Tag: power
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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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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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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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Calling One; Calling All
Luke 3:7–16; 2 Peter 1:3–15 What is calling? For pastors, their calling is…being a pastor. Even how “being a pastor” changes depending on character, passions, and context. However, due to the influence of the Roman Catholic church (statement not fault-finding), most Protestant traditions (there are some exceptions) use the word “calling” for only one “calling”…being…
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Want
Exodus 20:1–21; 1 Kings 3:16–28; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 The tale of envy and spite in the story relayed in 1 Kings is abominable to most of us. How could any person ever do that, even if it is not their child? Yet, there are far too many tragic stories of people treating their children—their legacy—with…
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Too Small
Deuteronomy 7:7–11; Judges 6:13–16; Matthew 13:31–33 One of the best scenes in the movie, The Princess Bride is when Princess Buttercup and (the Dread Pirate Roberts) Wesley are about to enter the Fire Swamp. Buttercup looks at Wesley and asks, “what about the R.O.U.S.s?” “The Rodents of Unusual Size? I’m sure they don’t exist.” He…
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Fruit Basket
Daniel 3:8–30; Matthew 7:15–20; Revelation 20:11–15 Thinking about fire is often not comfortable. Homes burn. Forests burn. On the other hand, metal is purified through fire. Through that fire, many beautiful and amazing things are made. Just like in our own lives, fire serves different purposes in the Scriptures. The number of times it is…