FAMILIARITY IS NOT FAITH When Jesus began teaching and performing miracles in His hometown of Nazareth, “He was amazed at their unbelief.” Can you imagine that? That the Son of God was “amazed” at the lack of faith He saw in the very neighbors that should have known Him best? Turns out they knew a
CHRIST’S METHOD OF LIFE-ON-LIFE DISCIPLESHIP When Jesus went into the home of the synagogue ruler whose daughter had died, He only permitted three of the Twelve to follow inside. Peter, James and John were often singled out for such occasions. They were witnesses on that day of Jesus raising the synagogue ruler’s daughter up from
THE POWER OF ONE WITNESS In the region of the Gerasenes, on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus encountered a man who was beset by a “legion” of unclean spirits. He commanded them to leave and the man was restored to his right mind. Afterwards, the man wanted to go with Jesus,
THE THORNY SOIL OF THE AMERICAN HEART Jesus told a parable about a sower who sowed seed that fell on four types of soil. Some seed fell on a path, some in rocky soil, some fell in soil overgrown with thorns and some fell on good soil. Jesus later explained the parable to His disciples.
YOU ARE WANTED Jesus selected the twelve disciples that “He wanted.” Choosing them was preceded by His going up on the mountain alone to pray. It was there that He must have discussed each of the twelve candidates with His Father. Surely, the Father must have warned Him about the pros and cons of each,
WHAT DOES CHRIST SEE IN YOUR HEART? The Pharisees brought out the full range of emotion from our Lord Jesus. When He tried to show them the spirit of the Sabbath, they clung to the letter of the law, even that which they themselves had added to it. He asked them a simple question, one
CHRIST’S IMMEDIATE CARE The Gospel of Mark is unique among the four gospels in that it was written in the present tense. Mark’s action-oriented writing is marked by his favorite phrase, “and immediately” (Greek: “καὶ εὐθὺς”), which is found throughout the book. Here, the NLT translates the phrase as “instantly.” Each gospel presents a
THE CALL OF CHRIST As Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew casting their nets, for they were fishermen. He called to them, inviting them to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
A VALENTINE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED Not everyone will receive a Valentine today. Some have a heart still hurting from a broken relationship. Other hearts have slowly been crushed by a lifetime of loneliness. Yet, everyone who comes to the Lord with a contrite and humble spirit, admitting their broken hearts, will experience His presence and
RECOGNIZING THE SACREDNESS OF OUR WORK The modern separation between the sacred and the secular is not the wholistic view of faith and vocation that is seen in the Bible. Consider these two men whom Moses named in Exodus because of their God-given talent as craftsmen. He described Bezalel as being “chosen” (Ex.35:30) by the