When Jesus called the twelve Disciples, He didn’t call highly educated men or even the High Priests of the Jews. He called ordinary men, not on the basis of their importance or standing but because He knew that they would “drop their nets” and accept his request to “Follow Me”. When Jesus called Peter and his brother Andrew, it tells us in Matthew 4:19-20: Come follow me, ”Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” “Come Follow Me” (CC…..
Don’t you just love the way children can light up the room? When you have a new baby you don’t even need a TV. Everyone just sits and watches the precious new baby waiting for any movement and sound. When they smile at you, your heart melts. They are so filled with innocence and they love you unconditionally. Jesus talks about the faith of a child. In Mark 10 Jesus tells the disciples to “Let the little children come to…..
I remember as a child when we learned the 10 Commandments I was very relieved to know that I would NEVER break the first commandment, you shall have no other gods before Me. I knew I would never worship idols or any false gods. I would have to work on the next nine but I had this one covered. Of course, as I got a little older I learned the true meaning of “idol”. I learned it was anything that…..
There is just something refreshing about the beginning of spring. Even though we hardly had a winter in Houston this year, it is always so good to have warm days and cool breezes. I love to watch all the trees begin to bud out and the flowers abound. It is truly a gift from God to show us His Majesty. One day in my quiet time when I was giving God thanks and praise for His goodness, the Spirit revealed…..
"Pentecost 12 ~ The Holy Spirit" (CC BY 2.0) by Waiting For The Word I am always amazed that the Disciples who spent three years with Jesus didn’t always understand what He was telling them. They were with Him every waking minute and saw and heard first-hand all that He did. He would even speak with them alone and explain things to them. While many of the things He said to them seemed vague, He did tell them on more than one occasion…..
In The Gospel of Luke Chapter 10 we learn the story of Mary and Martha. They have heard Jesus teach and seen Him perform miracles and they believe that He is the Messiah. Jesus has come to their house for dinner and Martha is very anxious to make everything perfect while her sister, Mary, is sitting at Jesus’ feet taking in every word He has to say. Martha becomes irritated and comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, don’t you care…..
When I was young I loved the story of Sir Lancelot and King Arthur. It was such a magical tale in magical times. I love the thought of knights in shining armor. They were almost invincible. They would always fight to defend the kingdom and the princess and defeat evil. It set my young heart aflutter. But, unfortunately, life isn’t a fairytale. We live in the real world and there is evil around us. We are bombarded daily with temptations. …..
Everyone wants to be exceptional at something. We all strive to hear that we are exceptional. It is something that drives everyone. Our self-esteem is very important. We want to count for something in life. Are you exceptional? In Mark 9 the disciples are arguing about which of them is the greatest. When Jesus asked them about it, they were quiet because they knew what they had done was wrong. Jesus tells them in verse 35: Sitting down, Jesus called…..
"St. Paul on road to Damascus" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by bobosh_t I think most of us are familiar with the Road to Damascus story of Paul’s conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a champion for Christ. (Acts 9) When he encountered the living Christ he was thrown from his horse and was made blind. Jesus instructed him to go into the city and wait to be told what to do. Then the Lord called Ananias to go to a house on…..
Going to heaven is a question that haunts many people, even many Christians. Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas once had an “on the street” survey done and asked the question: “Are you sure you are going to heaven?”. You would be shocked by the answers. They ranged from: “I do not believe in God or heaven or hell;” to “I hope I am.” Some said they lived a good life and hoped they were good…..