The Works Testify

John 10:19-33

In this passage the religious leaders are going to say to Jesus, “Tell us plainly if you’re the Messiah or not.” And Jesus’s reply is essentially, “My works testify to who I am.” In other words, it’s this basic principle that actions speak louder than words. And, of course, the same is true for us, as followers of Jesus Christ. Our greatest witness to the Gospel and Faith we proclaim is not just what we say, but what we do. So, to begin, let’s look at the context

Prepare Your Mind

1 Peter 1:3
1 Peter 1:13-23

I included vs. 3 in our reading because everything the Apostle has to say in this epistle depends on the good news of that one verse. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Everything that follows is based on that good news. So, notice what he says (vs.13), “Therefore (in other words: because of that good news) prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves…” Prepare your minds for action.

Practice Righteousness

Matthew 6:1-6;16-21

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. I’ll be honest, out of all the seasons we observe as Christians, besides Holy Week and Easter, Lent has become my favorite. One thing I really like about Lent is that if I take it seriously, and by that, I mean, if I take the time to be focused on the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting and giving, then Lent becomes a time for me to recalibrate, to refocus spiritually. And I have noticed each year my own spiritual practice becomes a little deeper and richer because this time of focus during Lent. And so, I look forward to it, I really do.

Out of the Heart

Matthew 5:20-24
Genesis 4:1-8

In 1991, two hikers, who were hiking at a high elevation through the Italian Alps, stumbled across a body frozen in the ice. They alerted the authorities who got together a team to retrieve the body. Initially it was thought to be the body of some mountaineer who perished climbing the mountain. But they soon learned that the body was of a man from some 5,300 years ago who they named Otzi the Iceman, after the Otztal Alps in which he was found. As you can imagine many scientists gathered to research Otzi, and they learned a number of interesting things.

“Where do you abide?" "Come and you will see.”

John 1:35-51

Two important things are happening in this passage. First, little by little, we’re told who Jesus is. Notice all the different ways that people refer to him in this passage: Lamb of God, Rabbi or Teacher, Messiah, the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth, Son of God, King of Israel, Son of Man. Each time Jesus gains a new follower, our understanding of who he is becomes a little bit richer. And that’s the other important thing happening here. In this passage, Jesus is beginning to gather followers.

The Glory of God is a Living Person

When Philip requests from Jesus that he show them the Father, Jesus replies, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Let us all agree: that is quite a claim. If I were to say to you, “Friend, if you have seen me, then you have seen God,” at the very least you would be doubtful. Most likely, you would be worried. And yet, that is our Lord’s claim. If we have seen him, we have seen the Father.

Recieve the Kingdom as a Child

Luke 18:15-17

This passage, along with a couple others, is the source of that tender image we’ve all probably seen where Jesus is sitting down and he is surrounded by children and he has one or two on his knee. He’s smiling and they're smiling. It's such a wonderful image. That image of Jesus sitting, surrounded by joyful children is sweet and tender, all on its own. But, according to this passage, that image is also an image of the God’s kingdom.

The Lord's Prayer

Read Matthew 6:7-13

Probably the first thing about this prayer our Lord teaches us is that it’s not so much about me, and it’s not so much about you...

Our Inheritance

What would you do if you knew you had a priceless inheritance waiting for you? If you knew you had an inheritance and knew it was priceless, what would you do? Well, as I am sure you know, in Jesus Christ have been promised a priceless inheritance. 1 Peter 1:4 (NLT) “…we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” We have a priceless inheritance given to us by God through Jesus Christ. And what is this inheritance? This inheritance is life, flourishing life, abundant life in the kingdom of God where righteousness and love and peace are at home. This is our inheritance.