Matthew 8:1-4; 9:1-17; Mark 1:40-2:22; Luke 5:1-39.  “Learning from Jesus”          Jesus used many different approaches to teaching during His ministry. Jesus related to the people He was ministering to by using stories and symbolism that was meaningful to them during that time.  We see parables and short stories, illustrations, scripture references and even miracles. I think it’s safe to say tha...  Read More

Matthew 4:12-25; 8:14-17; Mark 1:14-39; Luke 3:23a; 4:16-44; John 4:46-54.  “Jesus Heals Many”          The caption at the top of a chapter in Matthew 8 says “Jesus Heals Many;” then again in the book of Mark and also in the book of Luke. All of these books give the same account of Jesus healing the sick. What the books don’t say is that they all were saved and lived good Christian lives as a resu...  Read More

Luke 3:19-20; John 3:1-4:45. “Becoming Less”          “He must become greater; I must become less.”         Wow, I love that verse. If I could choose just one scripture verse to summarize the purpose of my own existence here on the earth, that would be it. Upon first examination, it seems rather simple. God deserves greatness; in fact, there is only one person truly entitled to greatness and that...  Read More

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-15; John 1:19-2:25. “For it is written…”          Temptation. What a terrible sounding word. The word sounds as if we have already given in.  Sometimes we think the battle is already lost just because we were tempted. But that is not true, is it? We lose the battle only when we give in to temptation. Temptation comes to all people of all ages of all genders ...  Read More

Matthew 2:1-3:17; Mark 1:2-11; Luke 2:41-Luke 3:22. “Fruits of Repentance”          A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord…         We all know who this guy was – John the Baptist, a kind of earthy guy that was living off of locusts and wild honey and ran around in a camel hair robe. This is what most people think of when we read about John the Baptist. But oddly enough...  Read More

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:39-2:40.  “Strength from the Spirit”          As I read through today’s readings, a couple of things stand out.  How amazingly difficult it must have been for Joseph and Mary to show their faces in public; the humiliation they must have faced on a daily basis, and the strength that they received from the Holy Spirit to endure.          As Mary and Joseph were traveling to B...  Read More

         The theme for this week is ‘Beholding the Son.’  Like Simeon, who rejoiced when he was finally able to see the Messiah, may you rejoice as you encounter the Messiah in the Scriptures this week.  From His birth to the temptation in the wilderness to the start of His public ministry, this week will set the table for the remainder of the gospels. Matthew 1:1-17; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-38; 3:23b-...  Read More

The theme for this week is ‘Beholding the Son.’  Like Simeon, who rejoiced when he was finally able to see the Messiah, may you rejoice as you encounter the Messiah in the Scriptures this week.  From His birth to the temptation in the wilderness to the start of His public ministry, this week will set the table for the remainder of the gospels.  Read More

Joel 1-3; Malachi 2:10-4:6.  “Opening the Windows of Heaven”          Many believe that once we become a Christian we can just float along; because they believe, they are convinced that in Heaven we will all receive the same generic stamp of approval.  That is not the case.  Your eternal destination is based on your belief, but how you spend eternity is reflective of how you lived on earth.  Even ...  Read More

Nehemiah 5:14-19; 12:27-13:31; Malachi 1:1-2:9. “If You Can’t Beat Them… Infiltrate”          “If you can’t beat them join them.”  This was apparently Tobiah’s motto.  Early in the book of Nehemiah we read of the opposition that had to be dealt with while the wall was being rebuilt.  That strong opposition came from two men, Tobiah and Sanballat.  The wall was rebuilt in spite of their constant r...  Read More

1 Chronicles 9:1b-34; Nehemiah 11:1-12:26. “Imagine”          Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “To arrive is better than to travel hopefully.”  I can’t imagine the joy as the exiles arrived and occupied Jerusalem.  They were essentially POW’s in a foreign land for 70 years and now they had returned home.  Can you imagine that kind of delight?  It is more than just delight.  It is security, rest, pea...  Read More

Nehemiah 8:13-10:39.  “Balance”          Today’s passage is a continuation of the people’s commitment to start things right.  God’s Word continued to be read.  It was then followed by the people confessing their sins to one another.  Then they stood praising the Lord for who He is and what He has done.  Following that they made vows of obedience to the Lord.         That is a great process for us ...  Read More

Nehemiah 7:4-8:12. “Starting Off Right”          Often we appreciate something more when we go without it for a time.  When the people returned home they took it seriously.  They took advantage of a fresh start and made the best of it.  Their response to getting serious about their relationship with God through the reading of His Word was terrific.  “All the people assembled together as one perso...  Read More

Nehemiah 3:1-7:3.  “Working Together”          Nehemiah, like Daniel held a prominent position in the kingdom where he had been exiled, but he was burdened for a need at home in Jerusalem.  He had a plan for rebuilding the wall around the city which “God had up in his heart” (2:11).  Nehemiah organized an enormous undertaking.  Men, women, and those from every profession worked together to fortify...  Read More

“Think of—Stepping on shore, and finding it Heaven!Of taking hold of a hand, and finding it God’s hand.Of breathing a new air, and finding it celestial air.Of feeling invigorated, and finding it immortality.Of passing from storm and tempest to an unknown calm.Of waking up, and finding it Home.”                          --Hazel Felleman          This week’s passages describe a period after the exil...  Read More

This week’s passages describe a period after the exiles have returned home.  Interestingly, Christians today are also referred to as exiles, strangers, aliens and sojourners.  Heb. 11:13, “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”  Like the Israelites, we will one day complete our days of travel and return home.  Read More

Ezra 4:7-23; 7:1-8:36. “Adopted by God”          “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” – Romans 8:31b         Three times in the seventh chapter of Ezra, the text says “the gracious hand” of the Lord was upon Ezra.  Also in 7:28, Ezra states that this was a great source of encouragement for him in knowing that the hand of the Lord was on him.         There is a similar source of encoura...  Read More

Esther 5:1-10:3. “Independence Day”          A few years ago, there was a movie titled Independence Day.  Having an affection for action-adventure movies, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  One of my favorite scenes is when the President, played by Bill Pullman, encourages a rag-tag band of fighter pilots who were about to face an invading alien force.  Speaking to a group who faced certain death a...  Read More

Ezra 4:6; 6:14b-22; Esther 1:1-4:17.   “Courage from Above”          On March 11, 2007, Morgan Tsvangirai, founder of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change, was forced to cancel a prayer meeting because the attendees were in grave danger from riot police.  Tsvangirai himself was beaten and jailed later when he attempted to visit the 40-some supporters who were arrested at the prayer gathering....  Read More

Zechariah 9:1-14:21.  “Day of the Lord”          We are all familiar with the concept of a doomsday prophet, who attempts to strike fear in the hearts of people to bring about repentance today.  I remember first seeing them as a child in such movies as Ghostbusters and Superman.         Well, today I want you to consider the possibility that courage is also an appropriate response to the coming ev...  Read More

Ezra 5:3-6:14a; Zechariah 6:1-8:23.  “Surprising Support”          Support and encouragement can come from many different sources and sometimes it can be a little surprising to us.  I would imagine that God’s people experienced some anxiety and discouragement when the governors of neighboring provinces began to investigate the work they were doing on the temple.  There was no guarantee that Darius...  Read More

Ezra 5:2; Haggai 2:1-23; Zechariah 1:1-5:11. “Ghosts of the Past”          I don’t know what it is about human nature that makes us nostalgic.  I have observed that in just about every area of life, there is something about ‘how it used to be’ that we view as better.  And as we read in Haggai, this can be a discouragement to us in the present.         As the people began to rebuild the temple in ...  Read More

         This week’s theme is on courage.  In the readings this week, we will read about the courage of people like Esther and Mordecai whose actions saved the Jewish people.  We will also examine the courage of the Jews who began to return to Jerusalem after the time of captivity to rebuild the temple of the Lord. Daniel 10:1-12:13; Ezra 4:24-5:1; Haggai 1:1-15.  “Courage to Change”          In ...  Read More

This week’s theme is on courage.  In the readings this week, we will read about the courage of people like Esther and Mordecai whose actions saved the Jewish people.  We will also examine the courage of the Jews who began to return to Jerusalem after the time of captivity to rebuild the temple of the Lord.  Read More