SCRIPTURE: Daniel 8-12 “Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.” (Daniel 11:35) In his vision Daniel learns that behind awful world events the angel armies are at work. These are tough times, and…
Bringing glory to God
SCRIPTURE: John 9:1-12 “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) It is true that all suffering is somehow connected to the curse of sin. And sometimes we do suffer because of specific sins. But not all suffering is because of specific sins. We usually think that all suffering is…
Fall on your knees!
SCRIPTURE: John 8:48-59 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) For these words to make sense, we need to remember the story of Moses. “Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and…
…but I want to be!
SCRIPTURE: John 8:42-47 “The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:47) If you struggle with faith or following Jesus, do not take these words against you. Jesus is not in the business of making struggling disciples doubt themselves. Jesus was trying to shake up and wake up these proud…
Really my disciple?
SCRIPTURE: John 8:31-41 “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (John 8:31) How do I know if I am a disciple of Jesus? Do I hold on to, do I make my own, the teaching of Jesus? Not just ‘do I believe it’ but ‘do I love it, live it, desire it?’ The…
Greatness comes from God!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 115 “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.” (Psalm 115:16) Humans are amazing, humans are great, humans are important… But not greater, not more amazing, not more important than God. We often foolishly pride ourselves in what we do, what we accomplish, what we build. But our…
Dare to stand with Daniel!
SCRIPTURE: Daniel 1-7 A people in bondage because of their sin. A foreign ruler oppressing the people, treating them as slaves. A faithful prince, staying true to God despite the consequences. This prince survives the death penalty (lions den), and is restored to life. The foreign rulers are judged, and found wanting; God’s prince is vindicated….
Our hope for life after death
SCRIPTURE: John 8:21-30 “If you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” (John 8:24) Jesus is speaking in bold terms about Himself. By calling Himself the ‘son of man’, claiming to be God’s promised Saviour: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a…
You light up my life!
SCRIPTURE: John 8:12-20 “I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” (John 8:18) Moses (John 5:46), the scriptures (John 5:39), and God the Father all agree with Jesus. If these religious people really knew God, they would recognize Jesus. They would rejoice that finally someone who shared God’s heart had come….
The Jesus we love to obey!
SCRIPTURE: John 8:1-11 “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11) Unfortunately, this story is not for sure a true story. The earliest and the best Greek manuscripts do not include it. I say unfortunately because it captures beautifully the spirit of Jesus. We see Jesus being extremely gracious with…