The Influence of a Wife “Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.” (1 Kings 21:25, HCSB) Some relationships are good and some are really bad. John and Paul were great partners for music. Bonnie and Clyde were bad for banks. Ahab and Jezebel were horrible for God’s people. Ahab is Israel’s king. Yet his wife (the first lady of Israel) cared nothing... Read more
They Have Abandoned Me (Spiritual Civil War) “and said to Jeroboam, “Take 10 pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand. I will give you 10 tribes, but one tribe will remain his because of my servant David and because of Jerusalem, the city I chose out of all the tribes of Israel. For they have abandoned Me; they have bowed the knee to... Read more
Acts 14:21-28 FOCUS: Challenges Facing Today’s Church While we celebrated the Independence of our country this week, we also mourned the loss of a famous actor who epitomized a place and period of time in America: Andy Griffith. He died this week at the age of 86. While as a church, we would like to become nostalgic about the past and wish things would stay the same, the fact is they haven’t. Times are different. The people are different. The... Read more
Acts 16:9-15 Opening the Door While in Asia on a second missionary journey, God gave Paul a vision of a MAN saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” God SHOWS the door to a person’s heart through the words of the Holy Spirit (16:9-10) God calls us to GO to them. (16:11-12) Interestingly enough, however, the first European convert to Christianity through Paul’s ministry was a WOMAN, not a MAN. Now there might have been some MEN in Lydia’s... Read more
Luke 15:11-32 Welcome Home Philip Yancey shared this in Rumours of Another World, pp.154-55:Living in Colorado, I climb mountains. Colorado has 54 mountains rising above 14,000 ft and every summer I climb some of them. On a summer weekend in the mountains, I see casual hikers who have no idea what they are doing. In sandals, shorts, and T-shirts, carrying a single container of water, they start up a trail at mid-morning. They have no map, no compass, and no... Read more
1 Samuel 15:1-35 To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice BIG IDEA: To obey is better than sacrifice PRINCIPLE: No matter how crazy it may seem, when God tells me to do something, I need to obey. Obeying God requires doing some crazy stuff Examples of some crazy stuff God asked people to do Leave your homeland (Abram) Kill everything (Saul) Kill your son (Abraham) Die for others (Jesus) Marry a pregnant woman (Joseph) Marry a prostitute (Hosea) Change the world... Read more
Benefiting from the Work of Others “For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”” (John 4:37–38, HCSB) When it comes to sharing the Gospel, sometimes we benefit from the work of other people. As pastors and as churches, we like to take credit for salvations and baptisms. In reality, these things happen because there were... Read more
A Sacrifice Must Cost Me Something “The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 20 ounces of silver.” (2 Samuel 24:24, HCSB) A sacrifice to God must cost me something, otherwise, it is not a real sacrifice. David was told by his prophet Gad that God had heard... Read more
Showing the Kindness of God “So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet.”” (2 Samuel 9:3, HCSB) In the midst of all the work of being a king, David remembers his friend Jonathan. He remembers Saul’s family, and obviously, the friendship of Jonathan was a special memory to David. We don’t know... Read more
Disobedience Breaks God’s Heart “Even to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted He had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35, HCSB) This entire story is a regrettable example of how we can listen to God, but then been be so disobedient to Him. God told King Saul to destroy everything related to the Amalekites. He didn’t ask to keep some of the plunder for a worship... Read more
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