Author Archives: Steve

Today! – Deuteronomy 27:9-10

Posted on by

Today_Logo“O Israel, be quiet and listen! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. So you must obey the Lord your God by keeping all these commands and decrees that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 27:9-10, NLT).

Israel was preparing to enter the promised land when Moses made this declaration to the Israelites.

Although the Israelites were already God’s people, each time they affirmed themselves to be God’s people and renewed the covenant with God, they became God’s people in a fresh, new way!

Continue reading →

Prayer Changes Me – Jonah 2:1-2

Posted on by

prayer_changes_things“Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish: I called to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me” (Jonah 2:1-2, HCSB).

You probably have a quiet, peaceful place where you like to go to pray.

Jonah’s place wasn’t quiet or peaceful. He tried to run from God and ended up being thrown overboard from a ship into the ocean and swallowed by a large fish.

Continue reading →

You Can’t Take It With You – Luke 12:15-21

Posted on by

greed“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own” (Luke 12:15, NLT).

A man from the crowd of people who constantly gathered around Jesus called out for Him to tell his older brother to divide up the estate of their father so he could receive his inheritance.

Jesus replied that He was not a judge who makes decisions about legal matters.

Continue reading →

Doing Right Things Wrong – Luke 11:42

Posted on by

hypocrite“But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.” (Luke 11:42, HCSB).

Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee to dine with him. Presumably several scribes and Pharisees were also present at the dinner.

Continue reading →

Merciless – Jonah 4:1-3

Posted on by

JonahWhale“This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen” (Jonah 4:1-3, NLT).

The book of Jonah presents some difficult theological issues, not least of which is represented by Jonah’s memorable complaint to God in these verses. His complaint seems so reprehensible that it’s enough to make you question, “What’s his problem, anyway?”

Continue reading →

Four Reasons, No Five You Should Read the Bible – Deuteronomy 17:18-19

Posted on by

reading-bible-bw“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives” (Deuteronomy 17:18-19, NLT).

Included in the book of Deuteronomy are guidelines that future kings of Israel are admonished to follow.

Continue reading →

Fascinated – Luke 10:20

Posted on by

SpockFascinating“However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20, HCSB).

After Jesus had commissioned and sent out the twelve disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God, He sent out seventy other of His disciples. They were to go ahead of Him in pairs to every town where He was about to go and heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God was near.

Continue reading →

The Deliberate Disciple – Luke 9:57-62

Posted on by

deliberateBecoming  a disciple of Jesus  must be intentional and strategic. To be a disciple of Jesus, you must be a deliberate disciple.

To be a deliberate disciple you must develop a plan or strategy for spiritual formation and service to God’s Kingdom.

Deliberate discipleship requires a totality of purpose that comes through an abandonment of all other priorities in favor of the Kingdom of God. Thus, the primary characteristic of deliberate discipleship is radical obedience to the teachings of Jesus.

Continue reading →

Despicable Me – Luke 9:23-25

Posted on by

despicable-me“Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” (Luke 9:23-25, NLT).

If you think this well-known saying of Jesus means you should quit being selfish or even start hating yourself, then you are completely missing the point of this teaching.

Continue reading →