The mockers at the cross didn’t understand the significance of the cross. If Jesus saves Himself, He can’t save you. Jesus’ reputation of healing was well known. Even the Roman soldiers and a thief on the cross mocked Jesus’ seeming feebleness on the cross. The Jewish leadership had gotten just what they wanted: the death …
Prophecy shows God’s plan. Isaiah lived 700 years before Jesus was born, but God revealed His plan for the Messiah to him. God had a plan from the time of the fall into sin. Genesis 3: 15 And I (God) will cause hostility between you (satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. …
Cornelius needed to hear the Good News about Jesus. Why did God send Peter and not Philip? Peter was thirty miles away, and Philip was in the same town. Philip knew the Gospel well and had already shared Jesus with a Gentile, the Ethiopian eunuch. Acts 8: 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told …
The power of a changed life is seen in the life of Saul after he placed his faith in Jesus and was baptized. Saul, who we know as Paul in the Bible, was a Pharisee who thought believers in Jesus were heretics who deserved to be persecuted. Then Saul met Jesus on the road to …
Ananias played a significant part in helping Saul come to know Jesus. From this, we can see that God can use obscure people. We only hear of Ananias in this chapter. Saul, later known as Paul, was a key evangelist in the early church. One would assume that someone like Peter or one of the …
Jesus finished the story about John’s questions by giving wisdom’s results. Luke 7:35 But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it. [1] God created wisdom, and Jesus demonstrated it in His teachings and deeds. The miracles confirmed Jesus’ authority to teach and His Messianic identity. People who incorporated the …
You are alive today for such a time as this. We see this truth expressed to Queen Esther by her cousin Mordecai. An evil government official, Haman, plotted to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire, telling King Xerxes that certain people did not keep the King’s laws. Of course, this was a lie, …
The idea of going from an orphaned immigrant to a queen seems like a fairy tale, yet the story of Esther is true. Esther’s ancestors had been exiled to Babylon when the Lord brought judgment on the Southern Kingdom of Judah. However, God still cared for His exiled people and worked through people like Mordecai …
The act of thinking of others before yourself is the blessing of humility. I know a friend with significant accomplishments in God’s Kingdom, yet he would be the last person to tell you about them. The Apostle Paul tells us the importance of humility. Philippians 2:3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, …
Receiving wise advice can be instrumental in fulfilling God’s plans for our lives. And we all need wise advice as we journey through life. We are better together, including seeking out advice from someone wiser than ourselves. Proverbs 12:15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. [1] I recently …