Monday John 1:14, 12:24, 15:5, 8; Galatians 3:16, 4:4 Jesus is the Vine and Jesus is the Seed. God loves fruit and harvest and babies—He loves grown-ups, too. In the beginning God spoke, saying to mankind, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). And we have. Jesus is the most fruitful and...
Monday John 15:1-8 – The Vineyard A vineyard is an image that is familiar to many of us who have had the joy of living in a Mediterranean climate. We can picture exactly what Jesus was sharing in this allegory without having to travel to the Mediterranean or Israel—although that would be rather nice. We...
Monday John 14:22-31, 10:27-30; Matthew 3:16-17 John 14:22-31, like John’s baptism of Jesus, displays the loving collaboration among the three Persons of the Godhead. God’s triunity, though foundational to true Christianity, is elusive. Anyone claiming to comprehend the Trinity is considering something man-made or is otherwise misguided. In our timebound, physical limitations, one God in...
Monday John 14:15-21 The final words people speak before they die are said to be some of the most important words they ever speak. We are in a series looking at the final words of Jesus to His disciples before He dies. They are important truths to build our lives on. Many probably do not...
Monday Hebrews 3:1-6 “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” (Hebrews 3:6 NIV) All of us who have given Jesus our primary allegiance are a community. We are members of the same...
Monday Jeremiah 29:10-14 Standing on the Promises As you read Jeremiah 29:10-14, count each of the promises given and ask God to open the eyes of your heart to His truth. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular, well known and oft-quoted biblical texts. We often see this promise on calligraphed plaques, surrounded by...
Monday Jeremiah 29:8-9 While Israel was in exile, the prophet Jeremiah had to contend with false prophets who were misleading the people with wrong teachings. The LORD told Jeremiah that the people must not listen to these false teachers because they were not sent by Him. Jeremiah’s warning is a message to Christians today as...
Monday Jeremiah 29:7; Esther 4:6-17; Philippians 2:3-4 This week we consider Esther, who lived in Medo-Persia and became queen during the time of Judah’s post-exile resettlement. Esther bravely revealed her Jewishness, risking her own life to intercede for her fellow Jews. She subordinated self-interest to community welfare, a timely example for us in light of...
Monday Jeremiah 29:4-6 Gone but Not Forgotten For forty years Jeremiah had been warning the people of Judah and Jerusalem to submit to the LORD by submitting to their captors in Babylon. In 598 B.C., King Jehoiachin had surrendered Jerusalem to the Babylonians, and the first group of captives had been taken into exile (Jeremiah...
Monday Jeremiah 1 “I the Lord am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:8) This is a great chapter. In this chapter not only do we see the call of Jeremiah, but we see the Lord God who is in complete control. Nothing catches Him off guard; He is even using...
