Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“I plead with you, then as a prisoner for the Lord.” –Ephesians 4:1 How much do you love Jesus? How much suffering would you endure for His sake? Would you be willing to die for Him? Would you be a prisoner for the Lord? God’s Word tells us to expect persecution (2 Tm 3:12). It’s not uncommon for Christians to be arrested. A good portion of the New Testament was written in prison. Many believers throughout the world are suffering imprisonment at this moment for the sake of the Gospel. The world may look down on prisoners, but Jesus says:...

“I have come to light a fire on the earth. How I wish the blaze were ignited!” –Luke 12:49 Jesus wants to light a fire on the earth. He wants to save and purify us by giving us a new nature (see Eph 4:24). He wants to be Lord of our lives, baptize us in the Spirit, and lead us to the Father. These are the desires of Jesus’ heart. What are the desires of your heart? Do you want what Jesus wants? Even if you have Jesus’ desires and priorities, how much do you want His will to be...

“You know as well as I that if the head of the house knew when the thief was coming he would not let him break into his house. Be on guard, therefore.” –Luke 12:39-40 People install locks on their doors and windows. They have fences, guard dogs, and security systems because of the possibility that someone might break into their houses. What if you knew exactly when someone would break into your house? Would you be ready for him? That is how ready we must be for Jesus’ return. Moreover, we must be this ready all the time, for He...

“The Lord stood by my side and gave me strength, so that through me the preaching task might be completed and all the nations might hear the gospel.” –2 Timothy 4:17 St. Luke is the human author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke’s purpose in writing his two-volume work was so we would know that the Good News of Jesus is “reliable” (Lk 1:4), which in Greek means “rock-solid.” One of Luke’s major themes is the extreme mercy of God. A number of passages on mercy only appear in Luke and Acts. Only Luke...

“As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight.” –Exodus 17:11 We are in a war against demons (Eph 6:12). As the Church, we are attacking the gates of hell which cannot prevail against us (Mt 16:18). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are claiming Jesus’ victory over Satan and applying it to our lives and our world. Our sword is the Spirit using God’s Word (Eph 6:17) and helping us to pray in our weakness (Rm 8:26). Therefore, “preach the word, [staying] with this task whether convenient or inconvenient” (2...