Who do you love? It’s a hard question. It may be easy to name the people we feel love for in the moment. It might seem obvious to list the people God has put in our lives like our family and friends. But what about how we handle the idea of love towards the vast sea of humanity that exists in our time?
Read MoreSometimes our problem is that we really don't want to serve God. Jesus taught the story of the Good Samaritan to show how beautiful it is when we are willing to live in generous service and love to our neighbors.
Read MoreJesus continued to go through the region of Judea, preaching and teaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Scribes and Pharisees continued to accuse Him of being an agent of Satan.
Read MoreThe Pharisees and Scribes continued to plot against Jesus. They sought to trap Him with questions so they could silence Him. Meanwhile, Jesus continued to preach the Good News to the people and bring healing to the broken.
Read MoreAs Jesus traveled the countryside of Judea, He continued to bring Truth and Light wherever He went. As He healed people of their blindness, their lame feet, and the demonization, He showed the world that the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom was already on it’s way.
Read MoreWe find ourselves at an interesting place in the life of Jesus when He walked the earth. He had just explained to His disciples the hope of eternal life…and what that means for those who are still bound up in the things of this life...the distractions of this fallen world.
Read MoreThe Day of the Lord is going to come and even as Jesus walked the earth, He longed for it. It will be the great Day of Salvation for all who put their faith in Him. It will also be a Day of Judgment and fire against rebellion and the darkness of this world. It will bring a final end to the curse, and will usher in a new era of everlasting joy and light.
Read MoreAs Jesus continued to preach, He kept untwisting the horrible distortions and lies that kept the people living in fear and false belief. How offensive it must have been to Him that these lies were being told about His Heavenly Father!
Read MoreThere are some things that are so purely beautiful that the goodness in them is obvious. There is no need to explain that a night of brilliant stars against an inky black sky is glorious, that crashing waves are magnificent, or that a rose is an image of elegance.
Read MoreThree months had passed since the Feast of Tabernacles, and the time had come for the Feast of Dedication. Once again, pilgrims from all over the nation of Israel would journey to Jerusalem.
Read MoreJesus had confronted the Pharisees and religious leaders over and over again for more than two and a half years. It was becoming ever more clear that their hearts were not growing softer and more ready to accept their Savior.
Read MoreThroughout time, there have been those who do not care about Truth. Instead of trying to make Truth more clear, they use it and twist it for their own power and purpose. As Jesus continued to teach and preach, this what He said about these people: “‘All who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’”
Read MoreAs Jesus told a story about a Good Shepherd (see lessons 133 and 134), His listeners understood that He was talking about Himself. They also knew He was claiming to be the Messiah.
Read MoreAround that time, some Pharisees came to Jesus. A lot of the religious leaders wanted to see Jesus dead, but these men wanted to protect Him. They warned Him that King Herod wanted to kill Him.
Read MoreThe Pharisees were looking for a way to accuse Jesus. If only He would do something that they could use against Him…if only they could get Him to break the Law.
Read MoreJesus sat at the table of a powerful Pharisee. The influential, honored religious men of the region had joined them. Normally, an invitation to dinner is meant to be a sign of friendship, but in this case, it was quite the opposite.
Read MoreAs Jesus went around Perea proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God, great crowds began to follow Him wherever He went. A great line of hostility had been drawn by the most powerful religious leaders in Jerusalem against Jesus, but He was still the most popular teacher in the nation.
Read MoreSometimes when we read about the life and words of the Lord Jesus, He can seem wild and untamed. He is unpredictable. He does what we would never expect.
Read MoreSometimes it is hard to accept Truth...especially if it goes against everything we thought we were fighting for.The religious leaders were upset at Jesus again. As Christ journeyed across the countryside, He spent a lot of His time with sinners and tax collectors, and they didn't like it.
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