Tag Archives: Luke
Going Deeper: How Are The Mighty Fallen – 2 Samuel 1:1-27
The death of King Saul of Israel was tragic and at the same time necessary. The king had shown that he was unwilling to fully repent of his sins, and he was ruled by pride and fear. Instead of willingly relinquishing the throne as would have been right, he stubbornly held onto the rule of […]
Going Deeper: Except Jesus – 1 Samuel 22:5-23
Paranoia can be one of the most destructive states of mind we can experience. Seeing everyone around us as a potential threat, fearing our own inadequacies to the point of paralysis , and attacking our allies out of distrust is just a short list of the issues involved. From a simple reading of the Scriptures, […]
Going Deeper: A King’s Daughter – 1 Damuel 18:17-30
Sometimes we fear what we cannot control. This fear of the unknown is common and understandable, but the children of God should live by faith and not sight. Faith in the hope we have in Jesus Christ is the key. This week we are considering the fear that King Saul had toward David who only […]
Going Deeper: Cast Me Not Away – Psalm 51:11
The Bible tells us, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Certainly, an honest reading of the Scriptures presents the fact that God hates sin. He may be graceful and merciful, but still He hates sin as an act of rebellion and worse as destructive behavior […]
Going Deeper: When Good Is Not Enough
Oftentimes we look at something we are working on and say, “That is good enough.” Usually this is when we have run out of patience or time or resources to do any better. So, it is good enough for us. We settle for our definition of good. By contrast, when a man approached Jesus and […]
Articles of Faith: Justification
When you look at your life, do you feel that you always do the right thing? Do you act justly? Micah 6:8 tells us that basically all God asks of us is to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. Have you (or I) done this all the time? Hardly. We stumble and […]
Articles of Faith: The Word of God, Pt 1
God’s disciples are commanded to study and meditate upon God’s Word. Furthermore, we are told to share this Word with others, our families, friends, even strangers. So how do we know who to speak with? Is it everyone? Anyone? As with all things pertaining to faith and practice, the Bible tells. While the Gospel is […]
Commandments of Jesus, Part XI: Matthew 10:31
Objectively, one of the hardest commandments of Christ to obey is “Fear not.” We live in a world that offers many reasons to be fearful. The dangers of everyday life overwhelm us from time to time and the prospect of encouraging others to persecute us by standing up for justice and mercy is often daunting. […]
Commandments of Jesus, Part II – John 12:26
This week’s Bible Study considers the simple command of Jesus Christ to follow him. At the core of Jesus’ ministry is a return to the simplicity found at the beginning of time when God dwelt with the first man and woman. Jesus called all his disciples to follow him. Without turning to follow Jesus, we […]
The Pharisee and the Publican – Luke 18:9-14
This week’s lesson covers the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (a.k.a. the Pharisee and the Tax Collector). As you probably know, the Pharisees were the religious elite of first century Israel. While the exact origin of this sect is unclear, we know that they were chiefly co concerned with adherence to the Mosaic […]
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