THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 39 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days…” (Psalm 39:4) This psalm speaks to the real struggle we all face as we consider the brevity of life. The psalmist is getting old, and is increasingly feeling the burden of life. Life is short; it doesn’t seem that…
God’s tears
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Samuel 12-15 “Samuel mourned for him, and the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35) Can you imagine what it is to make God cry? The word translated ‘regret’ speaks of deep sorrow and pain. This verse recalls how God felt about how human sin ruined creation. “The…
The king we need!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Samuel 8-11 “Listen to them and give them a king.” (1 Samuel 8:21) Someone once said, ‘be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!’ Not everything we ask for from God is good for us. Sometimes God says ‘no’, but here we see God giving them what they want. And time…
Never forsaken!!!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:45-53 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) At this precise moment, we are standing at the center of human history. Think of the fall into sin (Genesis 3) as a high speed shift from ‘Drive’ to ‘Reverse’. Here we are witnessing a high speed shift into ‘Drive’ again….
In the same way as Jesus?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:38-44 “In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.” (Matthew 27:41) Matthew shows how religious leaders are no better than the rebels, mocking “in the same way” (v.44). They belittle His faith in God, but they only reveal their own bankrupt faith. Does…
Do I want to know Jesus like this?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:32-37 “A man from Cyrene named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross” (Matthew 27:32) I want to be a servant of Jesus, my King. But do I want to join Him if it means helping Him carry His cross? Jesus called His disciples to join him in cross-carrying (Matthew 16:24)….
Could I be like this?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:27-31 “Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’” (Matthew 27:29) I have a huge sensitivity to suffering. I can’t see myself doing this — shaming someone, spitting on them, beating them. What happens to a person to make them capable of this, and could…
‘Its going to blow!!!’
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 38 “My guilt has become too much for me. It is a load too heavy to carry.” (Psalm 38:4) David is in a bad place: physically, mentally, emotionally and socially tormented. He traces the cause to his immoral choices, his doing something that he knows is wrong. And now he feels the…
Not safe but good!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Samuel 4-7 “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” (1 Samuel 6:20) God cannot be tamed or used for our purposes. Israel thought God’s ‘ark’ would guarantee them victory in battle. The Philistines thought that God’s ‘ark’ would submit to their god. No one in this story was able…
Faithful in my place!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Samuel 1-3 “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.” (1 Samuel 2:35) This story offers a summary of the story of creation, and our need for Jesus. God created us to be His priests, His representatives on earth. But like…