To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16) I grew up with pictures like this of Jesus. Our old sanctuary had stained glass images of him with sheep or on the cross. Pictures in the hallway had children sitting on his lap. I don't remember dogs in the pictures as depicted above, but they probably ... [Continue Reading]
Tell Him to Go Away! (Matthew 4; Luke 4-5; John 1:15-51)
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!” (Matthew 4:10a) Did you know that you can tell Satan to go away? In fact, that's the method that Jesus used to get rid of the Tempter on more than one occasion. The great news for people who are trusting in Jesus' death for the forgiveness of sins is that we're not simply forgiven of our sins, but the power of sin is also ... [Continue Reading]
Not Exactly Timid (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
But when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (Matthew 3:7) There are times when it's important to timid in our response to others, and then there are times to speak the truth. What I find fascinating about John the Baptist is that ... [Continue Reading]
Acting Out of Fear (Matthew 2; Luke 2:39-52)
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. (Matthew 2:16) Fear causes us to be irrational. We've all known people who, because they were afraid, made stupid decisions. Perhaps ... [Continue Reading]
A Twisted Family History (Matthew 1; Luke 2:1-38)
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife... (Matthew 1:6b) Legacy matters, doesn't it? I love hearing stories of my grandparents who are no longer around... and stories of their parents and siblings. What's amazing about their stories is that they affect my own story. The legacy that someone else in your family leaves does have an impact on ... [Continue Reading]
A Nice Story (Luke 1; John 1:1-4)
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (Luke 1:18) Sometimes it feels like things just aren't going to work out for me. Yes, I've heard about what God has done in the past for other people, but it seems unlikely that He'll show up in my situation. And yet, there's something about reading the story of ... [Continue Reading]
Guilt
Once again, today is a day of silence - there is no devotional reading. The silence symbolizes God's silence to Israel between the time of Malachi and John the Baptist. Israel stood before God as a guilty people - that nation's sins were great. However, the status of guilt was about to change. Through Christ, we are not guilty anymore. The following are lyrics for a ... [Continue Reading]
Silence
There is no devotional reading for today. The time between Malachi (the final prophet of the Old Testament) and John the Baptist was about 400 years. In that period of silence, the nation of Israel wondered where God was and what He was doing. It's interesting that the greatest period of silence was also the period wherein God was preparing to do His greatest ... [Continue Reading]
Anything But the Best (Malachi)
“It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ By offering defiled food on my altar.” (Malachi 1:6b-7a) The book of Malachi highlights something that we don't really talk about much, and that's the heart of worship. Particularly when it comes to a worship service, there is a temptation to use the time as an ... [Continue Reading]
Defending What’s Right (Nehemiah 10:28-39; 11:1-2; 12:27-47; 13)
But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. (Nehemiah 13:21) It is believed that Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” Sadly, the great temptation of many good men and women is ... [Continue Reading]
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