Elisha was a yond man plowing his father’s fields when he first encountered the prophet Elijah. Elisha immediately dropped everything to follow him. For years, he served as an apprentice while Elijah performed his duties as a prophet-often under and lows, to his courageous obedience and crippling doubts. He observed the way Elijah interacted with kings and commoners. He studied the prophet’s personal relationship with God.
Continue reading MEN OF THE BIBLE (ELISHA “FOLLOWING A TOUGH ACT”)
The discipline of meditation involves first having God’s Word, then reading it, studying it, memorizing it, considering its meaning for you, and acting on it. Here Joshua focuses on the final steps of this sequence.
Continue reading WHAT IS MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD?
An annual tax, required of every Jewish male, was designated for maintenance and support of the temple in Jerusalem. Perhaps the temple officials who collected this tax approached Peter about paying it because Jesus and His disciples were hard to pin down. Their teaching and healing ministry kept them moving from place to place.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (A TAX FOR THE TEMPLE)
Jesus could not live without prayer. When Jesus sought out solitary places for prayer, He gave a clearer picture of the three persons of God (the Trinity)-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Continue reading WHAT WOULD JESUS PRAY ABOUT-IF HE WAS GOD, WASN’T HE JUST TALKING TO HIMSELF?
It is official membership community. When the world divided into nations, citizenship became the certified recognition of privilege and accountability to the laws and leaders of the nation granting it. Paul invites Christians to think of membership in God’s kingdom in the same way-a relationship of privilege and responsibility. This latter citizenship supersedes and qualifies all other memberships so that the Christian, while loyal to the state (Rom 13:1), is not unconditionally so.
Continue reading WHAT IS CITIZENSHIP?
Heavenly record (Luke 10:20; Heb 12:23) written by God before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8; 17:8) containing the names of those who are destined because of God’s grace and their faithfulness to participate in God’s heavenly kingdom. Those whose names are in the book have been born into God’s family through Jesus Christ (Heb 12:23; Rev 13:8), remain faithful in worship of God (Rev 13:8; 17:8), are untouched by the practice of abomination and falsehood (Rev 21:27), are faithful through tribulation (Rev 3:5), and are fellow workers in the work of Jesus Christ (Phil 4:3). The book of life will be used along with the books of judgment at the final judgment to separate the righteous and the wicked for their respective eternal destines (Rev 20:12, 15: 21:27).
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (BOOK OF LIFE)
According to John’s Gospel, this was Jesus’ first appearance to HIs disciples after His resurrection. His first word to them was the common greeting used by the Jewish people of that day-a wish for their peace, wholeness, and well-being.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS & CURIOSITIES (SUPERNATUREAL PEACE)
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (LUKE 11:17-24)
1. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (PSALM 145:1-9)
Cattle were primarily a measure or symbol of wealth in biblical times. They were both familiar and significant, good characteristics for symbolic use. Among his livestock, the wealthy Job had a thousand oxen (Job 1:3). Cattle not only provided meat, milk, leather, and other by-products, they were the main animal workforce in ancient agricultural societies. Oxen (castrated bulls) pulled plows as well as wagons. Continue reading SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF THE BIBLE (BULL/CALF)