“And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:6 ESV). Matthew recorded that Jesus spoke these words to the disciples of John the Baptist, who had come from prison with John’s honest question about whether Jesus truly was the One who was to come. John, who had boldly announced the Messiah
“‘Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves’” (Matthew 10:16 ESV). Matthew recorded that Jesus, speaking to His twelve disciples as He commissioned them for their first mission, warned them that they would be sent into a world often opposed to
“So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it” (Genesis 28:18 ESV). While fleeing from his brother and sleeping alone in a barren wilderness, Jacob received a gracious revelation of God’s presence and
“So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well” (Genesis 26:25 ESV). After the death of Abraham and a season of conflict and uncertainty, God appeared to Isaac and reaffirmed His covenant promises (v. 24). Isaac’s response was
“Why do you stand far away, O LORD? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 ESV). The psalmist, writing to God on behalf of his people, voiced a heartfelt lament in the face of injustice and suffering. He did not question God’s existence or faithfulness, but expressed the painful experience of
SCRIPTURE: “He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him” (Matthew 8:15 ESV). OBSERVATION: In Matthew’s gospel, he recorded this quiet but powerful miracle in Peter’s home. After healing a leper and a centurion’s servant, Jesus entered Peter’s house and found his mother-in-law bedridden with a fever.
SCRIPTURE: “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33 ESV). OBSERVATION: After making a covenant of peace with Abimelech, Abraham settled at Beersheba and marked this new beginning by planting a tamarisk tree. Abraham publicly worshiped Yahweh in the land God had
SCRIPTURE: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 ESV). OBSERVATION: In Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, He addressed people weighed down by anxiety over everyday needs, like food, drink, and clothing. He taught that worry revealed misplaced priorities and a lack
SCRIPTURE: “I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High” (Psalm 7:17 ESV). OBSERVATION: David wrote this psalm during a season of false accusation and opposition. After appealing to the LORD as righteous Judge and describing the certain
SCRIPTURE: “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)” (Genesis 14:18 ESV). OBSERVATION: Moses recorded this brief but weighty encounter for Israel as part of Abram’s victory narrative after rescuing Lot. Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” is a mysterious figure in the Bible: a