“In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry” (Genesis 8:13 ESV).
How long did Noah, his family, and the animals live on the ark? Ten and a half months, plus two more months waiting for the earth to dry. They spent a little over a year, cooped up together on a boat with one window! That must have been some year. Everything they had known before was gone. The old had passed away, yet everything before them was new again.
God had saved them. Their former homes and possessions were gone, but they were alive. They had the Lord and they had each other.
Have you ever had a year when the storms of life came and changed everything you’d known before? Where do you turn at such a time? It’s hard not to cling to the past. How can we face a new year and begin anew?
God told Noah, “Go out from the boat” (Gen. 8:16). I guess that’s the first step. Listen for God’s voice. And leave the past behind.
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to turn our eyes to You, turning the page on yesterday, fully living in the present, and trusting You with the future. Yesterday had its share of suffering, loss and even shame. Yet, we know that You have put our sin and shame on Your Son Jesus, so that we no longer have to bear it. Help us to walk by faith in the freedom of the Spirit, knowing that the future is in Your hands. In Jesus name. Amen.
“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined” (Matthew 4:16 NLT).
After Jesus’ baptism and 40 days in the wilderness, He didn’t return to Nazareth. Instead, He began His public ministry in a town on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee called, Capernaum. This was in fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah, who had prophesied that a “great light” would dawn in that very area of Israel (See Isa. 9). Jesus made Capernaum His base of ministry, calling His disciples and preaching in the synagogues of the area. Before long, great crowds were traveling to the region of Galilee to hear Him preach and to bring their sick to Him for healing.
Some time later, Jesus stood in the Temple courts in Jerusalem and announced, “I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Surely, a great light had dawned among the people living in darkness.
In September 1948, a country singer named Hank Williams recorded a song he’d written about this great Light. He wrote:
“I wandered so aimless life filed with sin
I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord I saw the light
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more in darkness, no more in night
Now I’m so happy no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord I saw the light”
Have you seen the Light?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we have seen the Light. For the light of Jesus has dawned in our hearts. Now we sing of Him and tell of His wonderful gospel to all we meet. Strengthen us to carry the message of this great Light to the nations of the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
How long did Noah, his family, and the animals live on the ark? Ten and a half months, plus two more months waiting for the earth to dry. They spent a little over a year, cooped up together on a boat with one window! That must have been some year. Everything they had known before was gone. Yet, everything before them was new again.
God had saved them. Their former homes and possessions were gone, but they were alive. They had the Lord and they had each other.
Have you ever had a year when the floods of life came and changed everything you’d known before? Where do you turn at such a time? It’s hard not to cling to the past. How can we face a new year and begin anew?
God told Noah, “Leave the boat” (Gen. 8:16). I guess that’s the first step. Listen for God’s voice. And leave the past with Him.
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to turn our eyes to You, turning the page on yesterday, fully living in the present, and trusting You with the future. Yesterday had its share of suffering, loss and even shame. Yet, we know that You have put our sin and shame on Your Son Jesus, so that we no longer have to bear it. Help us to walk by faith in the freedom of the Spirit, knowing that the future is in Your hands. In Jesus name. Amen.
After Jesus’ baptism and 40 days in the wilderness, He didn’t return to Nazareth. Instead, He began His public ministry in a town on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee called, Capernaum. This was in fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah, who had prophesied that a “great light” would dawn in that very area of Israel (See Isa. 9). Jesus made Capernaum His base of ministry, calling His disciples and preaching in the synagogues of the area. Before long, great crowds were traveling to the region of Galilee to hear Him preach and to bring their sick to Him for healing.
Some time later, Jesus stood in the Temple courts in Jerusalem and announced, “I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Surely, a great light has dawned among the people living in darkness.
In September 1948, a country singer named Hank Williams recorded a song he’d written about this great Light. He wrote:
“I wandered so aimless life filed with sin
I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord I saw the light
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more in darkness, no more in night
Now I’m so happy no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord I saw the light”
Have you seen the Light?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we have seen the Light. For the light of Jesus has dawned in our hearts. Now we sing of Him and tell of His wonderful gospel to all we meet. Strengthen us to carry the message of this great Light to the nations of the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The apostle Matthew recorded that Jesus’ ministry in Galilee was in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, saying that the people of Galilee who “sat in darkness have seen a great light” (Matt. 10:16 quoting Isa. 9:1-2). He also reported that Jesus went all about Galilee preaching “the gospel of the kingdom.” What is the gospel of the kingdom?
The word “gospel” means “good news.” So, what was this “good news” and of what “kingdom” is Jesus speaking? The “kingdom” is variously spoken of by Jesus as “the kingdom of heaven,” “the kingdom of God,” or simply “the kingdom.” Jesus seemed to use all three phrases interchangeably, so they all must refer to the same kingdom. The location of this kingdom is also described by Jesus in various ways as being “at hand,” “near,” “within,” “coming” and even as he told Pilate, “not of this world” (John 18:36). Yet, one thing was central to Jesus’ kingdom message. He was the One who came as the Heir of David’s throne, the long awaited Messiah and King. As he replied to Pilate, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world” (John 18:37).
Where is the kingdom of heaven? Where is the kingdom of God? Wherever Jesus Christ is King! Have you made Him King of your life? The Kingdom is within you! Have you made Him King of your family? The Kingdom has come to your house! This is the good news, that whoever repents and believes in Jesus is now a citizen of His eternal Kingdom!
This good news was prophesied yet again by the prophet Isaiah who wrote, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns'” (Isa. 52:7).
Watch this video below to see a great explanation of “the gospel of the kingdom” by the Bible Project.
How long did Noah, his family, and the animals live on the ark? Twelve and a half months! They spent a year cooped up together on a big boat with one window! That must have been some year. Everything they had known before was gone. Yet, everything before them was new again.
God had saved them. Their former homes and possessions were gone, but they were alive. They had the Lord and they had each other.
Have you ever had a year when the floods of life came and seemingly took away everything you had known? Where do you turn at such a time? It’s hard not to live in the past. How do we look to the Lord and to a new day, a new year to begin again? We turn our eyes to the Lord . . .
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to turn our eyes to You, turning the page on yesterday, fully living in the present, and trusting You with the future. Yesterday had its share of suffering, loss and even shame. Yet, we know that You have put our sin and shame on Your Son Jesus, so that we no longer have to bear it. Help us to walk by faith in the freedom of the Spirit, knowing that the future is in Your hands. In Jesus name. Amen.
Whether this was the first appearance of a rainbow or not, the rainbow was now a sign of God’s covenant with Noah and “all the earth.” (Some speculate that it was the first rainbow because the post-flood atmosphere of the earth was changed from its pre-flood condition – This is called the “canopy theory.” ) This covenant had three important features:
1) It’s an unconditional covenant. This covenant is based on God’s faithfulness, not man’s (Gen. 9:9).
2) It’s a universal covenant. It’s for “all the earth.” No one is excluded.
3) It’s an everlasting covenant. God said, “Never again will a flood destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11).
The covenant God made with Noah and “all the earth” is still active today. The next time you see a rainbow, think of God’s faithfulness.
Moving to Capernaum was both a prophetic fulfillment and an important strategic base of operations for Christ’s ministry. As Matthew reported, Jesus’ move to Capernaum was in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 9:1-2). It was also strategic because Jesus would make this prosperous fishing town that sat on the crossroads of two important Roman roads His ministry headquarters. The Via Maris (“the Way of the Sea”, Matt. 4:15) led from Damascus, Syria through Galilee down to Egypt. And the Eastern road that led to the Decapolis and beyond intersected in Capernaum. Capernaum was the place where Jesus called His first four disciples, the two brother teams of Peter and Andrew, and James and John. It was a place where Jesus was accepted in the Synagogue and had great freedom and acceptance among this city populated by both Jews and Gentiles, including a Roman garrison.
Let us pray that our hometowns would accept Jesus and give Him freedom to move and minister just as Capernaum did.
After Jesus overcame Satan and returned from His wilderness fast, He began His public ministry. News of Him soon reached other lands, including Syria. In the book of Acts we read that Christians were in Damascus in such number that the persecutor, Saul, headed there to bring them to trial. Of course, His mission was changed when the Lord struck him blind along the way. Instead of persecuting them, he ended up preaching the gospel there. A large Christian fellowship of believers has lived in Syria since the 1st century. Yet, today they are experiencing terrible persecution once again. Pray for the Christians in Syria. Before the civil war, they made up over 10% of the population. Untold numbers have been persecuted and killed. Pray that the Lord once again directs help to a street called “Straight” (Acts 9:11).
Notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t tell Peter and Andrew to work on applying their fishing skills to reaching men to see if they might qualify to be one of His disciples. He didn’t ask for their resumes or past accomplishments. He didn’t request proof of their bar mitzvah or rabbinic studies. He simply said, “Follow Me.” That’s it. If you can follow Me, “I will make you” what you need to be as my disciples. Many say they want to get their life in order first, clean things up and get organized, then follow Christ. But Peter and Andrew “immediately left their nets” and followed.