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Speed Check
Isaiah 56:1–8; Ezekiel 2:1–10 When you’re driving, do you continue to check your speed? What do you do when you check a speed limit sign? A speed limit sign cannot make you stop speeding. A speed limit sign cannot make you speed up. A speed limit sign can only tell what the authorities have set
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Grudge Walker
Genesis 33:1–9; Numbers 20:14–21; Psalm 137; Lamentations 5:1–22 How much of your extended family do you know? Second cousins, third cousins, and so on. Imagine knowing the descendants of your ancestors (approximately 20 generations gap). The brothers Jacob and Esau seemed to have been reconciled (though it was a strange one). They certainly didn’t go
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I Hate You
Luke 14:25–35; 1 John 3:14–18 So, who do YOU hate? Your mom, dad, husband, wife, significant other, son, daughter, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle…Really, who do you hate? Trump, Clinton, Bin Laden, and many others have been (or are) hated. It could be because of politics. It could be because they murdered people. It might
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Even to…
Acts 11:1–18; Galatians 3:27–29 Depending on the translation, Acts 11:18 is phrased something akin to, “even the Gentiles got the gift.” It’s not exactly the most positive response. It shows us that at the beginning of the church the new reality of a faith that transcended Gentile and Jew still had to be learned. We
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Lamenting Forward
Ezekiel 2:1–3:3; Lamentations 3:17–33; Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 There are two prevailing feelings currently: fear and anger. Neither one is productive over time. In the end, they can destroy a person emotionally and spiritually. Ezekiel ate words of lament, mourning, and woe. In the vision, the edible scroll tastes a sweet as honey. At the same time,
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Whose Crown?
1 Samuel 8:1–22; Mark 10:35–45; 1 Corinthians 1:20–25 One cannot say the beginning of the fall of Israel was at the point they demanded a king. God pointed this out to disappointed Samuel. Israel’s “desire” for a king showed that Israel’s heart continued to not focus on God. Samuel’s sons were a mess. In no
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Heart of Money; Heart of Mercy
2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 1 Timothy 6:17–19 Generosity is a good thing. A generous heart is a good thing. Paul encouraged generosity among the churches. The churches would care for one another as they were going through trials (famines, war, etc.). The graciousness of one church gave life to another church. The churches did not do
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Clothed in Rags
Psalm 94; Luke 6:27–36; 1 Corinthians 4:9–13 Bless your enemies. Except “bless” means something more than just be nice or even help them. “Bless” means to ask for God’s divine favor to come on them. We all want blessings, but we are being called to ask for God’s blessings for those who make our lives
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Did You Fail?
1 Kings 18:19–19:5; Malachi 4:5–6; Matthew 17:10–13 This is a famous story. It really is very impressive how the priests of Baal were humiliated in their bloody ritual, and how God delivered magnificently and undeniable. In a quick turnaround, they went from following the Baal priests to killing them. This actually doesn’t say much about
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Cause and Effect
1 Kings 16:29–33; 1 Kings 17:1–5; 1 Kings 18:10–18 Ahab blamed Elijah for the ongoing drought in Israel. Or, at least he could blame Elijah for the drought. Ahab knew that Elijah had declared that no rain would fall on Israel. Sounds like a pretty good reason to blame Elijah. Except, the real reason was