for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man Luke 19:21 Exacting – Is your Jesus demanding? Is He austere? Or are you convinced that Jesus would never demand results or utter a punishing judgment? Have you been seduced by the “meek and mild” crowd? Or does your Jesus drive a hard…
And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, “Do business with this until I come back.” Luke 19:13 Do Business – Jesus spoke more about money than He did about heaven. He knew where we are most confused. Here Jesus provides us with a startling parable about…
And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:20 Are Forgiven – “Your sins are forgiven.” But that’s not what we wanted, Lord! You’re one of the friends. You carry the stretcher, pushing your way through the crowds, sweating in the hot sun. “If we can just get there, I…
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 Mastered – What’s possible in your life? What are the “yet-to-be” conditions, dreams or hopes? And what lies on the other side of the coin? What might the dark side of your life look like? Imagine it all,…
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 Mastered – Who’s the boss? In it’s simplest terms, that’s the central question of the Christian message. Who’s in charge of you? Bob Dylan correctly observed that all of us “gotta’ serve somebody.” Those who have not come to…
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot; and like a root out of parched ground; Isaiah 53:2 Root – Jesus is not Superman! He’s not Batman or even Robin. He’s not John Wayne, John Glenn, JFK or FDR. Jesus is nobody we would ever follow, unless we are called. Isaiah chapter 53…
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; Psalm 139:23 Anxious Thoughts – My greatest battles come from wrestling with my thoughts. My greatest victories come when I let God provide His thoughts and simply obey Him. It’s not easy. In fact, letting God uncover my inner anxious…
but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses Acts 1:8 Witnesses – You and I are called to be martus; martyrs in the cause of Christ. In fact, the purpose of the church is to be a witness to the world. The church does…
And you are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:48 Witnesses – We have an English word that is the direct descendent of the Greek word translated “witness.” Once you recognize the Greek, you will be enlightened about the implications of being a witness. The Greek word is martus from which we derive the English “martyr.” …
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, Luke 24:45 Opened – Oh, how I wish I had been there. These two men, walking from one village to another, encounter the greatest teacher of all time. As they follow the dusty road, he begins to explain the Scriptures to them. He opens their minds. …
