Tag: response
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One of the Fam
Matthew 12:46–50; John 14:18–26 The passage from John would have created a rather large stir in the culture. Jesus publicly equated non-blood relations as equal to familial relations. The family was first in the culture. A good way to think of it is how a person is called in many Asian countries. The family name…
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Owed
Luke 4:14–30; John 7:1–9; Romans 13:8–10 Love is a powerful force. Jealousy, envy, and fear are also powerful forces. Over time, love does win over jealousy and envy, but it often takes a lot of time, and the hurt and pain can take a long time to heal (if it ever does). It’s the short…
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Red or White?
Genesis 18:16–33; Jeremiah 5:1–9; Romans 3:5–24 God hates me. God would/could never love me. God doesn’t care about me. No one can measure up to that standard. Any of those sound familiar? When we read stories such as Sodom and Gomorrah it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of destruction. Yet, there…
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Wicks Asmoldering
Isaiah 7:1–9; Philippians 4:4–9 Ahaz received encouraging words from God through Jeremiah. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was not exactly known for positive words. Ahaz, not altogether faithful, received a positive message. In many respects, Christians in the United States are like Ahaz. Far too many are lukewarm. They think they do “enough”. Ahaz…
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There’s Lots More
Matthew 13:1–23; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; James 1:5–8 One of the arguments against God and the saving work of Jesus Christ is that people can’t see God. And there isn’t much to say against that. What often goes along with that is seeing the “work” of God. This is ever present, and ever available. People are…
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Time Alone
Matthew 14:1–23 Jesus‘ cousin and herald was dead. He was murdered. Why was he murdered? He called the powerful to account. Herod’s marriage to Herodias had some issues. Herod had visited Herodias while she was still married to Herod’s brother, Philip. They decided they like each other, so they decided to be married. However, Herodias…
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Ready! Set!
Luke 5:1–11; Luke 6:12–16; Luke 9:1–6; Luke 9:28–36; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 2:14 (read online ⧉) What’s your 6-month plan? What’s your 12-month plan? What’s your 3-year plan? What’s your 10-year plan? Some variation of this question is often asked of high school students, college students, recent graduates, job interviewees. In this particular time of COVID-19,…
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How We Live
Galatians 3:1–9; Galatians 5:16–18; James 2:18–26 (read online ⧉) Is it faith or works? What saves you? That’s a pretty important question. From a historical Jewish perspective, it was works. The entire sacrificial system seemed to be about works. This meant that from their perspective, salvation (and the Messiah) would only come through perfectly performing…
