Jesus' woes to the Scribes and to the Pharisees all boil down to one thing: legalism. The Scribes and Pharisees were masters and dotting all of their "i's" and crossing all of their "t's", but they missed the point of why that should happen. Instead of obeying God because they loved Him, they were trying to earn His ... [Continue Reading]
True cowards (Mark 11; John 12)
I just found a line in John 12:42-43 (ESV) that I don't ever remember reading: Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.People believed in Jesus, but they ... [Continue Reading]
It takes time (Luke 18:15-19:48)
Zacchaeus wasn't exactly the most popular man in town, but that didn't seem to stop Jesus from visiting his house. In fact, in those days the tax collectors were the most hated people around because they made a living by legally "stealing" from their peers. Head tax collectors (like Zacchaeus) bought the right from Rome to impose taxes on ... [Continue Reading]
Jesus wasn ‘ t a ” Mr. Rogers ” (Matthew 20-21)
It really bothers me that all of the pictures of Jesus that we see around the church involve Him holding little children or tending flocks of sheep. Though these are accurate portrayals of Him, they do not fully represent Him. When Jesus turned over the tables in the temple He was angry. He didn't always have sheep and children around Him; Jesus ... [Continue Reading]
It ‘ s not easy being rich (Matthew 19; Mark 10)
Believe it or not, rich people have more problems than non-rich people. And a person can never seem to have wealth. No one says, "I'm rich enough," and everyone thinks that the rich people are the ones who are in at least the next income bracket above their own. Jesus had a lot to say about wealth, and the rich young ruler was in for a ... [Continue Reading]
What will you be found doing? (Luke 17:11-18:14)
Jesus warns us that the days of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah: people will be going about their regular routines, and suddenly their lives will be interrupted in a very unexpected way. People will be eating, drinking, working, sleeping, and doing everything that they normally do, except on this day what they are doing will matter. God cares ... [Continue Reading]
Sometimes it doesn ‘ t make sense (John 11)
There are times when God does things that just don't make sense. In the case of Lazarus' death, we learn that Jesus tarried at coming to his aid because of His love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. In our minds, it would make sense for Jesus to rush to Lazarus' aid because of his love rather than to waste time. The lesson for us is that we ... [Continue Reading]
Don ‘ t be a stumbling block (Luke 16-17:10)
If you are a human, then you will be tempted to do something at some point in your life. That is a given; it's not disputable. Whether or not you cause someone else to be tempted, however, is something that is under your control. It's a sobering thought that you or I could be the reason why someone gave into sin. It's even more ... [Continue Reading]
The Bitter Son (Luke 14-15)
I have often been fascinated by the bitter son in the story of the Prodigal. I have not lived a perfect life by any stretch of the imagination, but I also wouldn't consider myself a total prodigal - especially having become a Christian at four years of age and never straying too far from a relationship with the Lord. In light of that, the bitter son ... [Continue Reading]
Let tomorrow worry for itself (Luke 12-13)
I tend to be a futuristic thinker. By that I mean I typically am not consumed with what happened in the past, nor am I focused on the moment. Instead, I tend to think about what will come. This isn't necessarily a bad thing until it comes at the cost of "treasuring the moment." I'm not a "stop and smell the roses" ... [Continue Reading]
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