THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 3 “Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.” Psalm 3:7) People turn to the Psalms for comfort and inspiration. But this is not a verse people normally turn to, I think. Did God’s Spirit inspire these words — they seem…
Author: Norm
Symbol of amazing grace!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Genesis 9:1-11:26 “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16) Every time I see a rainbow, I remember God’s covenant of grace. The flood story is a story of judgment against…
Rescue from the flood!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Genesis 6:9-8:22 “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (Genesis 6:13) At first glance, it seems that God is the cause of global devastation. But the context shows that…
You are my much-loved child!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 3:13-17 “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) As a disciple of Jesus, I look to Jesus as my model, my mentor. He is everything I was supposed to be! And through Him, He is what I am again… God’s much-loved child. Adam and…
More than religion
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 3:7-12 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11) Some people in church all about the symbols and ceremonies. Kneeling, sign of the cross, baptism, Christmas and Easter, church wedding. Some people do it out of custom or superstition. Some people do it because it looks good on…
Is anyone even looking?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 3:1-6 “People went out to him…” (Matthew 3:5) This may seem like a strange verse to focus on. But as someone involved in ministry, I am struck how “people went out to him…” People came to repent, they came to address their spiritual concerns or questions. They actually thought about these things,…
Open to His guidance!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 2:19-23 “Having been warned in a dream…” (Matthew 2:22) I believe in spiritual guidance, that God helps and directs us through life. God is guarding Jesus for His life purpose, and guides His parents to do that. Here we have God using dreams; I don’t think God has used dreams for me….
Admit it or not, Jesus is King!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 2 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:6) As a Jesus follower, I believe that Jesus is Lord over all creation. He has been put in charge, after beating sin, Satan, death and hell. And yet many people would laugh at this. People continue to live as…
The wickedness of the world!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Genesis 4:1-6:8 “The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” (Genesis 6:6) What a sad sentence. God’s regret has to do with the position and power He entrusted to us. All authority over creation was given to us, and we have turned into…
Very good till we got our hands on it!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Genesis 1:1-3:24 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) These chapters outline the God-source and the God-design behind all that is. There is much in creation that is ‘very good’, and yet… God gave us the job of naming what we saw (Genesis 2:19-20), the task of…