Posts with the tag “week-39”

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