The viper slithered out from a pile of wood arranged for a bonfire. The serpent struck fast. It sunk its fangs into the hand of the one gathering sticks. The gatherer was wet and weary after surviving a shipwreck at a beach on Malta, an island in the Mediterranean. The...
Reading through the gospels, we find interesting moments when Jesus was challenged by the ones who claimed to be servants of God and His Law. In Mark 7, we see that the Pharisees and scribes wanted to know why the disciples of Jesus failed to wash their hands before eating...
Luke 6:45 gives strong motivation to store God's Word in our hearts, letting the Holy Spirit teach us, so that great will be the possibility of (1) our having a word in season for others - delivered at an opportune moment; of (2) our blessing the Lord with the words...
“For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35). This is the final verse of Mark 3. There’s a lot that happens in this chapter. The conclusion says something really important for us. Jesus made this statement after He...
The reality of who Jesus is neatly unfolds for us in Mark 2. Read carefully and take note of how He began to tell people of His eternal identity. There are a number of characteristics of the Son that we can see here. He shows Himself to be the Forgiver...
Jesus affected everyone He came into contact with – visible and invisible. Sometimes the reaction to the Son was one of attraction. He walked by the Sea of Galilee and a group of fishermen were busy chasing after the day’s catch. Soon, Peter, John, Andrew, and James left their nets...
As time went on, Jesus began to teach the disciples in new ways. He gave them things to do. He trained them in His mission and purpose. At the start of Luke 9, He formed His followers into teams. He equipped them with power to dispel demons and to heal...
Two desperate people fought their way to Jesus. One was a father whose daughter lay dying in his home. The other was a woman who had bled and bled and bled for 12 years. Jesus was surrounded. Crowds greeted Him wherever He went. The stories of His miracle ways and...
How do we effectively obey Jesus' words: "Bring him to Me."? We first come to Him ourselves and learn to rest in His Love. Then we, as happened to Paul, are pressed on all sides by the Love He has for us and are held to one purpose by It,...
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. …” (Ephesians 5:19). “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalm 43:5). Part of being a...
