‘Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”’ (Exodus 4:2 NLT). When Moses made excuses about his inability to answer God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God asked, “What’s in your hand?” Moses replied dismissively, “A shepherd’s staff.” It was not a sword to fight with, nor a priceless
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?” (Psalm 22:1 NLT). This Davidic psalm begins with the question that Jesus cried out from the cross. The NLT chose the word “abandoned” in place of “forsaken,” but it has the same meaning. David surely
“From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be
“Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are” (Genesis 48:5 NLT). Jacob, who was called Israel, spoke a word of blessing over each of
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known” (Psalm 19:1-2 NLT). When David looked at the sun and blue sky by day or the moon and stars at night, he did not worship them. No, he saw
‘Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself”‘ (Genesis 44:18 NLT). When Judah, the fourth son of Jacob’s twelve, stepped forward to act as his brother’s advocate, the future
“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters” (Psalm 18:16 NLT). David wrote this psalm to the Lord during the time when God had delivered him from the hand of Saul and his enemies. He felt like a drowning man that God had reached down and rescued. Have
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Matthew 13:43 NLT). Christ’s parable of the wheat and tares concluded with this: “The righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.” In other words, those who denied their own righteousness and
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds” (Matthew 13:18 NLT). In Jesus’ parable of the sower, He described four heart conditions that determined their receptivity to the gospel. Jesus explained the meaning of the parable to His disciples. He explained that the “seed” is the message of the Kingdom,
“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart” (Matthew 12:34-35 NLT). Jesus responded to the words of the Pharisees who had accused him of healing by