THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:41-46 “No one could say a word in reply… no one dared to ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:46) Have you ever had a discussion with someone who strongly rejected God, Jesus, religion, etc.? They had their arsenal of arguments ready to attack, to expose it all as hogwash. ‘What do…
Category: daily meditations
Does your face know?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 30 “You clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.” (Psalm 30:11-12) There’s someone at the coffee shop who is very spiritual, but not a Christian. As a Jesus follower, I should want him to be like me, right? Thing is, at least outwardly he…
God is on Jesus’ side!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Joshua 4-6 “‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord.’” (Joshua 5:14) Many religious people believe that God is on their side. Nazi’s believed God was with them, Westboro Baptists are confident God supports them. God’s angel was not there for the Israelites,…
Stepping into the Jesus Way!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Joshua 1-3 “As soon as… their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.” (Joshua 3:15-16) Notice that the flooding waters don’t stop until they step towards it. This is the step of faith, where we act on what God says contrary to what we see. John Ortberg was right,…
Rules of the road!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:34-40 “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40) There are so many laws associated with driving, the ‘rules of the road’. The purpose of these laws is not to restrict us or hold us back. The reason for a speed limit is not to limit us….
Theological humility!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:23-33 “You are in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) A big part of my job is reading, interpreting and applying the bible. Depending on how you read the bible, you can totally miss the point, and cause great harm. Jesus rebukes these…
Good citizens of the kingdom!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:15-22 “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) The religious leaders are setting Jesus up, baiting Him to defy Rome to be arrested. Jesus’ response avoids their trap, but what is Jesus actually saying? The religious leaders implicate themselves with their opening words to…
A seat with your name on it!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:1-14 “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.” (Matthew 22:8) What makes a person “deserve to come” to God’s salvation celebration? None of the people in the parable “deserved to come”, but they were invited anyway. It was their response to God’s gracious invite that…
His Voice over all!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 29 “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders!” (Psalm 29:3) What might God’s Voice sound like, if we could actually hear it? When God spoke to Jesus, the crowds were uncertain; some thought that it was thunder (John 12:29). David doesn’t know what God’s Voice sounds…
Face time with God!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Deuteronomy 31-34 “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” (Deuteronomy 34:10) Moses was very close to God, though even he was sinful, just like Israel. No human can claim to be without sin before God… but God still wants to be “face to…