“Celebrate a festival in My honor three times a year. Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed. Also observe the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of your produce from what you […]
Monthly Archives: March 2020
Being Certain and Humble
Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him. (John 13:3-5 Holman […]
Reading Life
How often do you think you should read the entire Bible? Once a year? Take 3 years to do it? Maybe, if you find the time, once before you die? Aim for a goal that is costly and you will gain a prize that is valuable. From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to […]
Direction and Success
David’s “mighty men” committed their lives to him. At least, they did until they came back from one mission with him and discovered that their base had been raided and their families and belongings had been stolen by raiding punks (1 Samuel 29-30). Their answer was to decide how to kill David. David’s answer was to “encourage himself in Yahweh.” David’s answer drew forth Yahweh’s answer: pursue the punks and […]
Weak-Willed
Our wills are not strong enough. The turn of each year’s calendar pages prove it. There are systems in place to increase our doubt that we can overcome, like 12 step programs that make us confess every time we introduce ourselves that we are alcoholics, or whatever other version of failure we wish we could escape. There are other systems in place that will try to profit from our lack […]
Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, […]
Hidden and Real
So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®) When a puppet appears in a puppet theater, it is usually either a marionette style, which is supported by strings and manipulated from above, or a Muppet style, which is manipulated from within. Contrary to the […]
Got Power?
For many centuries, the mis-influences of kings and popes have created terrible abuses of humanity, including torture and murder, against anyone who questioned the validity of their authority or the accuracy of their theology. Included in the twists of the theology of such ungodly leadership are the extra-Biblical teachings that the supernatural giftings mentioned in the Bible are no longer experienced because they are no longer needed by believers, that […]
Putting on Christ
How can we intentionally and successfully shift from the condition of believing in Jesus to believing Jesus? How about from believing Him to being influenced by Him – influenced by His Spirit? “Putting on the armor of God” has become a day-starter for many believers who want to do a better job of fighting evil away from their lives and families and work. I suggest that immediately upon waking, and […]
Hardness and Sadness
Now He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a paralyzed hand. In order to accuse Him, they were watching Him closely to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath. He told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand before us.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to […]