So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. ~ Mark 15:15 REFERENCE  Mark 15:6-15 Around 33 AD in Jerusalem, a man was lying on the cold floor of a maximum prison. Being a notorious prisoner, his feet were kept in stocks and his wrists were chained to other convicts like him. He had led a bloody riot in an attempt to overthrow the ruling Roman government, in which he had killed some people. So, as a murderer, Barabbas was kept on death row, awaiting the day of his execution,...

Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. Luke 19:2-4 REFERENCE Luke 19:1-6 This short narration about Zacchaeus in today’s account proffers a simple, yet important and practical solution on handling the daily challenges we encounter in life. Like Zacchaeus, we all have desires and things we...

…He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. John 8:7&9 REFERENCE John 8:1-11 The people who brought this woman caught in adultery to Jesus were so vehement, yet they were as much sinners riddled with the guilt of a sinful life or unconfessed sins. They were quick to spot out...

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 REFERENCE Psalm 23:1-6 In Hebrew tongue, Jehovah Rohi means ‘The Lord our Shepherd.’ A shepherd typically is called to tend sheep. Metaphorically however, a shepherd guides and directs others in the direction they should go. Jesus in John 10:11 called Himself the ‘Good Shepherd’ who gives His life for the sheep (believers). For believers, our Jehovah Rohi seeks, leads and feeds us. David, being a shepherd himself, understood what it meant to take care of sheep; he used the shepherd/sheep illustration to explain God’s goodness to us in this...

“So then it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Romans 9:16 REFERENCE Romans 9:14-16 Without a proper understanding of today’s thought, life may seem an imbalanced game of luck. In fact, many have often exclaimed that life is not fair, or God Himself is not fair. (God may not appear to be fair but He is just). For such a declaration to be made there has to be someone more just than Him – and there is none. God will wrong no man and He equally will owe no man....

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 REFERENCE Ephesians 6:10-17 In life, the most important battle you must fight and win is the one that takes place in your mind. That is where the real battle takes place. It is a battle that must be constantly fought…and contrary to popular belief, it may shock you to know that it doesn’t always answer to prayers or deliverance. Remember, the devil is a liar and his aim is to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to mess...

For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. Psalm 9:18 REFERENCE Psalm 9:18-20 Have you ever been in a place where you feel alone, wondering if God still knows your post code, if HE still cares? Perhaps, it’s been years since you expressed a desire before God, and you are still waiting for an answer, for favor. Well, in times like these, the devil wants you to think that God doesn’t care about you, that HE has forgotten you. David who wrote this Psalm, went through a lot: he was persecuted by...

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 26:1-2 REFERENCE Genesis 26:1-6 & 12-14 Once, during a power outage in New York, The Statue of Liberty stayed lit through the entire ordeal while other places around it were in total darkness. It was discovered that the power for the torch came from New Jersey...

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham… Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. Genesis 26:1&12 REFERENCE Genesis 26:1-6 & 12-14 World trends and Government’s predictions suggest that the economy may not particularly improve and inflation may rise, making things tougher. But this shouldn’t surprise us because ‘there is nothing new under the sun.’ In times past, people experienced economic downturns as seen from today’s account, but we serve a God who is unchanging in nature. We can...

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!”  Judges 6:12 REFERENCE Judges 6:11-16 God called Gideon, “Mighty man of valor,” when all things around him were not adding up, but rather falling apart; it looked like a contradiction. God has a way of talking to us about where we are going to, and not what we are going through. We see this play out in the life of the patriarch Abraham; God called him “Father of many nations” even when it was seemingly impossible for...