As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. (2 Thessalonians 3:1) When is the last time you prayed for a fellow Christian that the message of the Lord would spread rapidly and be honored? Personally, I'm convicted by that question. It's easy to lose sight of our ... [Continue Reading]
The Law of Sowing and Reaping (Galatians 4-6)
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6:7) Have you ever tried to plant something? My wife, Kari, has an uncle who is a farmer. One day we went out reaping the harvest of corn with him in his big farm machinery. It was pretty fun. I learned an important but simple lesson: if you plant corn seed then you have corn grow. ... [Continue Reading]
Fighting God (Acts 5-6)
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39) There are people, who with good intentions, end up opposing God. It’s a scary thought, ... [Continue Reading]
Malarkey (Luke 24)
But [the disciples] did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. (Luke 24:11) If you grew up going to church, then for you, it's probably somewhat assumed and accepted that Jesus died and rose again. After all, we tend to believe the things that we're taught from a young age without giving them a lot of thought. However, the idea that ... [Continue Reading]
Are You In the Closet? (Mark 11; John 12)
...for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (John 12:43) The miracle involving raising Lazarus from the dead was a pretty convincing sight for those who hadn’t yet decided what they thought of Jesus. It’s hard to deny the deity of a man who is able to bring someone else back to life. John (as well as other Gospel writers) tells us that the Pharisees wanted ... [Continue Reading]
Where Were You? (John 11)
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) There are moments when we wonder where God is. If only He showed up in the situation, then things wouldn’t have turned out the way that they did… I wouldn’t have lost my job… my loved one wouldn’t have died… the accident wouldn’t have happened… things would be different. ... [Continue Reading]
Ignore the Naysayers (John 9:1-10:21)
[The man born blind] replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25) Personal experience is hard to disqualify. People may tell you that what you experienced wasn’t real, but deep down, you know what happened. You know what to believe. When it comes to faith, personal experience is of utmost ... [Continue Reading]
How Much Do I Trust? (Matthew 9-10)
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2) Trust seems like such a simple thing, and in some respects it is. It's simple to trust that the chair I'm sitting in won't collapse under my weight. After all, I have lots of experience sitting in chairs. It's ... [Continue Reading]
Of Sowers and Soil (Matthew 8:14-34; Mark 4-5)
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.” (Mark 4:3) Sowing seed is an incredibly important role for a farmer. If he wants to reap any kind of harvest, then he needs to sow some sort of seed - he can't simply hope to reap a harvest in a field where no planting has taken place. So he (or she) must sow diligently. However, not all seed falls in a place that will ... [Continue Reading]
A Hidden Treasure? (Matthew 13; Luke 8)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44) Jesus told a story of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. He realized the great value of what he had found, so he quickly gathered as much money as he could by selling his ... [Continue Reading]
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