2015-07-06 - Effects of Jealous Saul had a spear in his hand and suddenly hurled it at David intending to pin him to the wall - 1 Samuel 18:11 Jealousy is the emotion we feel toward someone who has something we believe we should have KIng Saul jealous toward David, who did nothing but serve the king faithfully Saul grow angry with him because of his growing popularity Saul promoted David to army commander where he excelled, defeating the Philistines Jealousy took over and and Saul went insane and it his life's goal to kill David Being jealous steals the joy and contentment the Lord wants us to experience Who is most likely to make you feel jealous? Rest content in the knowledge of God - He has mapped out a life of blessing specifically for you |
2015-07-30 - Assurance Are you the Messiah we've been expecting? - Matthew 11:3 John the Baptist was courageous man of faith who saw Jesus up close
John sat in a prison cell and began to doubt Jesus' identity Jesus sent back a message of reassurance John did not wallow in doubt, he went to the source to find assurance Where do you turn when you suffer moments of doubt? |
2015-08-27 - What Goes Around God had paid me back for what I did to them - Judge 1:7 We always reap what we sow or what goes around, comes around Adoni-bezek enjoyed some success as a king and military leader - he took captive of 70 nearby kings Then he went overboard by mistreating his captives:
When the armies of the tribes of Judah and Simeon, attacked and took Adoni-bezek into custody They cut off Adoni-bezek's thumbs and big toes and died If you want to reap kindness and love, then sow them in your every word and action |
2015-09-17 - What Say You? The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master for he has led me straight to my master's relatives - Genesis 24:27 Gratitude should flow naturally from the Creator-creature relationship He wants you to bring your needs and desires to him in prayer so he might meet them and then thank him for answering Eliezer went to God and asked very specifiically and directly a sign for show him the woman for Issac When God gave Eliezer exactly what he asked for and remembered to turn to him immediately to praise and thank him |
2015-09-25 - Encouragement Judas and Silas spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthing their faith - Acts 15:32 They were choosen to travel with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch Judas and Silas were chosen to deliver a letter that communicated what the apostles had decided about what Jewish laws the Gentile Christians needed to observe They did not just read the letter and head home - they took the time and went out of their way to speak words of encouragement and strength to the believers You can bless others as you go out of your way to encourage them |
2015-10-01 - You'll See Leave your native country and go to the land I will show you - Genesis 12:1 God didn't give Abram a lot of details - Leave your lifelong home for the land I will show you He promised Abram to be a father of a great nation and the entire earth would be blessed through him - Genesis 12:2-3 There had to have been questions:
Abram went without questioning God or asking for signs He believed God enough to step out in obedience and helped bring the salvation we enjoy into the world
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2015-10-23 - Eager and Ready They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind - Matthew 4:22 James and John didn't waste so much as a minute when Jesus called them to his side They didn't even ask about their destination or agenda, they simply dropped their nets and followed Suppose Jesus came by your place of business today and said "Follow me" Could you immediately follow and serve him, whenever he went and whatever he asked you to do? |
2015-10-24 - Sure Way Down Jonah went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord - Jonah 1:3 God gave specific instructiions to go to Nineveh and warn them about god's judgement Jonah simply did not like the assignment and wanted them dead Jonah wondered why he should warn them, go ahead and judge them When Jonah ran, his life went nowehere but down:
When Jonah came to his senses, he obeyed God's instructions What marching orders had God given you that seem to make little sense? |
2015-11-03 - Couldn't Help It Then he went with Elijah as his assistant - 1 Kings 19:21 Elisha couldn't help becoming a prophet of the Lord Elijah approached him and silently threw his cloak over his shoulder, Elisha knew what he meant The Holy Spirit had touched his heart and he felt ready to leave everything to follow Elijah First let me go and kiss my father and mother goodbye - 1 Kings 1:19 Elisha had no choice in the matter, for it was God who had called him to leave everything and follow hi, When the Holy Spirit is allowed to have free reign in your life, you can do nothing but say yes when God calls you to serve Him |
2015-11-06 - Thriving Through Adversity Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see tje miraculous signs he did - Acts 8:5-8 Philip was among the first generation believers who fled the city to the other area because of persecution He didn't hide out but preached the gospel wherever he went Philip create a stir in Samaria when people eagerly listened to his message and watched in amazement as people were healed He did not focus on his own preservation but the needs of other people No one enjoys hardship and persecution but we can not let them quash our spirits We serve a God who enables us to thrive even in adversity |
2015-11-11 - Visionary Prayer His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful - 1 Chronicles 4:9 When we receive a vision for something specific, we are to pray equally specifically Jabez was an honorable man whose name meant "pain" Only recorded words was a well-known prayer - "Please be with me in all I do and keep me from all trouble and pain" - 1 Chronicles 4:10 God said yes to everything Jebez asked:
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2015-11-14 - No Middle Man I have always been faithful, single-minded, always doing what pleases you - 2 Kings 20:2-3 Hezehiah had been deathly ill for some time and was setting all his affairs in order because his illness was terminal - 2 Kings 2:1 Isaiah had a special connection to God and it would be tempting to plead his case directly with Isaiah When Isaiah told Hezehiah he was about to die, he went to his private place of prayer and talked directly to the Lord Hezehiah didn't ask to extend his life but reminded God he had been a good and faithful servant God decided to extend Hezehiah's life Hezehiah's willingness to straingth to God saved his his life |
2015-11-15 - Seek Jesus Where is the newborn king of the Jews? - Matthew 21:2 Wise men watched for signs that the ancient prophets of God had spoken about centuries before They travel serveral hundred miles by camel to see the newborn King Jesus Some just struggle to make it to church at 10:30AM These wise men went to incredible lengths to find Jesus, bowed down and presented gifts Make it a prioity to worship him passionately and give him you best each day |
2015-11-18 - Rise to the Occasion He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus's body - Luke 23:52 Joseph rose to the occasion as a member of the Jewish council He was a "good and rigteous man" who kept his discipleship a secret our of fear of his fellow council members Somehow he had the courage to approach Pilate and get permission to remove Jesus' body from the cross so that he could be buried Joseph rolled a large stone against the tomb to protect Jesus' body from vandals and grave robbers The newly emboldened Joseph extended to Christ the honor due to him in death |
2015-11-23 - Forgiveness Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing - Luke 23:34 Jesus always did something first before before commanding his disciples to do something This included loving those who hated and persecuted him - Luke 6 Jesus went to the cross willingly and obediently without calling thousands of angels to destory the earth He even did the more unthinkable - he asked the Father to forgive his excutioners Who in your life seems eager to do you harm? Are you willing to forgive them as Jesus did?
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2015-11-26 - Ends Jusify Means? It's Esau, your firstborn son - Genesis 27:19 Jacob tried to accomplish something that God already said was his will It went terribly wrong when he schemed and lied to make that goal a reality He received his father's blessing but only after lying to him at least 4 times Jacob and Rebekah decieved his father through sinful means what God had wanted to do through righteous means They would face many consequences for his sin including Laban's deception before giving him Rachel as Jacob's wife - Genesis 29 |
2015-12-06 - Impossible He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord - 2 Kings 4:33 Elisha had sent his assistant Gehazi ahead to try to raise the boy from the dead, but he had failed Asfter Elisha took over, the boy's mother was carrying her living son out of the bedroom What made the difference? Not:
The difference was Elisha turned to God through prayer and consistently communicated with God before he acted |
2015-12-09 - Don't Miss Your Chance You missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram - 2 Chronicles 16:7 Like so many kings of Judah, Asa started out doing good things for his kingdom Prophet Azariah: The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! - 2 Chronicles 15:2 Asa trusted and obey God at first but later he failed by relying on humans instead of God He showed his true colors when he entered into an agreement with Syria to stand against Israel Asa refusal to rely solely on God contributed to his death He developed a foot disease - he went to his doctors rather than first seeking God's help - 2 Chronicles 16:12 Where do you turn in yout times of need? |
2015-12-13 - Steps of Faith Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus - Matthew 14:29 Learning to walk for a toddler is similar taking steps of faith - we dare to take steps, meet by success then failure Peter was easily the most impulsive of Jesus' disciples - said and did things that others thought about but did not dare to say or do Peter was a baby in faith who tried new things to discover what he is able to do His impulsive move to get out of the boat was greeted with success then panic and failure Peter clearly couldn't keep his eyes on Jesus but they were baby steps toward maturing his faith |
2015-12-19 - Enemy of Self Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan - Judges 13:24-25 The man who learns to put himself aside is the one who makes a difference for God's kingdom From the time Samson was a boy, the Spirit began to stir within him That is when self got in the way Something went wrong between God's Spirit and Samson Samson didn't use the gifts of God had given him as a leader and deliever God called him to be He used his gifts for his own agenda:
God gave Samson all the strength he needed to succeed Samson squandered an opportunity for greatness and left a legacy of pride Will you use your gifts for his benefit or just for yourself? |
2015-12-20 - Speak Up Absalom never spoke to Amnon about this - 2 Samuel 13:22 Absalom showed what happens when the lines of communication between two people break down He had every right to feel angry about Amnon rapping his sister What went wrong is his refusing to talk about it and making no effort to try to resolve the situation - Amnon felt sorry for what he had done Absalom's anger grew deep inside until it became implacable hatred He waited for the right opportunity to order his servants to kill Amnon - 2 Samuel 13:28 Absalom paid a heavy price for his failure to resolve his conflict openly and peacefully
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2015-12-21 - Show Repect They looked the other way so they would not see him naked - Genesis 9:23 Certain offices command respect:
Noah's two eldest sons respected their father positon even when he drank too much wine and passed out Their brother, Ham, on the other hand sinned aginst Noah and God by staring at his father - Genesis 9:22 Shem and Japheth went out of their way to cover their father - walking backward into the tent and covering him They did everything to protect their father's honor and enjoyed a blessing which their brother was excluded from |
2018-02-12 - Men's Reaction Different classes of people were attracted to Jesus Not only did Jesus draw people to him, but he stirred them to the core
Jesus asked "Who do men say that I am?" They went to the grave in order to find a man to whom they could compare Pilate was afraid of a poor unarmed peasant Many hate him, you can't hate a weakling He was so mighty that when thought of him, they thought of God |
2020-03-06 - Friendliness Common taunt of Scribes and Pharises that Jesus was a friend of sinners He was friendly to the lowest and the best of society, a trait which created great scandal These three statements about Jesus spoke a lot about how Jesus' heart toward others:
They tried to use his friendiness against him Example: Tax collectors - ones who gathered taxes by any means nessary including by extortion or other dishonest measures
Jesus made friends with them despite these truths It was one thing to talk down to a bad man and give good advise, it is another to eat with them Jesus cross the chasm over which no man was willing to do in that day and lost his reputation for the sake of being brotherly/friendly Made himself nothing because he was determined on being firendly to all - Philippians 2:17 Everyone is part of the human race, children of God, despite what they have done
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2020-03-21 - Friendly with the Rich and Powerful too Jesus was best know being friendly to the poor, bad and sick but he was also was a brother to the rich and powerful too - He was a brother to every man There was more said about the Bible about the poor than they rich because Jesus was able to nearer to the poor than the rich:
Jesus was as friendly to Nicodemus as he was to the poor woman at the well He was as brotherly to Zaccheus as he was to the poor beggar in Jerusalem When Jesus went to be baptized, John would not do it because it was for the sinner but the good. Jesus wanted to participate because he wanted to be counted amoung men. Jesus knowing the other side and he could help but tell them something about the great God in world they were living The rich man in the parable of Dives and Lazarus: the rich man did not go to hell because of his fine clothes or riches - it because of his heart- not tender; sympathy did not go out to a brother's need Abraham was rich and went to heaven because he had a brotherly heart Jesus was too brotherly for people to understand Jesus - If I can not help them with my life, I will help them with my death |