WHY WERE THE STONES TO BE NATURAL AND UNCUT? Moses instructed Israel to build an altar of “natural, uncut stones” after they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land. They were to offer burnt offerings on it to celebrate God’s law and provision for his people. But why did God insist that the
HAVE YOU ACCEPTED OR REJECTED JESUS? Jesus sent out 72 disciples two by two to preach the gospel in every town and place he was about to go. He prepared them to understand that some people would accept their message and some would reject it. The main thing was to know that ultimately they were
LEARNING TO LISTEN FOR THE LORD’S VOICE When Peter witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus and saw his glory and the two men, Moses and Elijah, standing with him, Peter blurted out his idea for a building project on the mountain. But the Father spoke to Peter from the cloud and silenced him with the instruction,
WHEN IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO BE SEEN? The Kingdom of God is a mystery. For Jesus described it as both present and future. Perhaps the best explanation for this mystery was offered by George Ladd, who called it “fulfillment without consummation.” Fulfillment of the kingdom is here now since the first coming of
CAN POVERTY BE ELIMINATED? According to God’s Word, poverty will never be eliminated in this world. Yet, this fact is stated not to excuse our responsibility to the poor, but to encourage our ongoing generosity towards them. As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God made provision for every person and tribe
HAVE YOU TURNED JESUS AWAY? The people in the region of the Gerasenes, on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, begged Jesus to leave. Jesus had only just arrived when he encountered a demon possessed man who lived in the tombs. Running towards Jesus and shrieking at the top of his lungs,
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
SEEING THE GOOD NEWS SPREAD THROUGHOUT After Jesus interrupted a funeral procession to raise a widow’s son from the dead, the news of his miracles and teachings “spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.” This illustrates a truth easily discovered anywhere humans dwell, namely, news spreads. Whether it’s good or bad news, people love to
GREAT COMMISSION PRAYERS This psalm is a prayer that all the nations would one day know the Lord and his salvation. Centuries before Jesus gave the Great Commission to his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19), the psalmist prayed for such a day to come. It’s a good reminder
GIVERS ARE GLAD, BUT MISERS ARE MISERABLE Generosity is a blessing both to the recipient and to the giver. But misers are miserable. This is a spiritual principle that reverberates in the physical world, although its effect is often slow to see. The wealth of the generous is paid in dividends that include more than