MUST THE ONE IN THE PULPIT BE CALLED TO PREACH? One of the confirming signs that God had chosen Saul to be king over Israel was that he would prophesy. Saul had gone to the prophet Samuel for help in finding his father’s donkeys. But he left with the prophet’s anointing oil dripping down from
SUFFERING OFTEN COMES FROM GETTING WHAT WE ASK FOR Samuel had led Israel well his whole life, but now he was old and his sons weren’t men of integrity like him. So, the Israelites went to Samuel asking him to give them a king like the other nations had. Of course, he felt rejected. He
DO YOU FOLLOW THE MASTER OR THE MIRACLES? The apostle John reported that huge crowds began to follow Jesus in the Galilee region because of his miracles. The crowds grew even larger when Jesus fed the 5,000, miraculously multiplying two fish and five loaves of barley to feed them all with twelve baskets leftover. Yet,
WHOSE APPROVAL DO YOU SEEK? Jesus contrasted his motives with that of the Jewish leaders who questioned his authority. He boldly told them that their approval meant nothing to him (v.41). For he only sought the approval of his Father in whose name he had come. However, he accused them of only caring for the
JOINING THE FATHER IN HIS WORK Jesus described His activity as being inspired by and empowered by the Father. He did nothing by himself. He spoke and moved as the Father did. There is a great principle on how to live the abiding life on display here. Rather than asking God to join us in
JESUS, THE FAMOUS ONE The little book of Ruth illustrates the use of the Levitical law (found in Lev. 25) which provided for a woman who had no male heir to retain her family’s property. This provision in the law called for a close family member to become a “ga’al” (גָּאַל), which is Hebrew for
DOING GOD’S WILL IS LIKE FOOD FOR THE SOUL When the disciples returned from the town of Sychar with food for lunch, they found Jesus at Jacob’s well speaking with a Samaritan woman. They encouraged Jesus to eat something, but He answered that He had food of a kind they knew nothing about. When they
SURRENDERING EVERY THOUGHT TO THE LORD The psalmist expressed his desire that “all” his thoughts would please the Lord. Stated in the subjunctive, the psalmist recognized that his desire was more like a wish or prayer, than a certainty. For who can control their thoughts? We can be determined to rejoice, but our minds often
DO YOU SEEK THE SIGNS OR THE SAVIOR? This was the first of seven “signs” that the apostle John recorded in his gospel. John calls them signs and not miracles because signs point to something other than themselves. On a trip a few years ago to see the Grand Canyon, I noticed “Grand Canyon” road
THE WORD THAT WALKED AMONG US John began his gospel as Moses began the Torah, “In the beginning…” This signals the lofty aspect of John’s gospel that clearly proclaims Jesus as God’s Son. Using the Greek for “word” (λόγος, logos), John proclaims Jesus as not only equal to God in every way (essence, preexistence, eternality,