True freedom – John 8:21-32 – September 1

Today is Labor Day.  Many of us will be returning from vacation today, and have forgotten how Labor Day came into existence.  The labor movement in the United States, now possessing only a fraction of the influence that it used to have, was begun in response to huge injustices experienced by laborers.  Child labor, sweatshops, [...]

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To be blessed – Matthew 5:1-12 – August 31

Generally, I try to keep up with the new things that are part of our culture, and try to avoid the temptation to reject new things simply because they are new.  In each case, I try to approach such innovations by comparing them to the Word of God in order to see whether what’s new [...]

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the light – John 8:12-20 – August 30

Humanly speaking, the first thing that ever existed was light.  Scientists now generally agree that whenever it all began, it began with light — some kind of explosion, some intense release of energy which brought into existence the world we know and that which we’re only beginning to discover.
Jesus is that light.
As a believer, I’ve [...]

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thirsty – John 7:37-52 – August 29

Ever been thirsty … I mean, really thirsty?  I suppose there’s a range of experience here, from looking forward to that “cold one”, to planning your day around that first cocktail, to literally dying for some water in a desert or an open sea.  But you know what it feels like; we’ve all been there.
And [...]

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Questions, questions – John 7:14-36 – August 28

They had so many questions about Him:  How does he have such learning? … Is not this the man [the authorities] are trying to kill? … Can it be that [they] really know that this is the Messiah? … When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done? … Where [...]

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Timeliness – John 7:1-13 – August 27

Lately, I’ve been driving the speed limit.
This is significant, in that I’ve always pushed the limit a bit, figuring that 5-7mph “over” won’t get me arrested, nor even pulled over.  However, as part of this soul renovation which God has been doing in me, He’s been encouraging me to slow down.  And not only because [...]

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This is difficult – John 6:60-71 – August 26

Even Jesus’ disciples, His followers, not to mention the occasional crowd, were finding His teaching difficult.
This thing about His being the Bread of Life (IE, God), about our needing to eat His flesh and drink His blood (it’s pretty gruesome when you think about it), was causing them to complain.  It was even beginning to [...]

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Life in us – John 6:52-59 – August 25

What does it mean for us to have the life of Jesus actually inside us?
Certainly we promote the concept that we are not only to believe in Jesus, but also to receive Him into our hearts (John 1:12).  It’s not enough to just believe in the God “up there”; we need to welcome Him “in [...]

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Amazing unbelief – Mark 6:1-6A – August 24

I assume that it isn’t easy to amaze Jesus.  I mean, He’s Almighty God, one with the Father and the Spirit, who superintends the creation, sustenance, and ultimate destiny of the world and all that’s in it.  I would assume that there’s nothing that He doesn’t know, nothing that would surprise Him.  And yet, here [...]

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Isn’t this Jesus? – John 6:41-51 – August 23

I know Jesus … or do I?  Every time I think I’ve “nailed” Jesus (interesting play on words, eh?), He surprises me, reminding me that He is God, way beyond my comprehension.  Maybe I don’t know Jesus as well as I think I do.
Such was the situation with the people of Jesus’ day.  They thought [...]

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