SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 32-35 Jerusalem is under siege, everything looks hopeless. Yet Jeremiah is encouraged to buy property in the doomed city. We can continue to invest in this world, in this life, because God will set things straight! ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the…
Author: Norm
How will a gun help me?
SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:31-38 The battle begins, Satan’s troops are on the move, and Peter is a prime target. For some reason, Jesus changes his directives: “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” (Luke 22:36) Take money, luggage and…
What makes us great!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:24-30 This is sadly comic, the disciples bickering about position when Jesus is preparing to die. After three years, they still do not understand the heart of God, of Jesus, of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is not about position or power or prestige. It is about living and loving and leading like…
Eager to feast with Jesus!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:14-23 Jesus eagerly desires to eat THIS passover with His disciples… why? He had eaten many meals with them, and probably a few passovers. But this is the last passover before He suffers, before the ‘big event’ occurs. The big event is His death, dying for the curse of Adam (Genesis 2:17). He steps in…
God’s preparations
SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:7-13 The Jewish feast of Passover, when they celebrate God’s rescue from bondage in Egypt. Jesus wants to celebrate God’s rescue of all people from bondage to sin, death and hell. I am assuming that Jesus knew about the man with the house because God revealed it to Him in a time of prayer….
Shout!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 100 Whenever we focus on God, joy, praise and thanksgiving should burst out. Going to temple (for Jews), gathering with other Jesus-followers, are times to focus on God together. We reflect on Who He is (He is God, He made us, we belong to Him, He rules and cares for us!) We reflect on…
Bless whoever God sends you to
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 28-31 “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7) To be exiled is to be barred from one’s native country, either for political or punitive reasons. Jeremiah is urging the…
Satan is a liar!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:1-6 “Then Satan entered Judas…” Satan did not force his way in, Judas finally surrendered to his subtle, sinister whispers. Judas had long been struggling with doubts, and Satan was feeding them with lies. This is how demons work, they enter our mind as thoughts that appear to be our own. ‘You’re no good,…
Wake up call!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:34-38 Weighed down by … carousing, drunkenness, the anxieties of life. Things that hold us down, or back, things that keep us from looking up, or moving forward. Jesus is warning us to think very carefully about how we are living, and what we are distracted by. It’s like a message to the captain…
The signs of (kingdom) summer!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:29-33 I always enjoy seeing the leaves budding on the trees. A sure sign that spring has come, and summer is on the way. (In Canada, spring and summer is what I look forward too). Jesus describes this anticipation, announced by the budding fig tree. When we see trouble in the world, when we…