When We Focus on Other People, We May Lose Sight of Our Own Calling As Jesus wraps up his stint on earth, he spends some time with his disciples, the core group he trained for three years. They will need to carry on without him, and he wants to make sure they’re ready. First, he […]
Many People Like an Easy Jesus, But Not Everyone Accepts What He Says Jesus normally teaches the masses in parables. Though most don’t really understand what he means, they like his stories because they’re so countercultural. In addition, he sometimes gives them food and heals them. He’s a cool speaker who does nice things for […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 26 Today’s passage: Luke 14 Focus verse:“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) Another time, as Jesus travels, a large crowd trails behind him. He turns to them […]
A Grand Adventure Awaits Us but Only If We Leave What We Have Behind The first chapter of Mark talks about Jesus calling his disciples. As he walks along the shore, he comes across two brothers fishing. Jesus says, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people” (Mark 1:16-18, NIV). […]
Don’t Be Fooled by Fake Definitions Too many people who call themselves a Christian aren’t. Not really. For one reason or another, they grab on to the title. But they fall short of what it means. In truth, they’re nothing more than a cultural Christian. They’re Christian in name only. The word Christian can be […]
Focus on Jesus and Don’t Worry about Others Today’s passage: John 21:20–23 Focus verse: When Peter saw [John], he asked, “Lord, what about him?” (John 21:21) After restoring Peter into a right relationship with him, Jesus adds a cryptic line that implies Peter will die by crucifixion when he is older. This must make Peter […]
Seek Someone to Inform Your Life and Actions One time when meeting with a young man, he admitted to me his struggle to know what it was to be masculine in a God-honoring way. “I just want a good male role model,” he lamented. I immediately knew two things from his complaint. First, he didn’t […]
Examine Your Answer Carefully Jesus asks his disciples, who do people say that I am? The disciples reel off some common answers. He could be John the Baptist, others say he’s Elijah, and some think of Jeremiah. Or he could be anyone of the other prophets. Then the teacher brings the question into focus. “What […]
To Discover WWJD We Need Only Look at What the Bible Says Jesus goes to the synagogue in his hometown to worship God with his family and friends. It’s his turn to read scripture and the day’s scheduled passage is from Isaiah. It’s a prophecy—about Jesus. After he reads it, he simply confirms that he […]
Look to the Wellbeing of Others and Not Focus on Ourselves In Isaiah 39 we read a prophecy given to King Hezekiah by Isaiah. This occurs after Hezekiah does something foolish. He graciously receives envoys from the powerful behemoth, Babylon. Not only does he show off his nation’s wealth, he also provides his enemies one […]