Jesus answered and said to them, 'Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the scriptures nor the power of God?' - Mark 12:24 REFERENCE Mark 12:18-24 Ignorance of scriptures opens the door to mistakes in life. Many people rashly conclude about matters that significantly affect their lives and this has led to many bad decisions, wrong judgment and bad choices. In answer to the Sadducees’ question, Jesus told them that they were ignorant of the scriptures and also of the power of God. Ignorance of scripture means one is unaware of God’s mind or position on...
Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. - Daniel 6:23 (ESV). REFERENCE Daniel 6:3-23 Daniel had lived a blameless life before God, a life which displayed the excellence of the Holy Spirit working through and in him. He was consistent in his fellowship with God and His ways. When faced with the lion’s den, his belief and firm trust in God activated His...
Then He said to her, 'For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.' - Mark 7:29 REFERENCE Mark 7:24-30 What was so spectacular about what this Gentile woman said that prompted a positive response from Jesus, after He had publicly called her a dog? To find out, let’s examine her words: "…Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs." (Mark 7:28). Firstly, her words showed that she understood God’s love and care for ALL – both the children (Jews) and the dogs (Gentiles). So she wasn’t...
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. - Mark 8:31 REFERENCE Mark 8:27-33 In today’s passage, we see that Jesus was as persuaded about His resurrection as He was of His rejection by His people; His persecution by the religious authority, and His execution by the governing authority. He said these things must happen (i.e. they are unavoidable), and though the bad must first take place, consequently, the good must necessarily...
Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, 'The people are greater and taller than we…' - Deuteronomy 1:28 REFERENCE Deuteronomy 1:21-30 It is easy to become discouraged in the times that we live in because of the economic situation; except for the grace of God, projecting into the future looks quite bleak. Discouragement is a loss of your confidence or drive, it is a feeling of hopelessness – sensing that what you expect may not happen. It is a potent strategy of the devil to keep your from fulfilling the plan of God for...
And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. – Mark 6:48 (KJV). REFERENCE Mark 6:45-51 Sometimes, life’s challenges can make you think you are all alone and that God cannot see your struggles; or worse, He cannot help you, which is why He hasn’t come to your rescue. We read in today’s passage, that the disciples were at sea in obedience to Jesus when they encountered a contrary wind, which made...
Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight! - 1 Samuel 4:9 REFERENCE 1 Samuel 4:2-11 Yesterday, we concluded with the thought that life may have many odds against you, but you can win with the right attitude. We see this play out as we continue our story from the passage. I believe, one of the Philistine soldiers’ who was tired of going through the same pattern of defeat and hopelessness rose up and told them to...
Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight! - 1 Samuel 4:9 REFERENCE 1 Samuel 4:2-11 The passage we read narrates a story of how the children of Israel had been in battle with the Philistines and it had first turned against them. Then they realized they had a joker – the ark of Covenant, which they brought to the battlefield. The moment the ark entered the battlefield, the Israelites shouted with a loud shout because the...
Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight! - 1 Samuel 4:9 REFERENCE 1 Samuel 4:2-11 You may have heard it said countless times, ‘life is a battle,’ and rightly so. Even when you don’t want to fight, life brings the fight to your doorstep, leaving you with no choice but to engage. This year, like others before it, is going to have its own share of battles; you cannot run from it, but you can adequately...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 REFERENCE 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 The first man, Adam, was the peak and the crowning beauty of God’s creation. He was given dominion and he was the god of the then created world. But he lost it all to satan through the sin of disobedience and that affected the rest of mankind; however, Christ came to restore what he lost and even much more than that to mankind. Thus, your redemption in Christ...