Quiet Times Search
Search Quiet Times via a keyword or stringSearching for "powerful" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "25" to "50". (71 found)
| 2009-08-22 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 4) Women want to be fought for She wants to be wanted She wants to be pursued Knight n shinning armor – core of the feminine heart and the life she knows she was made for She wants an adventure to share – part of the adventure She wants to be caught up into something greater than herself Every woman wants to have her beauty revealed “Do you see me?” “And are you captivated by what you see?” World kills woman’s heart – be tough, efficient, and independent No one is fighting for her (no adventure to swept up in) – doubts very much that she any beauty to unveil. Man must know he is powerful and know what it takes Woman must know she is beautiful and she is worth fighting for |
| 2009-09-01 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 1) There comes a time when we simply have to face the challenges in our lives and stop backing down Men rarely praise each other directly - by way of accomplishments (“you are a wild man”, “what is up stud” The question – Do I have what it takes? Am I powerful? Until a man knows he’s a man he will forever be trying to prove he is one, while at the same time shrink from anything that might reveal he is not Boy learns who is he and what he’s got from a man
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| 2009-09-19 - Wild at Heart - Healing the wound (part 5) Until we are broken, our life will be self-centered, self-reliant, our strength will be our own. So long as you think you are really something in and of yourself, what will you need God for? Think of the poser you know – are they the kind of man you would call 2am, when life is collapsing around you? Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be. Because the wound was given in the place of your true strength Out of your brokenness that you discover what you have to offer the community When we begin to offer not merely our gifts but our true selves, that is when we become powerful That is when we are ready for battle |
| 2009-09-27 - One Another - Familial Love Scripture uses the powerful metaphor of the family God is our Father Jesus is the elder brother We are brothers and sisters - the word, brother, used 250x in reference to Christians We are to keep on loving each other as brothers - Hebrews 13:11 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love - Romans 12:10 |
| 2009-10-14 - Wild at Heart - Eve's Wound Question for her is: Am I lovely? She needs to know that she is exquisite and exotic and chosen. This is core to her identity, the way she bears the image of God Will you purse me? Do you delight in me? Will you fight for me? Wound says - No, you are not beautiful and no one will really fight for you Wound usually always comes from the hand of her father He has the power to cripple or to bless is just as powerful to her as to the son Her heart is violated and the message is driven father in – you are not desired, you will not be protected, no one will fight for you. If the father is passive, a little girl will suffer a silent abandonment – not noticed or pursued Like so many unloved young women, they will to turn to boys to hear what she never heard from her father When a woman never hears she’s worth fighting for, she comes to believe that is the sort of treatment she deserves A hesitant man is the last thing in the world a woman needs. She needs a lover and a warrior, not a nice guy Number one problem between men and women is that we men, when asked to truly fight for her, hesitate We are still seeking to save ourselves, we have forgotten the deep pleasure of spilling our life for another |
| 2010-05-08 - Men are without excuse (part 2)
2 Thessalonians 2:5-12
What excuses have you been making? Only the righteous will be saved! |
| 2010-05-29 - Desire's Journey - Mocking Desire We want the adventure without the risk - ex. Only 5% of SUV ever go off-road Idols usually come in pairs: Nearby idol - gives a since of control Faraway idols - provides the taste of transcendence But the idols are impostors - we are taken by the array of choices we have but never have to stop and look at what we are doing Is your desire truly and deeply satisfied with these idols? Does the relief come more through the temporary absence of desire? We have found a powerful drug - distraction Sometimes we don't want to take a good, hard look at what we are really doing Used wood to make fire and cook with - then made an idol??? - Isaiah 44:16-17, 19-20 |
| 2010-09-10 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 2) The question is not are we oppressed but where and how we are Why does every story have an enemy?
Satan lost the battle against Michael and his angels - was hurled to earth - Revelation 12:9 Satan's mood? He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short - Revelation 12:12 He is trying to steal your freedom, kill your heart, destroy your life We can go throughout our day and not even once wonder how the enemy might be attacking us All we know is that we aren't enjoying that abundant life Christ talked about Ignorance of spiritual warfare is the most native and dangerous thing a person can do You don't escape spiritual warfare by choosing not to believe it exists or refuse to fight The thief is trying to steal the life God wants to give - John 10:10 |
| 2010-09-17 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 5) The worldview has simply removed warfare as a practical category We shouldn't be surprised - we can not see spiritual strongholds after we say they really don't exist If you deny the battle raging against your heart, then the theif can just come and go as he pleases Satan says there is not war Lord Almighty = he who is sovereign over all the powers in heaven and on earth, especially over the armies of Israel The God of angel armies God is powerful and and in control but don't always think of of him taking up a sword and shield, breaking down gates to rescue us Big difference: Joe the good man who is in control vs Joe the Naval Seal |
| 2010-09-24 - Waking Dead - It Will Be Messy Going to a church service with hundreds of people will never expose you That is what most prefer - because community will It will bring you close and you will be seen and you will be known Therein lies the power and the danger The enemy hates this: he knows it can be powerful and God and his kingdom Remember divide and conquer? This is his way Most have settled for safety in numbers - a comfortable, anonymous distance An army that keeps meeting for briefings, but never breaks into platoons and goes to war Community is like camping together Stuff is scattered out there for everyone to see During fellowship there are two important things to remember 1. Know the heart is good - so much easier to trust and to forgive We are for one another 2. Know that we are at war The enemy is always trying to pull everyone away |
| 2010-10-08 - Contagious Christian - Attractiveness of Authenticity (part 2) Authentic Emotional life Expressing sadness or hurt or grief are not signs of low faith or shallow character There are two negative consequences when a person outlaws certain feelings
Remember what Jesus did when His friend Lazarus died? He wept Authentic Confession How Christian deal with their foul-ups and failures The thinking here is that our moral missteps will drive people away But actually, It is a powerful witness to the transforming power of Christ Zacchaeus' household was converted because he was very open with what he did wrong Today authentic confession cause a seeker in today's non-fault society to realize that only the living God would prompt a person to say "it is my fault and I am sorry" |
| 2010-10-10 - Contagious Christian - Pull of Compassion Caring for the tangible needs of others is at the core of Christianity Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless - look at orphans and widows in their distress - James 1:27 Compassion is echoed throughout the Bible:
Clear and consistent demonstration of Christ-like love is a powerful magnet that pulls people toward Him Not about who you are or what you did It is about how you care, being a neighbor - Luke 10:36-37 In Luke 10 - when the wounded man awoke, he must have wondered, "Who did this? Why would they do help me in such a great way?" It is when people start asking, "Why didn't he not turn away like everyone else?" As I have loved you, so you must love one another - John 13:34-35 All men will know that you are my disciples |
| 2010-11-06 - Contagious Christian - The Blind Man's Testimonial Approach Blinded since birth, Jesus change his life by giving him sight The first time he came in contact with an audience after his sight he was asked to explain what happen The crowd was hostile but he refused to enter into a theological debate - John 9:25 "One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see" He was born blind so that the work of God might be displayed in his life God had been preparing this man to tell the story of his life and to point people to Jesus Some people might not respond to a challenge or a debate but a personal account of someone's coming to faith can move them powerfully Effective testimonies don't have to be dramatic For some it would be difficult to relate to a dramatic testimony that may give them an excuse Might say "People like that, need religion" If you have a more dramatic story, ask God to lead you concerning how much detail and whom to tell it |
| 2010-12-01 - Mission - Forgiveness The message to Preach 2. Forgiveness of sins Without this, there would be nothing else God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us - Romans 5:8 We first need to clearly teach people why forgiveness is possible Happens only in the name of Jesus It is only because God loves us and not because of anything we have done or will do We must also make it clear that is when one is baptized in the name of Jesus that one is saved - Acts 2:38 As we preach, we must be careful, but not cautious Be sensitive but not sentimental We must preach the cross so powerfully that it cuts No one will ever repent until they are brought to Godly sorrow - 2 Corinthians 7 |
| 2010-12-03 - Mission - First the Kingdom No one is ready to follow Jesus who is not ready to put the kingdom of God first above everything else in his life Take away the radicalness of the message and you take away the power of the message Compromise it and you have religion but not the church of Jesus Christ Every kingdom has a king God is the king of kings and the lord of lords - 2 Timothy 6:15 Jesus is known as both Lord and Christ, King and Savior - Acts 2:38 We are the servants, subjects, and even slaves of God - Romans 6:22 The centurion understood this authority - Luke 7:8 You will be given all the things you need when you seek first the kingdom - Matthew 6:33 Can you powerfully proclaim this message to others because it is so clearly your conviction? - Colossians 3:1-2 When making decisions, ask what is best for the kingdom. |
| 2010-12-14 - Knowing Jesus (part I) Who is Jesus? John 1:1, 14
~Mark 1:21-45
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| 2010-12-17 - Word of God (part II) John 8:31-32
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| 2011-01-26 - Followup - Prayer (part I) Introduction
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| 2011-03-20 - God Is (part I) Starting a study of God attributes this week:
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| 2011-05-31 - Excuses - Gideon Gideon Judges 6:11-16
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| 2011-06-03 - Excuses - Peter Peter Luke 5:4-11
Peter ultimately confronted his fears and fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy of martyrdom (John 21:18-19) |
| 2011-06-04 - Fearing God - Jacob feared Jacob had deceived his father and stolen the birthright from his brother Genesis 28:12-15 While fleeing to his uncle's house, God promised him 5 things:
When Jacob awoke, he was afraid His fear came from the realization that he had somehow been in the very presence of God The fear was not from being conscious of his sin but from his sense of awe The presence created a sense of being overwhelmed by his own nothingness in contrast to that which is supreme above all creatures He is infinitely above the powerful human beings who have ever lived |
| 2011-08-18 - Fearing God - Transcendent Majesty Isaiah 6 - Repeats Holy 3x - "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" Hebrew language uses repetition to show emphasis From time to time Jesus frequently add emphasis using "truely, truely" - John 3:3 We never read:
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| 2011-09-17 - Proverbs on Purity (part II) #3. Cling to what is Good Proverbs 7:1-5 - God's word will lead us to purity of mind There’s a saying, “Garbage in Garbage out”
#4. Avoid the temptation Proverbs 4:14-15 - Don't take the path of evil people. Don't live the way sinners do. Proverbs 4:25-27 - Don't turn to the right or left. One way to not give in to lust is to avoid it or flee from it. James 4:7 - Resist the devil, and he will flee from you Avoid the places that are tempting to you (wild parties, lustful parts of the city, TV shows)
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| 2011-10-30 - Mind Change - Humility Humility is the most powerful force in the world. God loves it. God honors it. God blesses it. With it, you cannot lose. You can have it in all circumstances. Luke 14:11 - Who humbles himself will be exalted James 4:6 - He gives grace to the humble 1 Peter 5:5 - Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another |
| 2011-11-24 - God (part II) God is a powerful God
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| 2011-11-25 - Grace (part I) Sometimes, one of the most difficult truths to understand as a young disciple is grace. So much confusion exist in the religious world on this topic so it is critical that you have a correct, Biblical understanding of the this powerful truth. Obviously, God wants us to thoroughly enjoy the grace He has given us and will continue to give us as disciples. However, we must feel a responsibility to live for Him in response to His grace. Grace allowed you to be spared when you weren’t pursuing God
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| 2011-12-07 - Day 4 - Learning to Pray Luke 11:1-13
If you pray 10 minutes of each section, you will pray a powerful 40 minutes! Read the Psalms to learn how to really praise God. Philippians 4:6-7
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| 2011-12-22 - Day 19 - Powerful Prayers 1 Chronicles 17:15-22
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| 2012-01-15 - Ministry - The Generator of Power John 15:1-7; Mt 7:7-12; Luke 18:1-8 Prayer generates the power in a disciple's life. Without prayer, there is no power, no relationship with God, and no expectation of miracles. Prayer connects us to God's heart and reveals to us God's will. We can be afraid to pray because we think God will test us by not answering our prayers. James chapter 1 tells us that trials test our faith not unanswered prayer. We begin to pray with unbelief in our hearts and no expectation of answered prayer in our minds. God does not always answer when WE want Him to but He will answer. It is up to us to persevere and mature long enough to receive the answer. God desires to give us whatever we wish as long as we remain in relationship with Him. God is a merciful and loving God. He wants to bless us and encourage us. Generations of powerful men and women have walked before us in real relationship with God. They witnessed incredible answers to prayer. God has not changed since then. He is willing to answer; are you willing to pray? Pray with Passion Pray with Expectation Pray with Specificity Pray with Boldness Pray with Perseverance What three things will you pray about until they are answered, no matter how long it takes? |
| 2012-01-17 - Ministry - The Heart of Gratitude Luke 17:11-19, Psalms 100:4, 1 Thessalonians. 5:18 Jesus believed that if the heart of a man was healed and doing well, then that individual could really experience a complete healing from God. In Mark 2 the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends in the middle of a crowded house for Jesus to heal did not hear the first words from the lips of Jesus, 'you are healed.' The first thing he heard was, "Your sins are forgiven." The obvious problem to everyone was his physical condition, yet Jesus saw the spiritual issues of the man's life and healed them first! The ten lepers came to Jesus and when he cleansed them only one came back, throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, overwhelmed with gratitude! Jesus wondered where the other nine were, but proclaimed to the man, "Your faith has made you well." Even though the other nine were cleansed of their leprosy, did they really 'get well?' The one who returned was made well-he was filled with gratitude! Many of us have been baptized, yet how many of us are filled with gratitude? Questions:
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| 2012-01-21 - Ministry - Faith in God Moves Mountains Mark 11:22-24 Jesus makes a very simple short powerful statement; "Have faith in God." Believe in ME and you will be able to move mountains. Jesus had the faith to move mountains. Jesus calls each of us to have a faith that can move mountains.Each of us has mountains or obstacles in our lives. These obstacles take on many different forms. They may be character sins that never seem to change, family situations that seem to continue month after month, and financial debt that never seems to go away. These obstacles sometimes seem as large and permanent as mountains. But Jesus tells us to "Have faith in God", to believe in our hearts, and the mountains can be thrown into the sea. It is a very simple, but powerful statement, "Have faith in God." What mountain is secretly holding back your faith? How much have you put it before God? Decide today to lay it out before God and really believe that He can change it. Fight against cynicism and unbelief. |
| 2012-01-25 - Ministry - Jesus' Rescue Mission Matthew 18:10-14 (Luke 15:3-10) It is comforting to know we serve a God who is not only all-powerful and all-knowing, but also all-loving. Sometimes the spiritual battle gets so intense that we wonder if God really cares. This passage proves how deeply God cares about each individual "sheep". How we do spiritually does matter to God. He does not want any of his disciples to wander off and fall away. Jesus is the perfect shepherd who will do whatever it takes to go after the one lost sheep. Each soul matters to God. Jesus' heart is to keep on searching, keep on hoping, and keep on loving until the sheep is found and returns home. We need to take on Jesus' heart and persevere in rescuing those who have given up on their relationship with God. Satan wants us to get hurt, get bitter and angry instead of being compassionate and determined to help those who have lost faith. Let's be inspired by Jesus' unfailing love and decide to be part of Jesus' rescue team! Questions:
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| 2012-02-04 - Ministry - Pick Up Your Sword Matthew 4:1-11 As Christians we constantly live under spiritual warfare. The battle between Satan and God constantly rages. In this passage we see just a glimpse of one skirmish. Satan attacks with his weapon-temptation, and Jesus responds with his skillfully sharpened sword: the Word of God. In this clash Jesus is able to defeat Satan first because he sees the battle,and second because of his passion to fight it with the scriptures. Question: Do you see the battle? Do you know when you are being tempted, or do the devil's enticements escape you and you easily fall into sin? In these scriptures Jesus teaches us how to fight back. (V.4) When daily temptation and sin come we have to have deep convictions that we need the Bible. (Satan's first temptation was doubt. "If you are the Son of God") Are you tempted to ignore your desperation for God? Are you desperate to be right with God? Are you tempted to skip your quiet times? (V.6-7) Are you tempted to test God? Do you think, "If he doesn't answer this prayer, then I won't pray anymore," or "He didn't do that, so I am leaving." Does bitterness or persecution tempt you? Tempted to doubt the kingdom or the scriptures? Tempted to doubt the only church in the Bible, the salvation of family members, or tempted to ignore certain passages Cling to the truths in the scriptures, they are your most powerful weapons. (V. 8-10) Q: Are you tempted by the world? Tempted by their ease? Their power? Their leisure? Tempted to worship what they do-money, attention, praise, desire? (Ps 73) Write down the temptations you are most susceptible to. Find a scripture passage in your QT that will help you fight back. |
| 2012-02-12 - Ministry - But Because You Say So Luke 5:1-11 Peter's faith was ebbing with the tide. No fish, no breakfast. After a frustrating night of fruitless fishing he was struggling to accept a carpenter's fishing tip to let down the nets yet again. Yet Peter softened his will to the Master's will and obeyed out of faith. He had no other reason to believe he would even get a nibble at the net. As the fish came in Peter got that sinking feeling of realizing the depth of his own sin. He deferred to Jesus and knew he did not deserve to be in the Master's presence. I am struck by Peter's decision to follow Christ's command to let down the net again even though years of experience and an empty-netted night begged him not to. Sometimes experience can breed cynicism because we are used to certain results and have formed certain expectations. Cynicism replaces obedience and robs us of faith. It gives us a reason to not have to believe because "we have been there, done that" and it has never work. Peter's humility is convicting and his responsiveness to Jesus is a powerful example. We can easily be deceived by experience that has result in fruitless and netted us nothing. Is your evangelism producing fruit? Maybe you are letting your nets down in the wrong place or in the wrong way. Find a new fishing hole. Consider reaching out to different kinds of people. |
| 2012-02-19 - Fear of Failure - God Is Still With Us When We Fail by Julie Clark, San Francisco Church of Christ 2 Samuel 14:14 So many times in my life I feel like I am all alone, facing failure after failure by myself. What has given me hope and shown me that "failure is not fatal" is the fact that God is always working, putting people in my life, devising ways to help me stay strong. We are not alone! God is always working on our behalf.
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| 2012-02-29 - Fear of Failure - Mistakes Build Character by Kristi Henry - Ministry Intern: San Francisco Church of Christ Matt. 16:21-23, Matt. 26:31-35 Peter loved Jesus, he received some stinging rebukes from him. Imagine a firend saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." I would probably start crying or get prideful and mad. I don't like to look bad. Peter was always getting exposed! I know I have made many mistakes as a disciple: I have given bad advice, hurt people, lied to look good, not been open about sin, and destroyed relationships. I have had a lot of failures, challenges and struggles. I need to follow Peter. He grew and learned from the sin and mistakes he made. Peter never gave up. Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, not on himself and because of that was able to change and grow by accepting the teaching. When I look at Peter I see a man that Jesus loved, believed in, and knew would be a powerful leader in his church. I can decide to be like Peter and persevere through challenges, discipling, and rebukes. I can decide to fix my eyes on Jesus and not on myself. I can believe that God has plans for me to do great things for his church and never give up. Decide today to:
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| 2013-03-03 - Prayer of the Righeous - More Powerful Than We Can Imagine (part I) The power that raise Jesus from the dead is available for us who believe When we begin to understand how powerful God is, it will revolutionize our prayer lives The Bible resonates with the awesome power of God:
God is nowhere need us as far as this power but on person level he is wants to be right next to us:
Human power is nothing in the face of God's awesome power |
| 2013-10-10 - Resolve to Lead Your Marriage Do you realize that as the leader of your home? We must take courage and always be willing to make the first move, God has put something into men that longs to be courageous. The idea of 50/50 leadership is a farce that creates two heads and two directions. History is littered with self-centered men who have dominated, belittled, ignored, and abused their wives in the name of male leadership. Jesus, God’s Son was the most powerful leader of all time Lead your wife by serving her well. |
| 2015-02-27 - Powerful Testimony He jumped up, stood on his feet and began to walk - Acts 3:7-8 That is the power of a transformed life This man was not looking for a miracle The apostles had no money to give him but they did not leave him empty handed Get up your mat and walk and he took off running and leaped and praise God Thousands likely turned to Jesus Christ from the personal testimony of one man - Acts 4:4 A changed life is a powerful testimony to the reality of the gospel You may not feel qualified to a large crowd about Bible doctrine or deep theology but can certainly testify to what God is doing in your life |
| 2015-03-11 - Right Weapon Shall I not drink from the cup of suffereing the Father has given me? - John 18:10-11 When you fight spiritual battles, you have a variety of resources available Your choice will always determine if you win or lose Peter did the best he could; he went wrong by putting confidence in his own strength and abilty to get things done Peter's problem was not a lack of willingness to follow Jesus but a problem of choice of weapons Only when we receieved the holy spirit did he become a fearless and powerful preacher of the gospel What weapons do you use to fight your spiritual battles? |
| 2015-05-12 - True Kindness Listen, stay right here with us when you gather grain - Ruth 2:8 Kindness in word and deed is a powerful equalizer Boaz was consistently kind and compassionate He greeted the harvesters with a "The Lord be with you!" they would answer "The Lord bless you!" Ruth, a transplanted Moabite widow, had come to his field to gather bits of grain left behind Boaz was moved by her story:
Do you know anyone like Boaz? How can you be more like him? |
| 2015-05-13 - Wise and Humble Leadership He had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall - 2 Chronicles 26:16 It takes a man of true humility to keep his feet on the ground over the long haul when he is given power and authority over others Uzziah, Judah's tenth king, was not such a man His long and sometimes distinguished reign came to an unfortunate end because of his arrogant thirst for power Uzziah expressed his arrogance by entering the sactuary though this job was reserved for his priest Had Uzziah remained humble, he might have become one of the nation's greatest kings - instead, he spent his later years shut away from people in a leper colony Do you understand your place in the big picture? |
| 2015-07-12 - Avoid Distractions Demas has deserted me bcause he loves the things of this life - 2 Timothy 4:10 One of the devil's most powerful weapons is distraction He uses that weapon against a once-faithful believer named Demas Demas was a dependable partner Paul's ministry - "a coworker" - Philemon 1:24 Whatever Demas' reason for deserting Paul, he was distracted from his important work faithfully following Jesus What distractions keep you from fully and freely serving Jesus? |
| 2015-08-28 - Basis of Confidence It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord - 2 Chronicles 26:17-18 Nothing keeps you from what God calls like self-doubt and fear Nothing gives you confidence like knowing you have God's full support King Uzziah of Judah was arguably one of the most powerful men in the world - few dared to say "no" to him Azariah, the high priest, knew Uzziah had been out of line by burning incense - a duty reserved for the priests alone He knew confronting the king of Judah entailed a great deal of risk Uzzuiah had the authority, temperament, and the inclination to end Azariah's life Azariah spoke out because he knew he had God's full support Uzziah flew into a rage but it ended up Azariah who continue to stand in the Temple as God's servant |
| 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 |
