Read 2 Samuel 7:1-16 Last week Psalm 95 gave us an example of how to worship God as a mighty creator exalted above his creation. This week we are brought deeper into the life of King David, the worshipper-in-chief of the nation. The ark of the covenant has returned to the City of David. David humbled himself “dancing with all …
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT Read Hosea 14 and Mark 12:28-34 It is time for the question & answer period and you know Jesus is going to love this! The self-righteousscribes and Sadducees’ have amassed hundreds of laws. – 613 by one historian’s count! Some religiousleaders tried to distinguish between major & minor laws, and some taught that all laws were equallybinding …
Read Psalm 25:1-10 & Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiveness is defined as “the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven.” Christians and non-Christians alike understand that the process of forgiveness implies the work of two people to reconcile a relationship. It should not come as a surprise that God created us and desired a relationship with us, but as soon as …
Outsiders Being Healed Over Insiders Read 2 Kings 5: 1-15 and Luke 4: 16-30 Jesus changed things. When Jesus left heaven to come to earth, the people of Israel had been through hundreds of years of silence from God. Crickets. This left plenty of time to envision what the long-awaited Messiah would look like and what He would do for …
We learn in the New Testament that Jesus used stories on a regular basis to teach eternal lessons.These stories are called parables, and one such parable is found in Matthew 21:33-46. This storyis known as The Parable of the Tenants (see also Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-18; Isaiah 5:1-7). InMatthew 21:23, we read that the chief priests and elders questioned Jesus’ …
Read Psalm 1 The introduction to the entire Book of Psalms just seems to roll off tongue. What a beautiful summary of what it looks like to be a child of God! We are not walking,standing, or sitting in the same way as everyone else. Our lives look very different because theyare very different!From where is the source of this …
Read Matthew 20:17-23 Something that all of us with zero combat experience should realize is that we really have no clue what combat veterans have really been through (for which I am deeply grateful). Historical records prove this, as some have worried that “their generation’s great war” would end before they “got a chance to get in it”. The combat …
Read Psalm 50 and Matthew 23:1-12 Talk is cheap.” “Actions speak louder than words.” “Do as I say, not as I do.” “Don’t talk about it, be about it.” You’ve no doubt heard or said some version of these phrases and we all understand their meaning. Though they may not be explicitly Scripture-based, these types of phrases are certainly in …
Read Daniel 9: 4-10 and Luke 6: 36-38 Webster’s Dictionary defines humility as “a modest or low view of one’s own importance”. C.S. Lewis once said “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less”. As followers of Christ, both of these definitions have relevance. Humility is a tricky characteristic. Saying, “I am a humble person” seems …
Read Psalm 130 & Matthew 5:20-26 Anger is a result of judgment. When Jesus’ anger was most on display, it was rooted in His righteous judgment against the sin He was confronting. He made a judgment and was acting out that righteous decree. However, we’re not Jesus. Our anger is typically unrighteous and a result of some self-serving, selfish judgment. …
