Tagged: daily bread

“Who is this Man Who utters blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” –Luke 5:21 Jesus always has forgiveness on His mind. The roof literally falls in, but Jesus responds: “My friend, your sins are forgiven you” (Lk 5:20). A man lies before Him paralyzed and Jesus says: “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Lk 5:24). The apostles ask Jesus to teach them to pray and Jesus replies: “Forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us” (Mt 6:12). Even while hanging on the cross, among His last words...

“Make ready the way of the Lord, clear Him a straight path.” –Luke 3:4 Before Christ’s Christmas coming and His Second Coming, we need to make a highway in the desert. We need this highway so we can return to the Lord from the exile of sin and so the Lord can return to take us from our exile on earth (see 1 Pt 2:11) to our heavenly home. This desert highway is both for us (Bar 5:7) and the Lord to use (Lk 3:4). We are to use the highway first to get out of the exile of sin....

Jesus said, ” ‘Beg the Harvest Master to send out laborers to gather His harvest.’ Then He summoned His twelve disciples.” –Matthew 9:38–10:1 The Lord promised His people happiness, sustenance, guidance, abundance, light, and healing (see Is 30:19ff). Centuries later, Jesus looked at crowds of people, and “His heart was moved with pity. They were lying prostrate from exhaustion, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). Are God’s promises true? If so, why aren’t we seeing them fulfilled? God usually plans it so that we need help to receive His promises. We need laborers for the harvest (Mt 9:37). We...

“When He got to the house, the blind men caught up with Him. Jesus said to them, ‘Are you confident I can do this?’ ” –Matthew 9:28 Are you confident that in “a very little while” (Is 29:17), at this Christmas, the Lord will do even more than we ever asked or imagined? (Eph 3:20) He promises “the eyes of the blind shall see”; “the deaf shall hear the words of a book” (Is 29:18) – and this is only the beginning. Honestly, many of us would have to admit that we do believe, yet need God’s help with our...

“A nation of firm purpose You keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in You.” –Isaiah 26:3 The twelve tribes of Israel entered the Promised Land after forty years of wandering in the desert. The tribes remained united until after the death of Solomon, when the tribe of Judah remained true to the Israelite covenant and the other tribes “seceded” from the Israelite covenant, set up idolatrous worship, and formed the Northern Kingdom, also known as “Israel” or “Samaria.” The seceded tribes fell further into sin and idolatry, despite continued warnings from prophet after prophet (see 2 Kgs 17:13)....