Scripture: Ezekiel 33:7-11 7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn... Continue Reading →
The Christian Competition: Who Can Love More?
Scripture: Romans 12:9-21 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs... Continue Reading →
Living Sacrifices, Loving Gifts
Scripture: Romans 12:1-8 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that... Continue Reading →
The Voice Above the Wind
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33 22 Right then, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. 23 When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone. 24 Meanwhile, the boat, fighting a strong... Continue Reading →
Learning to Walk in God’s Land
Scripture: Genesis 32:22–31 22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.... Continue Reading →
Living the Parables: Insights from Matthew 13
Scripture: Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52 31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of... Continue Reading →
Understanding God’s Presence: Lessons from Jacob’s Dream
Scripture: Genesis 28:10–19a 10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder... Continue Reading →
Lessons from Matthew 13: The Soil of Our Hearts
Scripture: Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23 13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went... Continue Reading →
Understanding Psalm 72: A Prayer for Righteous Leadership
Scripture: Psalm 72 Of Solomon. 1Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. 2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. 3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. 4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,... Continue Reading →
Understanding Romans 6: Break Free from Sin
Scripture: Romans 6:1-14 6 :1What therefore will we say? Should we remain in sin so that grace can increase? 2No way! How can we who have died to continue living in it? 3Do you not know that any of us who has been baptized in Jesus the Anointed, has been baptized into his death? In... Continue Reading →
