Romans 9-11 The Heart of Paul As the minister sent to preach the gospel, Paul’s heart is torn because his own people have rejected the Messiah of whom he preached. They saw the evidence of His miracles, listened as He taught, preached, and healed, but they instead cried, Crucify Him! Put his blood on our […]
Acts 17 Jealousy Raises its Ugly Head Jealousy means unpleasant suspicion or apprehension of rivalry. Keep that in mind as you wander into the city and synagogue of Thessalonica. Paul is on a mission to present the gospel message to as many as he can, recalling what the Lord told him: you are my chosen […]
John 18-21 Sin began in a garden, and it was in a garden that sin lost its hold. It was there that Mary met Rabbi Jesus, and perhaps these words of this hymn resonated in her heart: “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I […]
John 7-9 Jesus is tested by the populace, the religious leaders, and the Pharisees. He notes that three things keep people from believing: saying Jesus is good, but He is not God; He is a deceiver; and lastly, the fear of being ostracized. The latter is a reminder of Prov 29:25 “the fear of man […]
John 1-3 Remember the folk tale of the Tortoise and the Hare? Challenged to a race, they set off, and along the way, the hare became sleepy and lay down to nap. Steadily the Tortoise kept on, and when the hare awoke, to his dismay, saw that Tortoise was at the finish line. Some take […]
Matt 1-4 It has been 400 yrs. of silence since Malachi closed the OT. It was as if God rolled up the heavens like men roll up a scroll. What was He doing? What was He saying? What took place in those years? Today just as long ago, people were born, lived, and died. Rulers […]
Malachi 1-4 The Three “R’s”Today if you speak to people about church attendance and Bible reading, they often turn up their noses and say, like the Israelites of old, it is useless, and besides that, there are hypocrites in the church. [Mal 3:14] They have a warped view and, like Asaph in Ps 73, see […]
Zechariah 7-8 God and People NoticeWhen others hear my voice or see my actions, what does it tell them about my Christian walk and talk? The leaders in Bethel came to inquire about their practices of fasting. They expected to hear that all they were doing was righteous and pleasing to God, but they were […]
Zechariah 3-6 Saved, Sanctified, ServiceSatan is the accuser of the brethren, but we have an advocate in Jesus Christ. He was the Advocate for Joshua, the high priest in Zechariah’s time, and he is our Advocate now. Why do we need an advocate? We need one because we are just like Joshua, blackened with sin, […]
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 […]
