Devotional (Page 6)

Hebrews, Day 4 JESUS CHRIST IS THE BEST “Minister of a Better Sanctuary” Hebrews 8 – 10 The high priest of a new covenant (Hebrews 8) The author of the book of Hebrews is in the midst of explaining to the Jews that Jesus Christ was the BEST and FINAL sacrifice for the sins of human beings. In His position as High Priest that was given to Him by God the Father, He is doing his priestly duties in heaven…

Easter Sunday In one of our Zoom small group meetings, I walked the teens through some videos in a series by Sean McDowell on Right Now Media, titled, “The 10 Most Misunderstood Verses In The Bible.” In each video, Sean would in some way bring up the fact that in order to understand the verse in question correctly, we need to look at the context in which it was written. Sometimes, I think the longer I am a follower of…

What’s So Good About Good Friday? “What makes Good Friday good?” you ask.  A challenge! A rather daunting task.  Some may dismiss it with a shrug and a smirk,  And consider it another day off work.  Others, religious, pious as such,  Take a few minutes for a mournful watch;  Merchants unlock their doors with glee,  Anticipating the pre-Easter shopping spree.  A bunny here, a chocolate egg there,  Symbols of a society that doesn’t care.  “Care?” you say, “Do you mean…

Hebrews, Day 3 BETTER THAN AARON HEBREWS 5 – 7 “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5:1, ESV). The high priest was the supreme religious leader of the Israelites. The office was hereditary and was traced from Aaron, the brother of Moses, of the Levite tribe. He had to be “whole” physically (without any physical defects) and holy…

Hebrews, Day 2 A Call to Perseverance (Hebrews 3 – 4) “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it” (Hebrews 4:1) The letter of Hebrews is a call to perseverance. The author’s target audience was struggling: Hellenistic Jews who were being overwhelmed with oppression for their faith. They were about to abandon their newfound faith in Jesus and return to Judaism because of…

Hebrews, Day 1 Meet the Son, Better than Angels (Hebrews 1 – 2) “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by…

2 Corinthians, Day 9 SUFFERING AND JOY ARE TWO SIDES TO MINISTRY 2 Corinthians 12 – 13  Paul’s pleasure in weakness (12:1 – 13) Peter was chosen by God to bring the Gospel to the Jews. Paul was chosen by God to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles through an incredible outreach ministry. He had to be trained quickly and correctly directly by God. A crash course was needed in the new age (the church age) that was entered into…

The Rest of the Story Matthew 21:1 – 11 When I was growing up, my family would take trips to Michigan to visit our relatives. On those trips, I remember my dad tuning into a station that would air stories told by a man named Paul Harvey. To this day, I have no idea if that man was just a Michigan legend or if he had national exposure. If you are familiar with him, you immediately went to his catchphrase,…

2 Corinthians, Day 8 Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better 2 Corinthians 10 – 11 “Like most people, the Corinthians were slow to absorb the truth that divine standards differ radically from those of the world” (David K. Lowery, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Page 579). Paul was having a tough time with the Corinthian church. He had written to them four letters: a first Corinthians, then 1 Corinthians (which is actually the second Corinthian letter), then a third…

2 Corinthians, Day 7 An Open Hand II Corinthians 8 – 9 Key verses: 9:6 – 15 Today’s portion of II Corinthians deals with giving. Not just ordinary giving, but I believe it is sacrificial giving. Some people wonder why they should give at all. Does God really need the money we give? NO! If He did, Jesus never would have commended the poor widow who put a penny into the offering plate over the amount that the rich person…