Gentile astrologers traveled hundreds of miles to worship Jesus, but the Jews seemed to be too lazy to seek Jesus. They told Herod the prophecy about the Messiah’s birthplace,but did nothing else. Matthew 2: 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to …
Being great in the Kingdom of God is part of His plan for every believer. But what does it mean to be great in God’s Kingdom? Matthew 5: 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone …
After his father’s death, Isaac lived in Beer-lahai-roi, which translates to “the Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.” Genesis 25: 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev. [1] This is the second time we have seen this name mentioned in the story of Abraham. The …
In the end, Abram received no benefits from disobedience. At first glance, what happened to Abram wasn’t so bad. After all, God seems to have forgiven him, and he gained a lot of wealth from the incident. Genesis 12: 16 Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her (Sarai)—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, …
Abraham experienced the pitfall of partial obedience. Stephen gives a succinct summary of the call of Abraham in his speech to the Jewish council. Acts 7: 2 This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave …
The story of the Tower of Babel begins a pattern of consequences seen throughout Scripture. You may wonder why we started a series on Abraham’s faith journey with this story. First of all, it is the story that immediately precedes God’s call to Abraham and provides context. Secondly, it also demonstrates how God works with …
Redirected efforts result in a new start, something you may have experienced. Many times, when life comes to a dead end, it is a way for the Lord to redirect us so we can begin again. The Lord can use the loss of a job, a health issue, or other difficulty in life to redirect …
Have you ever considered heavenly interruptions and where you would be without them? Peter, Andrew, James, and John were a fisherman before the Lord called them to be disciples. Noah was going about his life until the Lord called him to build an ark to save his family from the great flood. The Apostle Paul …
The Tower of Babel story demonstrated unity without God. Even though God had instructed them to scatter over all the earth, they rebelled and refused to disperse. The whole purpose of building this tower was to make them famous and keep them from having to scatter. Their goal unified them in their project. It would …
When I was a parent of young children, I often observed them and sometimes had to redirect them based on their behavior. There is divine observation, not to condemn us, but because He loves us. Psalm 139:1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or …