Rejoice in the Lord...Always!

Acts 5:17-42 . . . Continuing our reading of Acts chapter 5 verses 12 through 42. The amazing way that Jesus’ first apostles experienced the power of God should give us all comfort. They would not let anything stop them from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Much to the dismay and anger of the high priest and his council. Even prison bars could not stop the disciples. An angel of the Lord...

Acts 5:12-16 . . . Through chaos and confusion, the apostles persevered. In the area of Jerusalem, many people, the humble poor, the sick, and those in need of spiritual new life, came to be healed and to have unclean spirits come out of them. Many of them became believers. And although some did not join them, they respected Peter and John. Peter and John drew a crowd wherever they went and it mad...

Acts 4:1-31 . . . It's about being BOLD .  Peter and John give us a wonderful example in these passages about how to boldly speak of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  They are filled with the Holy Spirit who gives them strength.  They are able to stand up to the rulers, elders, and scribes and literally "take them down" when they boldly proclaim to preach the gospel and heal in th...

Once again, after Jesus had spent the 40 days in the wilderness, Satan tries to tempt him.  This time, the devil takes Jesus to a pinnacle of the temple and tells him to jump off.  Satan even quotes the word of God by telling Jesus that "it is written" angels will bear Jesus up even if he dash his foot against a stone.  So, certainly they will not let him be hurt by jumping off the...

In Matthew 4:3-4 , we see the first temptation that Satan confronted Jesus with after 40 days in the wilderness.  Things to consider:  1) There is always more going on than you realize, 2) Your ability to withstand temptation has a lot to do with what you believe about God, 3) Temptation is a test of your faith, not just your ability to say "No".  Questions we ask:  Can God com...

We need to be people of FAITH.  Here is an acronym to remember what FAITH means to us.  Are you a person of FAITH? F=Faithful . . . Be consistent in things we say are important.  Our walk should be consistent with our talk.  God calls us to be consistent.   Hebrews 11:1 gives us a definition of faith. A=Available . . .  God will call us to do things we may not think w...

Psalm 23 , written by David around 2,900 years ago, is as true today for us as it was for David when he wrote it.  When you read it, pay attention to the pronouns "I" and "my" .  Because Jehovah is my Shepherd, I don't need anything.  He is my care-giver, right now and always.  It's a personal relationship with me .  We do not want for anything as long as we have God. &nbs...

Matthew 3:16-4:11 . . .Temptation? . . . Wait A Minute!  By reading Matthew 3:16-17 before verses 4:1-11 you get context for the events that Jesus experienced right after His baptism by John the Baptist.  By understanding these verses of scripture, we can better understand our own moments of temptation and how to deal with them.  Jesus gives us the perfect example of how to deal wit...

Finishing Haggai 2:20-23 . . . The book of Haggai tells us of God's promise to His people . . . put simply as Look Up, Look In, Look Forward!  Even as we, today, experience a time when it seems that people have given God's Kingdom a back seat to their own desires, God spoke through the prophet, Haggai, to remind His people that He keeps His promises.  As He did in times past, God can rai...

In Haggai 2:10-19 , God once again speaks through Haggai to His people.  He asks the priests if something that is holy can make the unholy "holy".  The priests say, "No."  Then, He asks if something unholy can make something holy "unholy".  They say, "Yes."  This is God's way of showing them that when they turn away from Him they become unholy.  If they turn to Him, t...

Finding encouragement in our discouragement . . . LOOK UP!  In Haggai 2:1-9 God speaks through the prophet about the re-building of the temple, asking them to compare their building to the structure of 70 years earlier.  They are discouraged and so the Lord speaks again, telling them they need to be strong.  God tells them that He is present with them as He was at the time of the Ex...

Haggai 1:1-15 . . . The book of Haggai is the second smallest book in the Bible, only 2 chapters.  But, the message given by the Lord to the prophet, Haggai, is huge.  In Chapter 1, verses 5 and 7, the Lord's message to the people is strong, "Consider your ways."  The priorities of God's people have deteriorated to misplaced priorities, filling up their lives with "stuff" and yet st...

In Luke 19:11-27 Jesus tells the parable in which a nobleman went to receive a kingdom in a far country. He gave money to several servants with instructions to do his business while he was away.  When he returned after receiving his kingdom, he had the servants report on how much they had gained by trading.  Those who made gains were rewarded while those who did not do his business well...

In Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus tells us that we should become like children.  We should depend on Christ, trust Him, and be called by Him to God.  Jesus Christ has the Father's authority to call us to God.  We must humble ourselves to learn from Jesus.  He tells us to come to Him, all who are heavy laden, and He will give us rest.  When we take up the yoke with Jesus we will fi...

In the last verse of the prayer that Jesus gives us, Matthew 6:13 , we are admitting our dependence on God.  When we pray, God is the audience.  Do not pray with the intention of attention .  Rather, pray intelligently and thoughtfullly.  Only God can lead us from our brokenness.  You cannot follow God if you are self-righteous.  We live in a world of temptations, try...

In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Moses gives a very strong message to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.  He reminds them that they should remember that the commandments came from "the Lord thy God" and that wherever they go they should keep them, teach them, and fear the Lord, that their lives and their son's son days be prolonged.  In verse 5, Moses repeats the number one...

Matthew 6:12 . . And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.   What a powerful message!  There are three points that we need to study here.  First, the situation . . . We are sinners.  Second, the solution . . . We need forgiveness by the blood of Jesus.  And, third, the stumbling block . . . We must forgive others.  Our sin is actually a debt to God first, b...

In Matthew 6:11, we are given a few short words that have enormous meaning.  "Give us this day our daily bread," says much more than we realize.  "Wants" and "Needs" are NOT the same.  "Bread" is symbolic of all our physical needs.  God, our Father, furnishes ALL our needs.  But, He has intended for us to work since the beginning.  Being a child of God has its privile...

In Matthew 6:9-10, Jesus gives us words that we can use to pray to God.  There are four main points to consider when we pray.  First, we need to acknowledge our relationship with God.  He is Our Father.  He doesn't owe us anything, but as our "Daddy" ("Abba" in Aramaic), He wants to bless us as a loving Father.  Second, we need to recognize our reaponsibility to uphold God...

In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus is preaching "the sermon on the mount".  About half way into this sermon, he begins to discuss how to pray.  And in his special way, he is also telling people to NOT pray like the hypocrites who mainly seek attention for themselves.  He does not condemn public prayer or the posture one takes when praying, but those who pray hypocritically.  Hypocritical...

Ezekiel 37:1-14 tells us about the prophecy that he encountered in the valley of dried bones.  It was a place of misery, death, and bones, not buried but laying there.  A very mysterious place, but yet giving a sign from God.  When God instructed Ezekiel on what to say, the bones miraculously rose up with sinews and flesh, and when commanded, God breathed the breath of life into the...

Finishing up Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 10-23, gives us a perspective of how Paul endured his situation and was able to encourage others to be of like mind.  This letter to the believers at Philippi is full of Joy and Thanks.  At the end of the letter Paul expressed his gratitude for the support they have given him.  He lets them know that through the gifts they give him that th...

In Luke 23:50-24:12 we hear an account of Jesus burial and the discovery of His resurrection on the third day.  These events were prophesied in several places in the Old Testament, as in Isaiah 53.  However, resurrection is not just an event, but it is an invasion of Satan's domain and shows us the Sovereignty of God.  Everything happens as a result of God's plan.  There is no...

In Luke 23:32-43, what happened on the cross is prophecy becoming history.  There are two points I would like to ponder.   First point:  As Luke tells the story of the last moments of Jesus's life, we are presented with the pronoun "they".  Who are "they"?  "They" crucified Him.  Jesus asked His Father to forgive "them".  Truth be known, "EVERYONE" is "they". &nb...

In Philippians 4:8-9 Paul gives us the qualities upon which we should think in order to be more Godly people.  These are things that should always be in our minds and hearts in every waking moment.  Paul tells us that we should think about things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and are of good report; "if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things."...