HOW THE JEWISH FESTIVALS POINT TO JESUS The Lord instituted seven feasts for Israel. These feasts were to remind Israel of God’s provision and to prepare them for the Messiah. It can get a little overwhelming reading the description of these feasts, but they are worthy of our meditation as we see how they point
HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD David learned to address his own soul in his prayers to God. Knowing that he was feeling “cast down” and “disquieted,” he encouraged himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6), urging his soul to “hope in God.” We can learn from David’s prayer life. Sometimes we don’t even
HOLINESS A MARK OF BELONGING TO GOD’S FAMILY God explained to Moses the purpose behind the laws of personal conduct for the people of Israel, namely: Holiness. The Hebrew word for “holy” is qadosh (קָדוֹשׁ), literally meaning to be set apart for special use, to be consecrated, sacred, holy. God had chosen the Israelites to
COMPASSION THAT MOVES US TO ACTION Jesus felt compassion for the hungry. He noticed their need and then took action to address it. We don’t read that the disciples felt compassion. When faced with human need we learn to turn a blind eye. There is so much need and we are so concerned with our
HAVE YOU LAID YOU SINS UPON CHRIST JESUS? HAVE YOU LAID YOU SINS UPON CHRIST JESUS? Two male goats were offered by the high priest as a sin offering on the Day of Atonement (“Yom Kippur”). The first goat was slaughtered and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat and on the altar for the
WHEN DO YOU GET ALONE TO PRAY? After a long day filled with teaching and miraculously feeding the 5,000, Jesus insisted that His disciples go on ahead while He excused the crowds. Jesus wanted some time alone to pray. For the Son did “nothing of Himself” (John 5:19). Everything He did was shown to Him
HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD? The disciples were afraid of the storm outside the boat until they awoke Jesus. Then, they feared the One inside the boat. We say that we believe and trust Jesus fully. Yet when life’s storms come, we discover the true measure of our faith. The disciples thought they knew the
NEED OR GREED The righteous look to the Lord for provision. They sow and labor for the harvest, yet they look to the Lord for the increase. They know that both the seed and the fruit are from the Lord, so they work while trusting God for their food. The Lord meets their needs, so
HOW DOES JESUS FEEL ABOUT 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 in that it was written in present tense. Mark’s action-oriented writing is marked by his favorite phrase, “and immediately” (καὶ εὐθὺς), which is found throughout the book. Here, the NLT translates the phrase as “instantly.” Each gospel presents a different perspective of