimate details about his life as king, husband, lover, and friend. It may be that he recorded this as one would record a day in their diary. Many scholars differ on the intents and purposes of this letter. However, it is thus inspired by […]
2Chron 1, 1Kings 3-4, Ps 72 There is a saying these days: what is on your bucket list or what is on your wish list. Did you ever think God would want to know what is on yours? After a very long day of celebration fitting for a new king, Solomon retired for the night […]
Leviticus 21 What does it mean to be holy in an unholy world? It means that we stand apart from that which is profane. It means that we see ourselves as saved by His grace and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It means we are to ask ourselves if we are partnering with […]
Lev 5 “It is all about holiness before a holy God.” One phrase is repeated in this chapter about sin: “even if he did not realize it…” This is not talking about intentional rebellion, but those sins that we unintentionally commit and then realize. When sin brings guilt we have a choice: we can ignore […]
