JESUS SET HIS FACE FOR THE FINISH Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem. As he traveled from Galilee, he sought to take the direct route through Samaria, but they would not receive him. Their rejection was a foreshadowing of the rejection he would face in Jerusalem. Yet, he was resolute, literally he “set his
CHOOSING FAITH OVER FEAR In Deuteronomy chapter 20, Moses repeated God’s instruction to Israel as they prepared to go into battle against their enemies in the Promised Land. God instructed them not to focus on the power of the enemy, nor to be afraid of them. Instead, they were to focus on the Lord who
PASSOVER, EASTER, AND JESUS The month of Abib was the month that the Lord had delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. It was therefore to be counted as the first month of the Hebrew year. Since the religious celebrations given by Moses were linked to certain times of the year, it became the role of
CAN POVERTY BE ELIMINATED? According to God’s Word, poverty will never be eliminated in this world. Yet, this fact is stated not to excuse our responsibility to the poor, but to encourage our ongoing generosity towards them. As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God made provision for every person and tribe to
DOES YOUR FAMILY KNOW WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU? When Jesus freed the man living in the tombs of the Gedarenes of demon possession, he begged to go with Jesus. The man had been living in terrible misery, possessed by so many demons that they answered, “Legion” when Jesus asked their name. Yet
IS YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE GETTING LOST IN THE WEEDS? Jesus told a parable about a farmer who scattered seed that fell onto four types of soil. The seed represented God’s Word and the four soils represented four heart conditions of spiritual receptivity. The first was the foot path, representing a hard or closed heart that
OUR SUCCESS IS IN THE LORD’S HANDS The Lord encouraged the Israelites not to fear their enemies as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. He reminded them of how He had brought them out of Egypt. He promised that He would be with them in the same way to take the land from their
JESUS INTERRUPTS A FUNERAL PROCESSION When Jesus encountered the crying widow of Nain walking behind her only son’s coffin in a funeral procession, he interrupted their progress (Who does that?). He was moved with compassion for the widow whose only link to a hopeful future lay in the casket. The rights and possessions of her
WHAT DO YOUR WORDS SAY ABOUT YOUR HEART TODAY? Jesus used the image of a tree and its fruit to teach a valuable lesson about how words reveal the heart. For just as figs aren’t found on thornbushes, so good words don’t emerge from one with an evil heart. So words are the fruit of
PRAYING GOD’S WORD BACK TO HIM The psalmist prayed that God would show them mercy, blessing and favor, so that they might display the way of salvation to the nations. This prayer aligned with God’s promise to Abraham that through his “offspring all nations would be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). It also borrowed words from the