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Christian Devotional – October 31, 2017
Do you want to get well? This is such an odd question to ask someone. Typically most people want to feel well and to get better if they have something that ails them. Yet Jesus asks this very question in John chapter 5. There we find the story of the man sitting by the pool of Bethesda. He has been there for 38 years waiting for an angel to store the waters so that he can be the first one in and be healed. Jesus finds him there and ask him, do you want to get well? Here is the actual site of the pool in Jerusalem. We know this…
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Christian Devotional – October 30, 2017
In Genesis 21, we see an amazing peace treaty. Abraham and Abimelech agreed to have peace when Abraham gave 7 lambs to Abimelech in exchange for the right to claim a well as his property. This was a great step toward peace in this land in those days. The offer was accepted and they had peace. This is the site that tradition holds is the well that Abraham dug. God sent Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb for us. With our sin, we are at war with God. Through Jesus Christ we have a way to be made right and at peace with God. The question becomes whether we will…
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Christian Devotional – October 28, 2017
What do we think of God’s Word? Do we treat and respect it as being a message to us from God? The Bible says: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB http://bible.com/100/2ti.3.16-17.NASB Here is Qumran, the site where the Bedouin shepherds found scriptures hidden in caves, the earliest known portions of scriptures that we have. They found hundreds and hundreds of the scrolls and portions of scrolls hidden in caves here. At the time, they only saw the scrolls as a…
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Christian Devotional – October 27, 2017
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 NASB http://bible.com/100/mat.16.16.NASB Tradition holds that Peter made this statement somewhere near this site, the Springs of Banaius. This is one of the springs that feeds into the Jordan river in northern Israel. This verse has come to be called Peter’s great confession of faith. Peter declares who Christ is to Him. Jesus had asked them what others were thinking about Him and saying about Him. We can be the same, focusing on what others are saying or thinking, but in the end, it really only matters what we think about Jesus. Do we believe what…
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Christian Devotional – October 26, 2017
Yesterday I traveled through the ruins of Cesaraea, the great city that Herod built on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. I was struck by the fact that the only things that remained were the theatre and the hippodrome where they raced horses. Pieces of those had remained and they were able to reconstruct much of both from that. I find it interesting that with everything that they did and built, that was the legacy that was left and what remains after over 2000 years. What will remain from our life? Will we fade off into time or will we have a legacy that leads others to see Christ in…
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Christian Devotional – October 25, 2017
We’re going to take a quick break from Proverbs for the next several days as I am currently traveling in Israel. I wanted to use this time as a chance to share with you based on where I am in this beautiful country. Jesus himself spent 33 years as a man walking in this wonderful country as He sought to teach us about what it means to be God’s Messiah and the sacrifice for the sin of the world. This evening as I was standing on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea, even though it was dark already, I could hear the waves rolling in, over and over again. I…
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Christian Devotional – October 24, 2017
Work hard. At times, it feels like hard work is not a very common characteristic in people these days. We see a lot of folks who seem to feel entitled to what they have. In Proverbs 19:12-29, we see in verse 15, an interesting idea about laziness. Apparently, people could be lazy even in Solomom’s time. His advice? Lazy people don’t eat. We should be willing to work to have what we get. We shouldn’t ever just expect someone else to give us things. Are we being lazy? God honors diligence and people who are seeking to be obedient to Him. He has plenty of work for us to do.…
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Christian Devotional – October 21, 2017
What do we take pride in? In Proverbs 19:1-11 we see several things we should be taking pride and pleasure in. We see several areas where we can be easily tripped up such as spreading lies or taking credit for things that are not ours. Then, verse 11 makes an interesting statement. It is our glory to overlook a transgression. When other people sin against us, we are to take pride in our ability to forgive. We should have the best, most awesome, most complete forgiveness anyone has ever seen. That is what we can take pride and pleasure in. We are very much like Christ when we are forgiving…
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Christian Devotional – October 20, 2017
The mighty tongue! We all know that the words we say are powerful, but did we realize that life and death hang in the balance because of our words? Reading through Proverbs 18:12-24, we see verse 21. The words that we say have incredible impact and if we truly understood their power, we would be so much more careful with how we used our words. Solomon wants us to grasp the impact of the words that we say. Are we listening to ourselves and how we are coming across to others by what we say? Are our words a reflection of our relationship with Jesus Christ?
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Christian Devotional – October 19, 2017
Why do we talk and why do we listen? Continuing through Proverbs in chapter 18, we see more contrasts between what wisdom looks like and what foolishness looks like. As I read through verses 1 to 11, verse 2 stands out. A fool doesn’t have any interest in learning more. A fool would rather talk to hear themselves talk, than listen to learn and gain understanding. When we talk, is it just so we can hear ourselves speak? Are we trying to impress people with our words? There is much greater understanding to be found in listening. If we will take our time to truly listen to the people around…