JESUS FORGIVES SINS The men sitting at Simon the Pharisee’s table questioned Christ’s habit of forgiving sins. He had just allowed an immoral woman to anoint His feet and said nothing to rebuke her. Then, to top it off, Jesus forgave the woman her sins. Perhaps their question should be worded, “Who does he
SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS After Jesus interrupted a funeral procession to raise a widow’s son from the dead, the news of his miracles and teachings spread throughout Judea and the whole vicinity. This illustrates a truth easily discovered anywhere humans dwell, namely, news spreads. Whether it’s good or bad news, people love to
CALLING JESUS “LORD” MUST BE MORE THAN LIP SERVICE Jesus made it clear that those who call Him “Lord,” should obey His word. He taught that obeying His word would not prevent life’s storms, but it would build a strong foundation that would endure any storm. However, the one who only pays lip service to
THE JESUS’ WAY THAT TURNS THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN This is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, describing the new economy of the kingdom of heaven. Instead of reciprocal response, the believer is to respond out of a new spiritual character, as God does. God’s kingdom people are to “love, do good, bless and pray”
GIVERS ARE GLAD, BUT MISERS ARE MISERABLE Generosity is a blessing both to the recipient and to the giver. But misers are miserable. This is a spiritual principle that reverberates in the physical world, although its effect is often slow to see. The wealth of the generous is paid in dividends that include more than
HE TOUCHED ME A man with leprosy fell on his face before Jesus saying, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” And the Lord, who could’ve healed him from afar, came near and touched the leper and said, “I am willing; be made clean.” Jesus was not only willing to heal the
GO DEEP WITH JESUS After Peter had fished all night, catching nothing, Jesus came to him, asking to use his boat. He needed it as a speaking platform to teach the crowds gathered there to hear Him. When He finished speaking, He told Peter to put the boat out into “deep water” and let down
FAMILIARITY IS NOT FAITH In the town of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, he returned from his forty days in the wilderness to begin his public ministry. He attended the local synagogue and chose the passage from the Isaiah scroll that spoke of the Anointed One who would come. The word “anointed” is where
TELL EVERYTHING GOD COMMANDED Moses was a faithful servant to the Lord. He passed along “everything” that the Lord had commanded him to say to the children of Israel. He did not add to, nor subtract from, nor water down the Word of the Lord. He told them all, just as the Lord had said
DON’T SKIP THE NAMES! Do you skip over names and places in your Bible reading? If so, you’re missing one of the richest parts of the Bible, namely, its historical and geographical rootedness. In these two verses, we see Luke’s careful research and historical accuracy on display. Wherever skeptics have cast doubt at the Bible’s