For those who are unfamiliar with the story, I suppose that Jesus Christ might look like a victim in a heinous crime. Jealous religious leaders plot his death. He is lied about. A mob cries for his crucifixion. Political leaders who are more concerned about politics than leadership succumb to the demands of the crowd. And he is crucified. Â But … Read More
Jesus ministered to people groupings of various sizes. He interacted with the multitude, a small band of disciples, and then a select group of three disciples (Matt. 9:36; Luke 8:1; Mark 9:2). What might we learn from examining Jesus’ interaction with these various groups? There is no question that the multitudes were drawn to Jesus. Word spread rapidly in the Galilean … Read More
You ever wonder if the angels might have been just a little confused about the Christmas events? Think about the message they were told to proclaim. Perhaps you remember hearing the message spoken by 8 year olds dressed in white with garland halos from Christmasesâpast. Here’s the angelic proclamation: Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings … Read More
The motherâs scream ripped through the darkness. She bit her lip, her body tense, her mind focused. The pain for this first-time mother was beyond anything she had anticipated. She tried to recite the verses she had learned as a child. âMy heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strongâŚThere is no Rock like our God.â 1 … Read More
Traveling isnât recommended when youâre nine months pregnant. The airlines wonât take you. Your doctors will discourage it, and who would want to be that far away from medical care when your first contraction could be less than a minute away? Yet, there Mary was traveling 85 miles side-saddle on the back of a donkey, when her due date could … Read More
Sometimes the simplest verses seem to be the hardest to live out. Consider this one, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6). The Bible teaches that Jesus was fully God. But if your portrait of Jesus is void of his humanity, his teaching and example will seem to … Read More
We are indebted to the Gospel of John for so much of our understanding of who Jesus Christ was and is. In the opening verses John refers to Jesus Christ as the Word. In John 1:1 he writes, âIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.â We know that the Word … Read More
The best way to defend against the tempterâs lie is to know Godâs truth. Jesus answered Satanâs temptations with specific scripture. To know your opponentâs modus operandi is essential in any field, but particularly for an NFL quarterback. Sportswriter Pete Prisco explains it best, “Watching film, or tape to be precise, is key to the success of any quarterback no … Read More
Reading through the book of Exodus recently I marveled again at the story. After the Israelites were released from Egypt, and crossed the Red Sea they began to travel in the wilderness. God speaks to Moses and a tabernacle is set up for Him. After the tabernacle is anointed, Moses steps back and God steps in. Thatâs what I kept … Read More
I nearly missed the birth of our 4th child. Before you are too critical, please know that the supervising nurse had advised me to slip out and get some lunch â she thought it would be a long time. It wasnât. The fast-food service wasnât all that fast, but my wife’s labor was, fortunately I got back just in time. … Read More
