Today’s passage: Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:1–9, Luke 9:28–36, and John 12:27–30 Focus verse: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5) Yesterday’s passage ended with the puzzling statement that “some of you present won’t experience death before you see me coming in my kingdom” (Matthew […]
The People Ask Jeremiah to Seek God’s Will, But They Don’t Like the Answer Those few of God’s chosen people left in the promised land have it bad. Babylon has conquered them. Insurgents have just killed their captor’s appointed ruler, and the people fear they’ll face retribution. They Seek God They do what they should’ve […]
When God Speaks, We Must be Ready to Listen Job’s friends come to comfort him. At least that’s how it appears, but in actuality they’re not much help. Their words assault Job and his character. In exasperation Job goes on a sarcastic rant against his so-called friends and then becomes poetic as he contemplates God’s […]
Beware of Slacking Shepherds, Godless Pastors, and Misleading Ministers The prophet Jeremiah doesn’t just warn the people about judgment for their sins, he also warns their religious leaders too. The twenty-third chapter of the book of Jeremiah details three leadership failures. Most troublesome is the third item about misleading ministers. Everyone in leadership should heed […]
Regardless of How God Speaks to Us, We Should Listen to What He Says The words of the Old Testament prophet Amos appear in the book of the Bible that bears his name. The words the God speaks come to Amos in a vision. But the Bible doesn’t tell us the circumstances surrounding the vision […]
Discover the Fitting Capstone of King David’s Life In the last recorded words of King David, we learn more about him and his relationship with God. David’s words may come across as bragging, but remember that God said David was a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22). Here’s what King […]
God reveals his truth to Paul. Paul calls it a mystery. God gives it to Paul so he can share it with the church in Ephesus; he’s not supposed to keep it to himself. This isn’t something Paul figures out on his own; he doesn’t logically deduce it or make it up. This isn’t something […]
Not only can God speak to us through audible words, through silent words, and through visions, he can also direct us through our thoughts, a kind of a sixth sense, a supernatural knowing. People may say, “I just felt I needed to do this.” Other verbs that uncover this type of godly communication include prompted, […]
God not only speaks to us through audible words and inaudible words, but he communicates to us through images and scenes. These may happen in our waking hours or when asleep. God used a dream to show Joseph (son of Jacob) the future, with his parents and brothers bowing down to him. God also communicated […]
In addition to speaking to us in audible words, God can also communicate to us inaudibly, implanting his words into our minds through the work of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it’s instructions to do something, as with Phillip in the desert and Peter at Antioch. In other instances, he reveals words for people to tell […]