Category Archives: Bible study

November 29 – What Matters Is Jesus

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I Corinthians 1-4

The Corinthian church had hit a rough  patch. In fact, it sounds like they were on the verge of a split. So Paul wrote a letter that gets to the heart of the matter. Jealousy. Pride.

“Stop it,” he told them. “Who cares who dunked you in the water? It doesn’t matter. What matters is Jesus.

“Who cares who is seeing people come to Christ first? It doesn’t matter. Some people plant seed, others reap. What matters is Jesus.

“Who cares who is honored, or has the best pew in church? It doesn’t matter. We are all servants of God. No one brings anything to the table they have achieved on their own.”

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (4:7)

What matters is Jesus. Paul seems to be telling us to get over ourselves. Keep you eyes on Jesus. YOU be obedient.  YOU be wise with the wisdom God gives. YOU be foolish in the eyes of the world.

Who cares what people think? What matters is Jesus.

 

November 26 – Say It Anyway

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Acts 17-18:18

Religion is a hot topic. People are generally passionate about what they believe. Their beliefs defend their behavior. And their beliefs are often considered personal.

The people of Thessalonica are some of many examples in the Bible of what happens when talk about religion steps on toes. They listened to Paul for several weeks, and some believed in Jesus as a result. But, as often happens, other Jews got mad. It was ok for Paul to talk about Jesus, as long as they didn’t have to admit what they had believed was not true.

So, the Thessalonians decided to form a mob, and attack Paul. When they couldn’t find Paul, they beat up Jason instead. That’s what  mobs do. And this mob fueled by jealousy wanted to hurt someone.

Then, when the Thessalonian Jews heard Paul was preaching in Berea, they followed him there to cause trouble. This was not a mob easily distracted.

Do you ever feel like people are out to get you because of your faith in Jesus? Someone seems always belittling you, or talking against you behind your back, or making fun of you in front of your peers, because “you think you’re better than everyone else”?  Take heart. You are not alone. It’s been that way for thousands of years.

We can learn from Paul who, although he left Thessalonica, he didn’t stop talking about Jesus. He went through some tough situations, but he kept sharing Christ.

Here is the thing. If you know Jesus, you know the Truth. And there is only one Truth. If you know what Jesus has said, you know all religions can’t be true. There is One way, truth, and life, and no one goes to the Father except through His Son Jesus.

If you are tempted to keep your mouth shut because of the backlash of sharing Christ, don’t do it. Keep talking. It’s eternally important that people accept Jesus. They may be passionate about their beliefs, but unless they believe that Jesus is the Messiah who died to pay for their sins, they are lost. That’s not an opinion. It’s the Truth.

Let’s not be bullied into silence. It’s not enough to know the Truth. We’ve got to be taking about it, sharing it, leading others to their Savior. When people tell us to tolerate other religions, to accept other beliefs, don’t do it. When we are told to stop saying Jesus is the only way, say it anyway.

 

 

November 20 – Not What He Expected

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Acts 11-12

I had one of those laugh-outloud moments again this morning as I read these chapters. Peter had just been miraculously freed from jail. An angel appeared in his cell where Peter slept, chained with two chains and lying between two soldiers. Guards were watching the prison, too.

But the angel told Peter to get up quickly. The chains fell off! Peter put on his shoes and coat and he followed the angel right past the guards. When they came to a gate, the gate opened all by itself. Peter was free! What an adrenaline rush.

Peter hurried to tell his friends what had happened to him. I can imagine his excitement. And we know how excitable Peter could be. He probably couldn’t wait to share the good news. I’m sure his heart was pounding in his chest.

So here’s what made me laugh out loud. A servant girl, Rhoda, answered what was probably Peter’s frantic knocking on the door. When she heard his voice and recognized it as belonging to the jailed apostle, she didn’t open the door. Instead she ran back to the other disciples to tell them Peter was there.

So here’s Peter, full of anticipation and excitement with the most amazing news to share. His hand was probably on the door knob, ready and eager to enter, when he realized he was alone. The door hadn’t  opened.

Not exactly the reception he’d imagined, I’m sure.

Of course, eventually they opened the door and let him in. He was able to share what had happened. But the moment was gone. Perhaps a little of the wind in his sails died a bit.

Sometimes people who come to the Lord have the same experience as Peter had. They meet the Savior. They ask Him to forgive them and for the first time in their lives they know what real joy is. They are washed clean, a new person in Christ, set free from the chains of sin. And they want to tell those closest to them.

So with excitement and anticipation, they burst on the scene to share the details of their conversion, only to be met with blank stares and cold shoulders. Not the reception they’d imagined.

But learn from what Peter did. He kept knocking until his friends opened the door. And I think God would have us do the same. If God has blessed you, if you have witnessed His hand in a situation, or if you’ve come to know Him for the first time, and your friends and loved ones don’t share your excitement, don’t stop knocking.

Keep talking about the Lord, keep pointing them to the Savior. Because one day, like in Peter’s case, I believe that door will open and you’ll be able to share the most incredible news with the people you love.

November 15 – He Is Risen Indeed!

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Luke 24; J0hn 20-21

The risen Savior appeared to His disciples and invited them to touch His body. They were not seeing a vision. They were in the presence of Jesus, alive and well.

As you read the last chapters of the Gospels you’ll see Jesus walking and talking and sharing meals with people… after the cross. Many people were witnesses to the miracle of the resurrection of Christ.

One exchange between Peter and the resurrected Jesus got me thinking today. First, Jesus allowed Peter to confess his love for the Lord three times, to equal the three denials Peter had uttered while Jesus was on trial. I love how Jesus loves!

Then Jesus told Peter a little about his future. It doesn’t seem like Peter had much to say about what he’d heard. He looked at John instead, and asked Jesus: What about him?

Let’s consider Jesus’ answer as recorded in John 21:22:

If I want him (John) to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!

Sometimes we’re tempted to compare ourselves to other people. Maybe we rationalize that we’re not as bad as so-and-so, so we must be ok. Or we get jealous if we think someone is blessed more than us. Some people use imperfect Christians as an excuse for not accepting the Savior. The question they ask is, “What about them?”

Hear Jesus say: Don’t worry about them. YOU follow me. YOU!

Jesus died on the cross for sinners, of which you and I are two. Then after three days, He got up from that grave and lived once again. He defeated sin and death, and lives today.

He is risen. He is risen indeed!

Do you believe it? Do YOU believe it? Then YOU follow Him. Don’t worry about anyone else. They have nothing to do with YOUR response to the Savior.

November 8 – Bridesmaids Unprepared

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Matthew 25

How are you getting ready for Jesus’ return? Have you prepared your heart, used the gifts and abilities He gave you in service to Him, showed His love to others in tangible ways? Jesus is coming again. And whether we meet Him in the air at the sound of the trumpet, or experience death first, we will stand before Him on that day!

My prayer is that, most importantly, God has your heart. I pray that you have asked Him to forgive your sin, to be your Savior. Then I pray that you have nurtured the gifts He’s given you, and used them to win lost souls for His kingdom.

Are you a faithful servant? Do you put His love in action by caring for all people, giving of your time and resources?

I hope you’re not like five of the bridesmaids we read about today who did just enough to be able to say they were part of the company. But that wasn’t enough. And they couldn’t depend on anyone else to get them ready to meet the Bridegroom.

And neither can we. Our relationship with God is personal. Our accountability to Him is dependent on our own actions.

I pray you will not put off getting right with God. When the Bridegroom comes, and He will, it will be too late to put oil in that lamp.

November 7 – The Many

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Matthew 24

Jesus’ disciples asked Him what the signs would be announcing His second coming, and the “end of the age.” The Lord told them there would be people claiming to be Him, wars, famines, earthquakes.

He said life will be hard for His followers. They will experience tribulation, will be hated and killed because they follow Jesus. Some of His followers will fall away and turn on each other. They’ll be mislead by false teaching, and lawlessness will increase.

Was He describing 2016?

But then He said half of a verse that broke my heart. 24:12b:

most people’s love will grow cold.

The word “most” makes me sad. Makes me wonder how many of the people who attended church yesterday would be able to say their love for God is the burning passion of their lives? Or is their love like that for a buddy? Comfortable, warm, but not consuming?

Also makes me wonder about the temperature of my own love of my Savior. Is it the driving force behind my every thought and action? Is it a passion that burns every minute of every day, that ignites me to serve Him with purposeful enthusiasm?

Jesus said that before He returns, MANY of His people’s hearts will turn cold toward Him. I do not want to be counted among the “many.”

October 29 – Not My Messiah

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Luke 11

The Man just raised someone who had been dead four days. In the last three years He had made blind people see, lame people walk, cast out demons, healed leprosy, fed thousands, and controlled the weather. He even said He was the One the prophets had told them about, and He taught them with more authority than they had ever heard before.

But the Pharisees rejected Him anyway. All the evidence pointed to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus was not who they pictured in that role. Jesus wasn’t rallying an army to defeat the Romans, He wasn’t taking steps to make Himself king. Not only that, He never once patted the Pharisees on the back for their knowledge of the Law, or their leadership skills.

Their response to Jesus’ raising Lazarus was to say: We’ve got to shut Him down. If He keeps doing those things people are going to follow Him and we might lose our place in society. The people will like Him better than they like us, and where will that leave us?

The Pharisees had a picture in mind of what their messiah would look like. He’d be a commanding leader who would appoint them to positions of power in a kingdom without Roman rule. He’d be one of them. He’d at least be from a good home.

Let’s not make the same mistake the Pharisees made. Let’s not reject Jesus because we are going through a battle with cancer, and we think our messiah ought to heal us. Let’s not reject Him because we are struggling with a dead-end job, and we think our messiah ought to make us successful. Let’s not reject Him because people who have wronged us are living the high-life, and we think our messiah would just burn down their houses because they were mean to us. Let’s not reject Him because we’ve decided our messiah would be tolerant of multiple ways to heaven, would not object to homosexuality, would pat us on our backs for being good people.

I don’t know what you’ve pictured your messiah to be. But I can say with confidence that the person of Jesus is so much better than you can dream up. The truth is, Jesus IS the Messiah. He IS God’s Son. He IS God in the flesh. And He died because you are a sinner.

Jesus’ goal was not to make you happy or healthy or wealthy. Get that picture out of your mind once and for all. Jesus’ goal was to save your soul so that you could live with him forever. Jesus’ goal was to forgive you so He could walk with you in this life, in every circumstance.

Jesus is my Messiah. Jesus is THE Messiah.

 

 

October 11 – It’s Obvious To Me

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Matthew 8:1-13; Luke 7

According to the Beth Moore Bible study I’ve been attending, healed lepers weren’t common back in the day. In fact, since Moses wrote the law concerning leprosy and what a person was required to do when healed, NO healings of the disease are recorded until Jesus. For thousands of years, Jews were taught what to do if they were healed of leprosy. And none of them were able to fulfill the requirements because none of them were healed.

I would think that, if Jesus had performed no other miracle, healing a leper should have been proof enough that He was the Messiah. Who else but God could heal that deadly disease with a word? It seems so obvious to me.

But there is ample proof of God yet today. And there are still many who refuse to acknowledge the proof, who still deny His existence, and who still do not bow to Him.

I don’t get it. It’s obvious to me.

October 6 – My Food

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John 2-4

Jesus’ disciples went to get him something to eat. The fact that they “urge” Him to eat makes me believe Jesus was so intent on doing what He came to do, He might not have taken time for meals. His disciples knew he needed to eat.

I know, myself, that if I am focused on a task at hand, eating is the last thing on my mind. Jesus said something that made me stop and think.

He said, “My food, is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” (4:34)

Food. That which nourishes and strengthens, that which is necessary for life itself, that which is pleasant and anticipated. Something you just can’t do without.

Is that how I view my service to God, sharing the Gospel, sowing seed that leads to repentance? Is representing Jesus to a lost world as necessary to me as filling my belly?

It was that to Jesus. It ought to be in me.

September 21 – My People

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Zechariah 1-7

“Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know the the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.” (2:10-11)

God tells Zechariah that Jesus will come. God in flesh and blood would live right here on planet Earth with us. As a result, people from all over the world would join themselves to Jesus and become “My people.”

No longer an exclusive Jewish club, God’s people would include Asians, Greeks, Romans, Africans, Americans… Me!

My heart rejoices. Thank You, dear Jesus!

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I would like to thank you all for praying for Landon these last couple of days. They have changed his diagnosis from HUS to CIS, with salmonella. He has developed a fear of anyone medical and they have to sedate him to try to get an IV in him. He also is not urinating, and his right kidney is somewhat smaller than his left. His parents are meeting with an urologist today.

Please continue to pray. Although he woke up hungry this morning, (that in itself is an answer to prayer) he is still fighting for his life. His parents are exhausted. Let’s lift them up, asking God for strength and wisdom as they deal with this emergency. Landon’s mommy is pregnant. I’m praying for that little one as well.

Thanks again for praying with me. May God be glorified.