Category: Memory Verse

ON GUARD!

“For to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways.” —Psalm 91:11 When thousands of people are killed in a tragedy, the question arises: “What happened to their guardian angels? They didn’t seem to do such a good job of guarding their charges.” The response to this question is wrapped in another question: “Why did Jesus’ guardian angels let Him be crucified?” Jesus stopped the angels from protecting Him. He said: “Do you not suppose I can call on My Father to provide at a moment’s notice more than twelve legions of...

READY, GET SET, GO

Jesus “set His face toward Jerusalem.” —Luke 9:51 Jesus “firmly resolved to proceed toward Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51). This was one of the most important decisions in human history. This decision to go to Jerusalem was a crucial moment in God’s plan of salvation, for it ended in Jesus’ saving death and glorious Resurrection. Immediately after making this decision, Jesus was opposed by Samaritans and had to rebuke James and John to deliver them from the evil one (Lk 9:53, 55). We likewise face serious problems after we make our most important decisions for Jesus. How many people have been rejected...

WELCOME MAT

“Whoever welcomes this little child on My account welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes Him Who sent Me.” —Luke 9:48 In the world, we don’t welcome people because we don’t welcome competition. We see other people as a threat. If they take their cut, there’s less for us. We tend to be jealous, possessive, and contentious. We compare ourselves with others to see who is greatest (Lk 9:46). In Jesus’ kingdom, it should be the opposite. We welcome people with open arms. Other people are not “them”; they’re “us.” We’re all members of the same body. “If one member...

HELL, NO!

“I am tortured in these flames.” —Luke 16:24 Jesus told a parable about a rich man who was in the netherworld — an allusion to what we would call “hell.” The rich man was in hell not because he was rich or because he refused to help the poor man, Lazarus. The rich man went to hell because he was insensitive to Lazarus. He didn’t even notice the poor man at his door, although even dogs noticed Lazarus (see Lk 16:20-21). The rich man was not only insensitive to Lazarus but also to Moses and the prophets, that is, the...

QUESTION GOD

“They failed, however, to understand this warning; its meaning was so concealed from them they did not grasp it at all, and they were afraid to question Him about the matter.” —Luke 9:45 We often question God concerning disappointments, sufferings, and failures. We ask: “Why me?”, “How long?”, “What’s wrong?”, “What can I do?” Yet we are afraid to ask the Lord other questions. He wants us to ask Him about our daily cross (Lk 9:23), not to get out of it but into it. Jesus calls us to ask how we can die to self to bear fruit for...