When someone comes to the Lord, they tend to be so passionate about Him that they can’t imagine ever falling away or deliberately making a mistake. We are excited about our new nature, and rightfully so. The reality is, though, that we are still human on this side of eternity, and we will make mistakes.... Continue Reading →

In Luke chapter 20, the religious leaders demand that Jesus give them a sign (beyond the many signs He has already give). To this, Jesus asks them a question, “Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it merely human ?”Luke 20:3 NLT The religious leaders, concerned about public appearance, considered themselves to be compromised... Continue Reading →

For those who question whether evangelism is at the heart of God, look no further than Luke 15. Seeing Jesus with sinners made the religious leaders question Jesus’ intentions. They themselves would never be seen with such riff-raff. Jesus didn’t see despicable people unworthy of salvation, but lost people in need of it.  In three... Continue Reading →

The calling for those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus is to try and be like Jesus. This means that we are to love those who hate us, show compassion to those who who can’t repay, and kindness (and forgiveness) to all. We are to be like the Lord, who is like this... Continue Reading →

John the Baptist’s message to the people in Luke chapter 3 was to repent, for the kingdom of God was at hand. For some, they thought that they were safe because of who they were (children of Abraham), but growing up in the right household without a right heart matters little from a kingdom perspective.... Continue Reading →

Looking at Luke 1, I find it interesting that we have one person being blessed by a removal of shame, and another one being blessed with what would (at least initially) have been considered shame. Elizabeth was considered barren. Women who couldn’t bear children dealt with ridicule and disgrace (see Hannah in 1 Samuel). Zechariah... Continue Reading →

Look at how magnificent the temple was in Jerusalem. It was awe inspiring! Yet inside it was ugly and dead. When Jesus came, the people cared more about the temple and the laws than they did about the God who resided in the temple, and the laws that He put into place. In fact, when... Continue Reading →

Mark 12 has a lot to say about offerings: the evil farmers; taxes; the most important Commandment; the religious leaders; and the the widow’s offering. Twice Jesus takes aim at the religious leaders who are far from God. He starts on them with the parable of the evil farmers (which they understood to be about... Continue Reading →

Just because you have the authority to do something doesn’t mean that you have the strength in and of yourself to complete it. The gym may give you authority to lift as much weight as you can, but that doesn’t mean you have the strength to actually lift it. A store gives you the authority... Continue Reading →