“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18 NLT). All of Adam’s children are already judged and condemned because of sin and because of sin’s wage, which is death. Every
‘When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him’ (Judges 16:20 NLT). Samson took God’s presence and power for granted, but when Delilah shaved off his seven locks, the power of the LORD left him. Samson didn’t even notice, until
“When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up” (Judges 13:24 NLT). As one preacher described it, Samson was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. As chapter thirteen concludes, we have great hope in Samson’s future. Announced by an angel, the only child of
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NLT). John began his gospel as Moses began the Torah, with the words, “In the beginning…” This signaled the lofty aspect of John’s gospel that clearly proclaimed Jesus as God’s Son. Using the Greek λόγος (logos
“Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery” (Judges 10:16 NLT). When the Israelites finally got rid of their idolatry, so that their deeds matched their words of repentance, God was moved to answer their cry. The description of the Lord’s response to Israel’s
‘When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem! Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!”‘ (Judges 9:7 NLT). Jotham was the only surviving son of Gideon. All of his brothers had been murdered by their half-brother, Abimelech. Jotham
‘Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom”’ (Luke 23:42 NLT). In the gospel of Luke, it is recorded that Jesus was crucified between two criminals, one on either side. In the crowd watching the crucifixion were certain Jewish leaders who sneered at Jesus saying, “He saved others; let Him save
‘Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”’ (Judges 6:14 NLT). The Lord told Gideon to go with the strength he had to rescue Israel from the marauding Midianites. But Gideon replied that he was far from being strong,
“Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives” (Luke 22:39 NLT). On the night that Jesus would be betrayed, He went out “as usual” to the Mount of Olives to pray. On this unusual evening, Jesus followed His usual habit: He prayed on the
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32 NLT). The Lord addressed him as, “Simon, Simon,” not as “Peter,” for he