Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. - John 15:13 REFERENCE John 15:9-14 Yesterday, we talked about love not just being in our speech but in our actions. Today’s text further buttresses that truth. True love (God’s kind) can only be measured by the sacrifices you are willing to make for the people connected to you. A sacrifice means you are ready to give up something of value (money, time, comfort, etc), for the sake of others. The account in Mark 2:1-12 is a good point of...
Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was… - Mark 2:3-4 REFERENCE Mark 2:1-12 Jesus Christ became the embodiment of love by dying for us. And He commanded us to show this same love to others. So, as Christ-like ones, we ought to live and show love to others in deeds and not in speeches. Love, as an action word, must be demonstrated. It is not enough to theorize about love in our...
…That man was telling his friend about a dream that he had. He was saying, 'I dreamed that a round loaf of bread came rolling into the camp of the Midianites. That loaf of bread hit the tent so hard that the tent turned over and fell flat.' - Judges 7:13 ERV REFERENCE Judges 6:3-6 & 7:1-22 In today’s passage we see a time in history when the Israelites were reduced to poverty because their strong enemy – the Midianites oppressed and plundered them. Gideon, whom God called to lead an army against the Midianites, was able to...
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! - Psalms 133:1 REFERENCE Psalm 133:1-3 Continued from yesterday… The advantages of being in fellowship with other believers are unquantifiable. For starters, it gives you a platform to experience the love of God from others, because sooner or later, you will need a body of believers to console you in your ‘low’ times, and also to rejoice with you in times of celebration. Again, because of the pressures around, being in company of other believers will always keep you refreshed in the Word,...
So the five men left. They came to the city of Laish and saw that the people of that city lived in safety… Everything was peaceful and quiet… Also they lived a long way from the city of Sidon, and they did not have any agreements with the people of Aram. - Judges 18:7 (ERV) REFERENCE Judges 18:1-10, 27-29 This story about the people of Laish further buttresses the point we made yesterday, about the enemy seeking that stand alone Christian, who doesn’t want to associate with any group (church), so he can easily devour them. Sometimes, people don’t...
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25 REFERENCE Hebrews 10:24-25 Man is a spirit, he possesses a soul and lives in a body. This means, man is a spiritual as well as a social being. So as man feeds his spirit, he also needs to meet his social needs, which is where as a believer, the place of fellowshipping with others comes in. Fellowship simply means companionship. It is a friendly association of...
Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go. - Nehemiah 9:19 REFERENCE Nehemiah 9:7-19 God never cast Israel away in spite of her persistence in sin and disobedience. He demonstrated His mercy amongst them by giving them protection and direction. This happened in the era of the Law (old covenant), when men were judged based on their...
When the festival was about half finished, Jesus went to the Temple area and began to teach. The Jewish leaders were amazed and said, 'How did this man learn so much? He never had the kind of teaching we had!'~ John 7:14-15 (ERV) REFERENCE John 7:14-17 What ever made these Jewish leaders who were thoroughly trained in the Jewish tradition to be amazed at Jesus’ teaching must have been quite remarkable. They confirmed that Jesus never had the kind of teaching (training) they had, yet He knew so much more! Jesus could teach the way He did because...
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.' - Luke 10:17 REFERENCE Luke 10:1-19 There is unlimited and so much untapped power in the name of Jesus. The disciples discovered it as they went on their mission – sicknesses were healed and stubborn demonic entities heeded their words of command in the name of Jesus. Philippians 2:9-11 shows that the name of Jesus is above every other name, and when mentioned, things on earth, beneath the earth and in heaven bow and confess that Jesus is Lord over...
But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. - Matthew 13:22 REFERENCE Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 This parable of the sower reveals the place of the heart whenever God’s Word is taught. It is the heart that receives the Word, therefore, the condition of your heart will determine how much benefit you get from the Word. If your heart is choked by worries, anxieties, agitations, fears, etc, and the Word seed is sown there, these overpowering...