Following A Psalm Pattern

For many people the Psalms are one of the favorite bible books because so many of them seem to capture so well our experiences and emotions. So, I’ve decided to leave the book of Mark for a time and look at some of the psalms. The first one I’ve chosen to look at is Psalm 103, a psalm written by David. David starts by praising God for who He is – for His holy name and for what He has done, verses 1-2. Do we come into the presence of our Holy God and praise Him for who He is … Continue reading →

Words And Actions That Don’t Match

What sort of example are you? Do you claim to worship and follow God, yet act in disobedience to God’s commands? When people look at you, do they see someone who professes one thing but does not act accordingly? This is what Jonah was like. He was a prophet of God. Yet when God told him to go to Nineveh with a message for the people, Jonah disobeyed and ran away from God’s command. This story is probably familiar to many of us from Sunday school. So often the emphasis seems to be on the fish or whale and yet … Continue reading →

Lessons From Levi

Have you ever found when you read something in God’s Word, that He gives you an opportunity to put into practice what you have read? This happened to me after I read about the friends of the paralytic man. I wrote my last blog, a href=”http://christian.families.com/blog/faith-and-persistence-bring-results”>Faith and Persistence Brings Results days ago but experienced major troubles when attempting to post it. Then today while reading,Streams in the Desert by Mrs. C.E. Cowman which I’ve been using this year as part of my morning devotional time, the reading talked about not letting obstacles depress and put us off. It echoed what … Continue reading →

A Pattern of Power, Prayer and Preaching.

Do you find your life lacks power and purpose? Could it be, because it is not under girded by prayer? 1. The disciples told Jesus about Simon’s mother in law, who was in bed with a fever. They brought her needs to Jesus, verse 30. So too we need to bring the needs of others to Jesus for Him to deal with. 2. Jesus healed Simon’s mother in law. Notice what happened. Her immediate reaction to being healed was to serve. She wanted to give something back to Jesus for what He had done for her, verse 31. Are you … Continue reading →

Seven Lessons About Teaching and the Authority of Jesus.

Does your life reflect the teaching and authority of Jesus? Let’s look at Mark 1:21-28 1. Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach and the people were amazed ‘because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law,’ verse 22. If you or I are in positions where we teach others in Sunday school, kids’ clubs, bible study or church situations, does our teaching have the authority of Jesus behind it? It should do, if we are doing it in His strength, being faithful to God’s word and enabled by the Holy … Continue reading →

Five Lessons from John the Baptist

The prophesied preacher prepares people for Jesus. What about you? What lessons can you learn from John the Baptist about your role in God’s plans? Let’s look at Mark 1:1-8 1. Mark begins his gospel account of Jesus by stating clearly who Jesus is the Son of God, verse 1. The gospel focuses on Jesus in the first verse, so that we who read it do not lose sight of the fact that Jesus is the focus. Jesus should also be the focus of all that we do. As you look at your life, is Jesus the focus of all … Continue reading →

The Names of God: Jehovah, The Great I Am

If there is an attribute of God that stirs up awe within us, this is it. God is Jehovah, the Great I Am, the self-existent one. Jehovah is the name for God most frequently used in the Old Testament. It is derived from havah which means “to be, to become.” Therefore, Jehovah speaks to God’s very being. Nathan Stone, a Biblical scholar writes this in his commentary, “Jehovah is the One who in Himself possesses essential life, permanent existence.” The Great I Am We first see ‘I Am’ at the burning bush. Remember Moses is speaking with God, trying to … Continue reading →

The Names of God–Adonai

Out of all the names of God that we’re going to study, this is the one that goes against the grain in our society and culture. If we’re going to reject one of God’s attributes; one of His names–Adonai is the one that gets overlooked or twisted. Adonai means Lord and Master. Can you say that’s true in your life? Lord and Master In Biblical times, slavery was common and so I’m sure the ideas of servitude, submission and being dependant on a master were easily understood. A slave was not his own person, but was the property of the … Continue reading →

The Names of God–El Shaddai

El Shaddai means “The All Sufficient One”. There are so many things to say about God being all sufficient I hardly know where to start. He is all sufficient to provide for our needs–both physical and spiritual. He is all sufficient to carry us through the storms of life and He is all sufficient for salvation. We see the name El Shaddai, all throughout the Old Testament. We see El Shaddai especially in the life of Abram turned Abraham. Abraham was in an impossible situation. He was nearly 100 and did not yet have a child. Sarai was baron, and … Continue reading →

The Names of God–El Roi

El Roi is the God who sees. We have been focusing a lot on God’s sovereignty and here is another example of God’s name bearing his true character. Genesis 16: 13-14 (Hagar) gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen [c] the One who sees me.” Background Do you remember Hagar? She was Sarai’s maidservant. Sarai didn’t believe that she would get pregnant and so to help God fulfill His promise to Abraham she insisted Abraham sleep with Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a son, … Continue reading →