DOES YOUR FAMILY KNOW WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU? When Jesus freed the man living in the tombs of the Gedarenes of demon possession, he begged to go with Jesus. The man had been living in terrible misery, possessed by so many demons that they answered, “Legion” when Jesus asked their name. Yet
IS YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE GETTING LOST IN THE WEEDS? Jesus told a parable about a farmer who scattered seed that fell onto four types of soil. The seed represented God’s Word and the four soils represented four heart conditions of spiritual receptivity. The first was the foot path, representing a hard or closed heart that
OUR SUCCESS IS IN THE LORD’S HANDS The Lord encouraged the Israelites not to fear their enemies as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. He reminded them of how He had brought them out of Egypt. He promised that He would be with them in the same way to take the land from their
JESUS INTERRUPTS A FUNERAL PROCESSION When Jesus encountered the crying widow of Nain walking behind her only son’s coffin in a funeral procession, he interrupted their progress (Who does that?). He was moved with compassion for the widow whose only link to a hopeful future lay in the casket. The rights and possessions of her
WHAT DO YOUR WORDS SAY ABOUT YOUR HEART TODAY? Jesus used the image of a tree and its fruit to teach a valuable lesson about how words reveal the heart. For just as figs aren’t found on thornbushes, so good words don’t emerge from one with an evil heart. So words are the fruit of
PRAYING GOD’S WORD BACK TO HIM The psalmist prayed that God would show them mercy, blessing and favor, so that they might display the way of salvation to the nations. This prayer aligned with God’s promise to Abraham that through his “offspring all nations would be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). It also borrowed words from the
THE GENEROUS AND REFRESHING LIFE OF THE OPEN HAND God’s Word promises that the one who is generous will be made rich. The promise is further illustrated by the phrase, “he who waters will also be watered himself.” Perhaps Solomon was sitting near the Jordan River when he wrote this proverb. As the snow melted
HE TOUCHED ME A man with leprosy fell on his face before Jesus saying, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” And the Lord, who could’ve healed him from a distance, came near and touched the leper and said, “I am willing; be healed.” Jesus was not only willing to heal the
GOING DEEPER WITH JESUS After Peter had fished all night, catching nothing, Jesus came to him, asking to use his boat. He needed it as a speaking platform to teach the crowds gathered there to hear Him. When He finished speaking, He told Peter to put the boat out into deep water and let down
FAMILIARITY IS NOT FAITH In the town of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, he returned from his forty days in the wilderness to begin his public ministry. He attended the local synagogue and chose the passage from the Isaiah scroll that spoke of the anointed one or Messiah who would come. Having read this