The Bible is the most important means by which the Lord speaks to us. If we simply read it as a book, we may miss His voice. But if we read it with our heart, paying attention to the deep impressions within, we can sense His gentle, convicting and equipping voice, showing us the way,…
Apr 25 — Luke 6:37-42
SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:37-42 OBSERVATION: 1. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged… Forgive, and you will be forgiven” – This does not mean we should not discern right from wrong, but Jesus does warn us about condemning the sinner. It is up to God to make the final decision, and while there is time,…
Apr 24 — Luke 6:27-36
SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:27-36 OBSERVATION: Jesus introduces this with the phrase, “if you are willing to listen” (NLT), and that is very appropriate given how unacceptable what He says is. Here we see the radical way of the world according to God, the kingdom of God, the way the world ought to be. Love, compassion, mercy, generosity,…
Apr 23 — Luke 6:12-26
SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:12-26 OBSERVATION: 1. “Spent the night praying to God” – Can I imagine spending a WHOLE night praying to God? Though this kind of prayer may not be a command for us to follow, the example of dependence and priority on prayer certainly is stressed. 2. “Chose twelve of them, whom he also designated…
Apr 22 — Luke 6:1-11
SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:1-11 OBSERVATION: 1. “Disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels” – This action was understood as a form of ‘threshing’ of the crops. 2. “Unlawful on the Sabbath” – The Sabbath was a day of rest commanded by God for Israel in the Law…
Apr 21 — Jeremiah 14:17-22
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 14:17-22 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Speak this word to them: ‘Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing’” – God is telling Jeremiah to share this message of lament, because of the judgment that is coming, when the nation and her leaders are dragged away into captivity. 2. “Have you rejected Judah completely?”…
Apr 20 — Jeremiah 14:1-16
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 14:1-16 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “They go to the cisterns but find no water” – Looking for love (or meaning or purpose or belonging) in all the wrong places. Water was symbolic of our most basic needs, and the cisterns represent places or activities or relationships or experiences that we turn to to satisfy our deepest…
Apr 19 — Jeremiah 13:15-27
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 13:15-27 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings the darkness” – To “give glory” is to shine the spotlight on. If we do not shine the spotlight on God, but instead shine it on ourselves, we are blinded by the light, and experience darkness. 2. “You hope for light,…
Apr 18 — Jeremiah 13:1-14
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 13:1-14 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem” – The people of Judah and Jerusalem were wrongly assuming that they had a special place in God’s heart, and therefore they would not experience suffering or judgment. They assumed the temple kept them…
Apr 17 — Jeremiah 12:1-17
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 12:1-17 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” – A question that many of us ask… 2. “You are always on their lips but far from their hearts… yet you know me, O LORD” – Jeremiah is comparing his own heart to the…