Upon reading John 4:46-54 about the nobleman's deathly-ill son, I got to thinking about anxiety.  I think this nobleman gives a pretty neat outline of dealing with trouble in our lives.

 

1.  He went to Jesus.  This is the the first thing we ought to do (Phil. 4:6).

2.  He did not let pride or disbelief get in the way.  He was a nobleman, after all.  Why should he talk to the son of a carpenter?

3.  He laid out his problem to Jesus and asked for help.

4.  When Jesus said, "Go; your son lives," he went.  He didn't challenge Jesus or ask questions, he simply obeyed.

 

When will I learn to ask for help?  It would make life so much more bearable! Read More »

Jesus did not preach a lovey-dovey, sparkles and rainbows type of sermon. He encouraged His audience to enter the kingdom of heaven, but said it would be difficult. Those who wish to enter must be more righteous than the Pharisees, who were recognized (at least among themselves) as the most righteous sect of the Jews! Jesus preached a plan of righteous living, where men and women are called to a high standard. He also made plain the consequences, mentioning “hell” three times.

 

The way some preach Jesus, we would expect only a lesson on love. Jesus does deal with love, but perhaps not the way we might expect. “Love your enemies,” He said. “Pray for those who persecute you,” He said. And then He did s ... Read More »

 

I wonder what the devil knew about Jesus.  Jesus was praised and worshiped at His birth with much commotion.  I have to believe Satan noticed all the activity and had his eye on Jesus as He grew up.  Then, at Jesus' baptism, a voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" (Matt. 3:17).  Immediately after His baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) into the wilderness SO THAT He might be tempted by the devil.  This was an arranged meeting, God vs. Satan.

 

The tempter's (Matt. 4:3) first two questions began with: "If You are the Son of God..."  I wonder if the devil knew Jesus really was the Son of God.  He temped Jesus to PROVE He was the Son of God.  Did he know?  He had just heard the ... Read More »

I have read these verses many times in the past, but I don't remember SEEING them.

 

Hello all,

 

If all of you were able to open the PDF document I sent with the reading schedule, you will see we start going through the first chapter next week.  There will be many Scripture references throughout the reading.  You can decide for yourself how many of these you will read, and which ones you will read.  It would be great if we could read every Scripture reference - that would basically be reading all four gospels during this first quarter!  Please DO read at least some of the Scripture references, because that is where the true power of this reading plan comes.

 

I hope this do-at-your-own-pace format works well for everyone.  I encourage those of you (including me) with families, to do this with your family.  If you don't a ... Read More »

See how Jeremiah prayed in Lamentations 5.  He told God exactly what was going on in Jerusalem.  "Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; Look, and see our reproach!" he said in Lamentations 5:1.  It's not as if God didn't already know the score - after all, He brought this punishment upon Jerusalem.  So why did Jeremiah, in this prayer, spend most of the chapter explaining to God the plight of Jerusalem?

 

Doesn't God already know everything we are going to ask before we ask?  So why ask?  Why tell God anything if He already knows?  For one thing, God wants us to express our feelings and issues to Him.  It's good for us, it's true, but it is COMMUNICATION.  God wants a relationship with His creation.  Relationships are built around communication.  J ... Read More »

Why did Adam and Eve have to sin?  Why did they mess things up?  Why do I sin?  Why are we now FALLEN?

 

We fall for the same reasons Adam and Eve did - we are tempted by our own lusts, and "when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (James 1:15).  This truth is graphically illustrated in Lamentations 4.  These Israelites (supposedly God's people) displayed the worst types of selfishness during the siege of Jerusalem.  Here were little boys and girls who were literally starving to death.  They had no food and no water.  "The tongue of the infant cleaves to the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them" ( Read More »

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Jeremiah cried out to the Lord in the first 18 verses, but he said, "even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer" (Lamentations 3:8).  Jeremiah felt like God had basically knocked him to the earth and kicked him while he was down.  "He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust," he said in verse 16.

 

Who would have thought in the midst of this kind of language a POSITIVE thought would be presented?  Lamentations 3:19-38 is some of the greatest positive language of faith and trust in the Old Testament!  Here is my favorite snippet from this chapter:

 

 

The book of Lamentations consists of five poems.  The first four poems (corresponding to our chapters) are acrostic (in the Hebrew), meaning the first verse begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second verse with the second letter, and so forth.  A short sentence about each poem might be as follows:

 

1.  The destruction of Jerusalem

2.  The anger of the Lord (at the sin of Jerusalem)

3.  The prayer for mercy

4.&n ... Read More »