JESUS WATCHES OUR GIVING Jesus sat near the Temple collection box so that He might watch who was giving and how much they were giving. He did this to teach a lesson to His disciples. As they witnessed the rich tossing handfuls of coins into the Temple treasury, the heavy coins made a loud metallic
MEDITATING ON GOD’S LOVE Biblical meditation is not an emptying of the mind as the Eastern religions teach. Rather, it is a focusing of the mind on God and His Word. Here, the Psalmist focused the thoughts of his mind on God’s character, namely, His “unfailing love.” We are called to meditate on God’s
WHAT’S AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE? The Lord instructed the Israelites to set up camp with the Tabernacle at the center. Their tents were to face inward toward the place of worship, not outward toward the world. Worship was to be the center of individual and community life. All of daily life was to
THE PRINCIPLE OF THE TITHE The first principle of the tithe, which is ten percent of the harvest, is that it “belongs to the Lord.” Therefore, bringing the tithe to the Temple was not an offering, but an obligation. To do otherwise would be “robbery” (Mal. 3:8). It reminded the people that God is owner
JESUS HAS GONE AHEAD OF US AND FOR US Jesus led the way up from Jericho to Jerusalem to face his ultimate purpose for coming–– the cross. The walk up from Jericho would take about 6-8 hours as they traveled the Roman road, the ruins of which can still be seen today. It was a
WHAT IS THE CALLING OF THE CHURCH AS LAMPSTAND? The golden Lampstand stood in the Tabernacle with its seven lamps filled with olive oil facing the Table of Presence. It was to be kept continuously lit by the high priest. Its light was to shine on the Bread of Presence and throughout the holy place.
HOW THE JEWISH FESTIVALS POINT TO JESUS The Lord instituted seven “festivals,” or feasts for Israel. These feasts were to remind Israel of God’s provision and to prepare them for the Messiah. It can get a little overwhelming reading the description of these feasts, but they are worthy of our meditation as we see how
OVERCOMING OUR DOUBTS This is the confession of a man who desperately wanted to believe, but still had doubts. This doesn’t sound like the greatest of confessions, yet Jesus healed the man’s son nonetheless. Jesus still answers the prayers of those who have a mixture of doubt and belief. The important thing is to confess
HOW DO YOU HANDLE DISCOURAGEMENT? Many tend to wallow or spiral down deeper into despair when facing sadness and discouragement. But David knew how to “encourage himself in the Lord” (1 Sam. 30:6). This psalm illustrates his method. When he felt down or out of sorts, he didn’t just drag on, he stopped and
OUR SEXUAL PURITY MATTERS TO GOD Leviticus 18:1-30 essentially expands on the 7th commandment, which is “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Ex. 20:14). Much of the book of Leviticus is just that, an expansion on the Ten Commandments, so that Israel could see the specific application of each commandment. In answer to the question,