John 21 Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias (or Sea of Galilee). Peter and several disciples had gone fishing when Jesus called out to them and asked if they had caught anything. Jesus performs another miracle by allowing the disciples to catch 153 fish off the side of their boat (even though they hadn't caught a single fish all night lo...

1 John 3 1 John 3 is written to help the believer see their place as a child of God. John is trying to articulate the new relationship that a believer has in the Father as compared to the relationships we have in this world. He starts the chapter right straightaway by highlighting the greatness of the love of our Father. Verse 2 is always compelling to me because it rem...

2 Corinthians 9 Paul encourages the Corinthian church about their ministry and sends brothers of the faith (Titus and two other men, referenced in 2 Cor 8:16-24). He wants the church to be ready and to demonstrate to the Macedonians that they are ready, willing and able to provide financially for the church in Jerusalem. Verse 7 is a great verse to consider right now d...

1 Corinthians 5 Paul is going to rebuke the Corinthian church for their lack of discipline within the church. He uses the example of a Christian man who was sleeping with his stepmother. Old Testament law (Leviticus 18:8, Deuteronomy 22:22) prohibited such acts but so did the Gentile law. The church in Corinth was so messed up that they were not mourning this sin but we...

Luke 14 As I finished reading Luke 14, I felt that I needed to focus my mind on Luke 14:25-33 (some bible translations reference this section as The Cost of Discipleship). Jesus was speaking to the multitudes (or great crowds) when He explained what it meant to follow Him: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and bro...

Philippians 3 Rejoice in the Lord. This is the command that Paul uses to starts this section of Scripture. Rejoice! Meriam Webster's dictionary defines rejoice as: To feel or show that you are very happy about something. Are you very happy about your relationship with the Lord? If you truly know Him, you should be so excited about the fact that He is in a relation...

MATTHEW 28 Three days after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" (most likely Mary of Clopas referenced in John 19:25) went to the tomb where His body was being kept. While they were there, an earthquake occurred as an angel of the Lord came and rolled back the stone in front of the tomb. Some people think that the angel did this so that ...

Matthew 18 The disciples asked Jesus a question that most of us have probably pondered at some point: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Our Sunday school answer would all be to yell out: JESUS! But who, after Him? Jesus, recognizing their heart (as He always does) tries to help them understand that their heart is in the wrong place when they ask this questio...

Matthew 8 Matthew starts to explore the actual work of Jesus Christ. He gives us four different examples of Christ's power. Christ's Power Over Diseases Leprosy (v1-4) The leper started by kneeling before Him and calling Him "Lord". The leper was able to recognize Jesus' authority and power. He had the faith to trust that Jesus could do what He said He could do. As s...

James 3 God has an amazing sense of humor. Why? I get to blog on James 3 "Taming of the tongue". There should be no question that God is at work in our quiet times and even in this blogging. As everyone who knows me more than as a simple acquaintance can attest to, I struggle with this greatly. I am quick to speak and can say things that I should have filtered. I can u...

HEBREWS 12 We are instructed to lay aside our weights and our sins which cling to us so that we can run with endurance the race set before us. This isn't a sprint to see who can serve the hardest for the next year. This isn't about serving the Lord 40 in Children's Ministry for a couple of years and saying "that's it I did my time". We are instructed to prepare for a l...

Hebrews 2 The author starts with a "therefore" so we must look back at Hebrews 1 to understand the context. The previous context was to help the reader to understand that Jesus was placed higher than the angels in His divinity and power and supremacy. Now the author challenges the reader to listen closely and pay careful attention. He challenges us to pay careful attent...

Acts 20 Paul isn't known as the encourager, but here he is showing his love for these people who are "in battle" with him for the Lord. Within the first two verses, Luke comments that he encouraged disciples before he had to leave (Ephesus) and then went to several other regions and encouraged the disciples there. Every church (or set of churches) needs someone like thi...

Acts 10 Luke starts off by introducing us to a centurion, or a Roman military officer, who was "a devout man, who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people and prayed continually to God."Here is a Gentile (or non-Jew) that is chasing hard after God. It appears he is trying to follow the Old Testament laws and be obedient to the Lord. If someo...

Mark 11 Jesus instructs two of His disciples to go into a nearby village and get a colt (or donkey) for him to ride. This is reference back to Zechariah 9:9 which states: 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you;righteous and having salvation is he,humble and mounted on a donkey,on a colt, the foal ...