Archive | Spiritual Growth

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He(Jesus) was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them, walking on the lake. (Mark 6: 47,48 NIV) Powerful lesson In this story, we watch God orchestrate a powerful lesson for us today. Earlier in their day, Jesus directed the disciples to feed a crowd over 5,000 individuals. It looked impossible. They said to him(Jesus), “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we […]

  “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But He will reply, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evil doers!” (Luke 13: 24,25, 27 NIV) Impressions Those who pleaded ate and drank with Jesus. So they thought social interaction was good enough. Outside appearance of making strong impressions will not […]

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9: 26 NIV) Who is Jesus? Who do we say Jesus is today? Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am?” Some thought Jesus was John the Baptist. Others thought Elijah or a prophet from long ago. False religions distort more truth of Jesus’s identity in present times. Enough truth is added to deceive many. They will declare belief in […]

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?”  (John 6: 60-61 NIV) Miracle? I love digging into God’s Word to gain a deeper understanding of Jesus’s time here on earth. Jesus is love, Jesus is direct. He discerned hearts in the crowd that followed him the day after feeding 5,000 individuals. They missed seeing the miracle as they focused on the bread they ate. Jesus explained to them better to work for food that endures […]

  So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands? He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” Mark 7: 5-7 NIV) Pharisees The Pharisees and all Jews did not eat unless they washed their hands. Most of us females would agree with this rule. […]

  When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” (Matthew 17: 14-16 NIV) Problems 1, 2, 3 Certainly the disciples thought they could perform a miracle. Mark 9 shares more graphic details for this story. Not only had the disciples been in an argument with the teachers of the law. Problem #1…Their minds were distracted. The boy’s situation […]

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. (Mark 1: 35 NIV) Prayer To have only heard Jesus’s prayer this very morning. The day before He delivered freedom to a possessed man in the synagogue. Went to the home of Simon and Andrew. Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law of fever by taking her hand and helping her up. Later, people brought all sick and demon possessed to Jesus. Scripture lets us know the entire town came. He healed many with various diseases and […]

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and begin to teach. (Mark 1:21 NIV) Adventure Are you ready for adventure? Were the disciples ready for adventure? They began to travel with Jesus. His words carried authority unlike the teachers of the law. They were amazed to hear Jesus teach. This was shaping up to look like a calm Sunday. Until, a man in their synagogue possessed with an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come here to destroy us? I know you you are-the […]

“…the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4: 16, 17 NIV) Jesus  Isaiah foretold Jesus’s coming. Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience, connecting prophetic words to present day. The land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles were people living in darkness. Upon Jesus’s arrival a light dawned. New opportunities came to these individuals. Did they repent? Possible some […]

    “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5: 14,15 NIV)   Lights Christmas lights are beautiful. As I was out last night, only a few homes continue to shine bright. This brought an image to my mind how we must appear to Christ. For every homeowner who packs away their decorations, lights go out. Consider how many homes this represents across […]