“They were not able to catch Him in what He said in public, and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.” (Luke 20:26 NLT). The Jewish leaders sent spies to entrap Jesus with what they thought was an unanswerable question. They asked Jesus, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12 NLT). Having to wait for any expected good certainly affects our attitude. In this sense, the writer of the proverb accurately observed the growing despondency of the heart that waits unfulfilled. Yet, it is even more intense in
“Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’” (Luke 19:13 NLT). As Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem, He told them a parable. The Scripture says that He did this to help them understand
“Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help” (Psalm 86:1 NLT). David sought the Lord in prayer. He cried out to God like a child to his father, asking Him to bend down His ear to hear his prayer. He admitted his need for help, expecting God to
“Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven” (Psalm 85:10-11 NLT). Personifying the divine attributes, the psalmist wrote of a day when unfailing love and truth would finally join together and righteousness and peace would embrace. “Unfailing love” is
“For the Kingdom of God is already among you” (Luke 17:21 NLT). Where is the Kingdom of God? And when will it come? The Pharisees asked Jesus to show them the kingdom. But He warned them that it was not yet something they could observe. They were looking for the outward evidence of pomp and
“… but they did not consult the Lord” (Joshua 9:14 NLT). The Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelite leaders and persuaded them to make a covenant with them. The leaders, fresh from a victory, examined the condition of the men’s clothes and food and believed their story. However, once again, they proceeded without counsel from
“Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them” (Joshua 8:34-35 NLT). Moses gave Israel the
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you”(Luke 15:17-18 NLT). Jesus told a parable about a
“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God” (Luke 13:28-29