January 11, 2016 “Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.” (Matthew 12:31–32, HCSB) The Son can forgive a person. But the Spirit does not forgive. Why... Read more
Luke 11:1-4 Essentials of An Effective Prayer Life Luke 11:1-4 Essentials of An Effective Prayer Life is a sermon from the Lord’s Prayer. When a brain tumor took away Dorothy Holm’s ability to speak, she picked up index cards and began filling them with what appeared to be random sequences of letters. When Dorothy passed away in 1996, her 11-year-old granddaughter Janna kept the cards, thinking they might be some kind of coded message. As a teenager, she thought the... Read more
January 8, 2016 In this passage, Jesus shows us the essentials to an effective prayer life. Jesus was a man of prayer. He prayed early in the morning and He prayed often. His disciples were watching Him pray and decided to ask Him how to pray. This means that we don’t know how to pray. We need to learn to pray. It is a skill that needs to be taught. So the first question to ask is: What is prayer?... Read more
Mercy Me Mercy Me is a simple thought reflection from Psalm 6:1-10 about the way that God is very merciful to us as Christians, even when we are weak. January 8, 2016 Psalm 6:1-10 I can understand how David felt. There have been times when I have felt so weak. When I’m weak, I think that God is going to be angry at me (Psalm 6:1). “Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not discipline me in your... Read more
January 7, 2016 Genesis 20:1-7 God comes to Abimelech and warns him that he will die because the woman he has taken is married (Genesis 20:3). The fact is that Abimelech didn’t approach her (Genesis 20:4). So why did God say that He would destroy a nation when Abimelech didn’t do anything wrong? It is because Abimelech’s heart was tempted to desire Sarah. How do I know this? For a couple of reasons. First, you can see that Abimelech starts... Read more
Promises Are Made in Relationships and Locations January 6, 2016 Genesis 12:6-9 Promises are made in relationships and locations. People make promises. Here, God made a promise to Abram. The promise was simple. The land which Abram is on would later belong to his children. This promise is based on a previous promise in Genesis 12:1-3. There, God said to go to a land He would Abram. God would make Abram into a great name and bless him. Now that... Read more
Heroes and Demigods Before the Flood January 5, 2016 Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim are known as the “fallen one”, or “giants.” (Numbers 13:1-33). One theory about verse suggests that these giants, known as the “sons of God” were the line of Seth. Another theory states that they were fallen angels. The Bible says that “they were the powerful men of old, the famous men”. Another passage in Deuteronomy 33:2 describes God appearing with thousands of holy ones. The picture of... Read more
The Trinitarian Call To Missions January 4, 2016 Year C “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8, HCSB) The voice of the Lord calls out for missions from His people. In a terrific vision during a difficult and emotional time in the life of Isaiah, God calls out to him. God calls out to ask for anyone who would be... Read more
The Image of the Triune God and the Equality of Humanity The Image of the Triune God and the Equality of Humanity is a simple thought reflection from Genesis 1:26 about the way that God created humanity. January 4, 2016 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the... Read more
Leviticus 23:23-25 Making A Spiritual Transition to the New Year We are about to enter the new year of 2016. I once read of an Italian custom that as midnight on New Year’s Eve approaches, the streets are clear. There is no traffic; there are no pedestrians; even the policemen take cover. Then, at the stroke of 12, the windows of the houses fly open. To the sound of laughter, music and fireworks, each member of the family pitches out... Read more
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