Matthew opens his account of Jesus’ resurrection with faithful women. Matthew 28:1 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. [1] John was the only disciple at Jesus’ crucifixion (John 19:26). The rest were behind locked doors in fear. But the …
Jesus wept over Jerusalem even as the people praised Him. Luke 19: 41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your …
When we don’t understand God’s plan, it should not stop us from trusting Him. It is often only in retrospect that we realize why God unfolded His plan as He did. Sometimes, we may never understand God’s plan for our lives on this side of eternity, and we must be okay with that. When the …
When following the Lord is difficult, we may question God or want to take an easier way. A friend was a Hindu until he came to know Jesus as his Savior. Later, when he told his family, they beat him and threw him out of the house, and so began his journey of following the …
God gives proportionate gifts to fulfill His plans for us, as Jesus illustrated in the parable of the three servants. Matthew 25:14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. …
The Parable of the Three Servants is also called the Parable of the Talents. It all depends on which English translation you read from. Compare the difference in Matthew 25:14-15. ESV: 14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he …
The disciples assumed that Jesus’ timing for His kingdom was during their lifetimes. James and John had requested to have places of honor when Jesus came into His kingdom. Mark 10: 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a …
God’s timing is something that affects all of us. We are often impatient and want God to move quickly or answer our prayers as we desire. Like a sailor in the crow’s nest, the Lord sees the big picture and makes the best decisions even if we don’t understand. Several years ago, we prayed for …
The Jews had a problem with engraved coins. We don’t think anything of the image of George Washington on our quarters or Lincoln on our pennies. As a result, we may miss some of the depth of Jesus’ teaching on taxes. Luke 20: 22 Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar …
Nothing can be more tragic in life than missing the Savior. I remember the Lord gave me a vision during a Saturday evening worship service while serving communion. As I looked at the congregation, each believer appeared to have a light inside them, while those who did not were dark. As I looked out, about …