Thoughts on the Parable of the Friend at Midnight – Please read Luke 11:5-8. THE CONTEXT. The disciples have just finished asking Jesus about prayer, so that is the hot topic during this conversation. The Lord responded with a version of the Lord’s Prayer, and then He told this parable. After offering this homespun story, …
Thoughts on the Parable of the Two Debtors – Please read Luke 7:36-50 THE CONTEXT. a. After preaching and teaching in a city, Jesus was invited to a banquet hosted by Simon the Pharisee. The meal was in Simon’s home. As with most dinners at this time, the doors to the home were open, and …
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In this world you will have trouble – tribulation, trials, distress and frustration; but be of good cheer – be encouraged, be confident, be undaunted – for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, Amplified Bible) Two facts …
Jesus and Sinners: The Lost Son Thoughts on the Parable of the Prodigal Son – Please read Luke 15:11-31. “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to him teach. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and even eats with them.’ So …
“If you listen carefully you can hear the truth from the unlikeliest sources, especially from the unlikeliest sources, from an enemy, from a stranger, from children, from nuts, from overheard conversations, from stupid preachers… Are not great discoveries also made at the unlikeliest moments?” (Walker Percy, The Second Coming, p. 181) One of our family’s …
“Let us be paracletes to each other.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Remember that a paraclete is called/invited to come alongside someone in order to help and bear burdens, through advising, reminding, advocating, comforting, listening, exhorting, teaching and encouraging, with the ultimate purpose of pointing to God and glorifying Him. The following scriptures help unpack what us little paracletes …
“…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24b) The Holy Spirit is that Person of Love mutually and eternally shared by the Father and the Son, revealing a God of Three-in-One. In the gospel of John, the Lord Jesus names their Spirit “Paraclete.” which means “called to come alongside of.” Depending …
“… And the trumpet shall sound!” What is it about the trumpet blast that moves the spirit and gives your soul a talking-to? Are we programmed in some way to respond in a deep way to the trumpet, as if it’s nature’s own wake-up call? There’s good historical evidence that this has been true since …
“Are you serious?” Jesus demanded. His closest followers, the ones who knew him best, were ambling along on the dusty road to Capernaum. Kicking up a different kind of dust, they were arguing about who was going to be the most famous, the biggest superstar, the one first on his block with golden sandals. Jesus …
Judging our Neighbors. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. For the measure you use, it will be measured out to you.” (Luke 6:35-38). Let’s say a driver seems to …
“May the All-Merciful One bless this table at which we have eaten. May it be like the table of Abraham our father; All who are hungry may eat from it, and all who are thirsty may drink from it.” (from a traditional Sephardic Jewish Passover liturgy). Abraham, that towering Patriarch who continues to be the …
Jesus the party planner. We know that Jesus is the host of the heavenly banquet. Who will he invite to that feast? Well, a clue… Who did he hang out with when he wined and dined on earth? Who did he enjoy rubbing shoulders with when breaking bread? Looking at his earthly guest list will …