"Jesus Calls For Repentance"
Mark 1:14-15
What is the Good News? These first words spoken by Jesus in Mark gave the core of His teaching: that the long awaited Messiah had come to break the power of sin and begin God's personal reign on earth. ...
Posted Wednesday, February 6th 2008 at 5:45AM
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"Turn From Your Ways"
Luke 3:7-14
Many of John's hearers were shocked when he said that being Abraham's descendants was not enough for God. The religious leaders relied more on family lines than on faith for their standing with God. For them, ...
Posted Tuesday, February 5th 2008 at 4:37AM
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"My Soul is Satisfied"
Psalm 63:1-6
Hiding from his enemies in the barren wilderness of Judah, David was intensely lonely. He longed for a friend he could trust to ease his loneliness. No wonder he cried out, "O God, ...my soul thirsts for you ...
Posted Monday, February 4th 2008 at 8:43AM
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"Proclaim God's Kingdom"
Luke 10:8-12
Jesus gave two rules for the disciples to follow as they traveled. They were to eat what was set before them-that is, they were to accept hospitality without being picky-and they were to heal the sick. Bec ...
Posted Friday, February 1st 2008 at 2:01PM
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"Travel Lightly in Peace"
Luke 10:4-7
Jesus' direction to stay in one house avoided certain problems. Shifting from house to house could offend the families who first took them in. Some families might begin to compete for the disciples' presen ...
Posted Thursday, January 31st 2008 at 11:10AM
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"The Seventy Go in Pairs"
Luke 10:1-3
Far more than 12 people had been following Jesus. Here Jesus designated a group of 72 to prepare a number of towns for Jesus' later visit. These disciples were not unique in their qualifications. They wer ...
Posted Wednesday, January 30th 2008 at 8:58AM
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"The Twelve on a Mission"
Luke 9:1-10
Note Jesus' methods of leadership. He empowered His disciples (9:1), gave them specific instructions so they knew what to do (9:3, 4), told them how to deal with tough times (9:5), and held them accountable ...
Posted Tuesday, January 29th 2008 at 6:19AM
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"Instruct the Believers"
Psalm 78:1-4
God commanded that the stories of his mighty acts in Israel's history and his laws be passed on from parents to children. This shows the purpose and importance of religious education: to help each generati ...
Posted Monday, January 28th 2008 at 9:31AM
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"God Knows Your Needs"
Luke 12:29-31
Making the Kingdom of God your primary concern means making Jesus the Lord and King of your life. He must control every area-your work, your play, plans, relationships. Is the Kingdom only one of your many ...
Posted Friday, January 25th 2008 at 5:39AM
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"Clothed by God"
Luke 12:27-28
Several years ago, when I taught in Tyrrell County, a young man came in my class wearing jeans with the price tag still attached. Behind him sat another young man who came from a very poor family. Noticing the pr ...
Posted Thursday, January 24th 2008 at 2:22PM
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"Worry Won't Help!"
Luke 12:25-26
Jesus commands us not to worry. But how can we avoid it? Only faith can free us from the anxiety caused by greed and covetousness. It is good to work and plan responsibly; it is bad to dwell on all the ways o ...
Posted Wednesday, January 23rd 2008 at 9:25AM
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"Valuable to God"
Luke 12:22-24
Good Morning,
Each of you are valuable to me. There are at least 100 people on several distribution lists who receive the inspirational vitamin. Some individuals I know well and some I know hardly at all. B ...
Posted Tuesday, January 22nd 2008 at 9:38AM
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"God's Gift of the Holy Spirit"
Luke 11:13; Acts 2:1-4
God made his presence known to this group of believers in a spectacular way-violent wind, fire, and his Holy Spirit. Would you like God to reveal himself to you in such recognizable ways? ...
Posted Friday, January 18th 2008 at 8:46AM
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"Persistent in Prayer"
Luke 18:1-17
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for him day by day, believ ...
Posted Thursday, January 17th 2008 at 9:02AM
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"A Friend's Request"
Luke 11:5-8
I have often said you can gain a great deal of theology from watching cartoons. This is one of those passages in which a cartoon comes to mind. You recall The Flinstones and at the end of every episode, Fred an ...
Posted Wednesday, January 16th 2008 at 9:43AM
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"Teach Us to Pray"
Luke 11:1-4
Notice the order in this prayer. First, Jesus praised God, then he made his requests. Praising God first puts us in the right frame of mind to tell him about our needs. Too often our prayers are more like shoppi ...
Posted Tuesday, January 15th 2008 at 11:16AM
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"Answered Prayer"
Psalm 28:6-9
When we are surrounded by trouble or wickedness, prayer is our best weapon. God is our only real source of safety. Prayer is our best help when trials come our way because it keeps us in communion with God. As C ...
Posted Monday, January 14th 2008 at 8:46AM
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"Set the Standard"
Luke 6:31
In everything I do, I try my best to set a standard that others behind me will follow, even with the most trivial of tasks. For example, at work, when I am coordinating a meeting in one of our conference rooms, I am ...
Posted Friday, January 11th 2008 at 6:33AM
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"Love Your Enemies"
Luke 6:27-28
The Jews despised the Romans because they oppressed God's people, but Jesus told the people to love these enemies. Such words turned many away from Christ. But Jesus wasn't talking about having affection for en ...
Posted Wednesday, January 9th 2008 at 4:32AM
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"Trust in the Lord"
Psalm 37:1-11
David calls us to take delight in the Lord and to commit everything we have and do to Him. But how do we do this? To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This ...
Posted Monday, January 7th 2008 at 9:36AM
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"The Annual Pilgrimage"
Luke 2:41-45
At age 12, Jesus was considered almost an adult, and so he didn't spend a lot of time with his parents during the festival. Those who attended these festivals often traveled in caravans for protection from r ...
Posted Thursday, January 3rd 2008 at 8:00PM
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"First Passover Observed"
Exodus 12:11-14
Happy New Year!!
Eating the Passover feast while dressed for travel was a sign of the Hebrews' faith. Although they were not yet free, they were to prepare themselves, for God had said he would lead ...
Posted Wednesday, January 2nd 2008 at 7:07AM
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"Jesus, Firstborn Son"
Luke 2:7
Although our first picture of Jesus is as a baby in a manger, it must not be our last. The Christ child in the manger has been the subject of a beautiful Christmas scene, but we cannot leave him there. This tiny ...
Posted Thursday, December 20th 2007 at 2:31PM
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"Traveling to Bethlehem"
Luke 2:1-5
A Roman census (registration) was taken to aid military conscription or tax collection. The Jews didn't have to serve in the Roman army, but they could not avoid paying taxes. Augustus' decree went out in Go ...
Posted Wednesday, December 19th 2007 at 11:30AM
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"Joseph and Mary"
Matthew 1:18-21
Why is the Virgin Birth important to the Christian faith? Jesus Christ, God's Son, had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings by Adam. Because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a ...
Posted Tuesday, December 18th 2007 at 3:00PM
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