As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret. He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from […]
Author Archive: Douglas Thomas
Being With Jesus
Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means he was healed— let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the […]
Recognizing the Holy Spirit
Jesus warned some religious leaders once that blaspheming the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven (Matthew 12:22-31). That is pretty serious. We could look at what was happening in that situation and think that we would not have made the mistake the Pharisees did, because we would know that Jesus did the miracles because He is God. Suppose we went to a meeting of our favorite congregation, though, and we […]
Wist, Wit, Wot
But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage. Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah Yeshua as my Lord. It was because of him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah and be found in […]
Arrival of the Dawn
Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the Dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:78-79 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©) That’s what Zechariah prophesied. When he took John to be circumcised, he spoke over his son’s ministry and said this about the ministry of Jesus. The Dawn […]
There We Rejoiced
Come and see the works of God; His acts toward mankind are awe-inspiring. He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him. He rules forever by His might; He keeps His eye on the nations. The rebellious should not exalt themselves. Selah Praise our God, you peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard. He keeps us alive and […]
Trusting Yahweh
If I tell you that I trust you, it could mean more than one thing. I could be saying that I trust you morally – I expect you to tell me the truth and to treat me properly or to pay me back what I lend you. I could be trusting your skills – I believe that you can repair my car or my computer or give me a haircut […]
Walking With Jesus
On the day that the believers discovered that Jesus was no longer dead or in the tomb where His body had been placed, two disciples were leaving the Passover festivities in Jerusalem and heading home 7 miles by foot to Emmaus. As they discussed what they had seen and heard in the previous few days, they were joined by Jesus. They had been told that He was alive, but didn’t […]
Super Powers
Jesus left the earth so that He could send His Spirit to the church – to give us power from Heaven (John 16:7, Luke 24:49). Just having super powers doesn’t make us super heroes, though. Most of our heroes and heroines are messed up people who have learned to maximize some strength. Even many people who are believers, who have much revelation or faith or miracles have so much pride […]
The Last 10 Years and Forever
Consider the last ten years of your life. Many things have happened! What were the most valuable activities you have engaged in? What were the most costly, or wasteful? As Paul wrote to the congregations in Corinth, what we can see is temporary, and what our physical eyes can’t see is the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). There may be another 10 years ahead of us right now. What would be […]