November 18

Acts 4-6
As the Pharisees were attempting to still the voices of the apostles, Peter tells them that they cannot help but speak about what they had seen and heard.  The message of the gospel is so compelling that it must be told!  Do we modern Christians have that same drive?  I often hear the words, missional, or mission-minded in our churches.  However, mission work begins wherever we are.  One doesn’t need to go a foreign land in order to proclaim the good news.  We are surrounded by throngs of people that we come into contact with every day.  The enemy would have us be silent.  But, we, along with Peter, should not be able to help but speak the words of the gospel!

November 17

Acts 1-3
As Luke begins his history of the beginnings of the church we see Peter taking charge and leading the movement.  He preaches powerful sermons, convicting his hearers of their guilt; calling on them to repent and be baptized.  Along with the preaching, miracles are performed, confirming the teachings of the apostles.  It is important to see that the apostles never take the glory for themselves.  They always turn their hearers eyes toward Jesus.  Peter reminds them that the works they are seeing are only accomplished through the Lord.  He performs these deeds through His apostles, confirming their word, so that people might believe and be saved.  It is the goal of any preacher of teacher of the gospel that our hearers would focus on God.  Salvation is found in no other name!

November 16

Luke 24
John 20-21
After the resurrection, the Lord appeared to many people, leaving a strong witness to His resurrection.  However, Thomas had said that he wouldn’t believe until he saw the nail-scarred hands and the pierced side.  When Jesus appeared to Thomas, he loudly proclaimed his faith.  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  In our efforts to prove that God is real, we often forget that faith is believing in the unseen.  God is bigger than any proof we might be able to offer.  He doesn’t need our physical proof.  He is God!  That is really the sum total of the discussion.  And, we know this, not because of any proof that has been offered.  No, we know this because of our faith!

November 15

Matthew 28
Mark 16
When Jesus was resurrected, the Jews devised a plan, involving a lie, to discredit His resurrection.  This sort of thing has continued on throughout the ages.  Many have come up with all sorts of ways to explain away the Lord.  My stepfather was an alcoholic and an atheist.  He spent hours pouring over the Bible, studying so as to discredit it.  He looked for contradictions, and came up with farcical explanations for different miraculous events.  However, as he lay in the hospital, dying with cirrhosis of the liver, he gave up on his life quest to disprove the existence of God.  Instead, he decided that he wanted to believe in one who could overcome death, offering eternal life to all who believe.  How about you?  Are you looking to discredit the Lord, or are you placing your faith in Him?

November 14

Luke 23
John 18-19
Just before He dies, Jesus fulfills His duty toward His mother, by appointing John to be her steward, thus, setting the example that He had earlier reprimanded the Jews for not doing.  He had convicted them of their hypocrisy by demonstrating that they were not honoring their parents.  So, in this final act, Jesus honors His mother by providing a caretaker.  During my parents final years I was separated from them by distance.  It gave me great comfort, however, to know that they had caretakers.  My dad’s wife faithfully looked after him until his death, and my brother did the same for Mom.  In our present era, the fifth commandment is often overlooked.  Instead of honoring parents, people often revile them, or simply ignore them.  Unfortunately, this even happens in the church.  Lord, help us to fulfill all your commandments!

November 13

Matthew 27
Mark 15
The crucifixion was a gruesome affair.  And to make it worse, the leader of the people, Pilate, knew Jesus was an innocent man!  However, he bowed to the people and allowed the Lord to be beaten, mocked, and crucified.  I think we often forget that those calling for His execution were the religious people of that time.  These were supposed to be the people of God!  When those who are supposed to be the ambassadors for God act in such a manner, is it any wonder that those in the world find it difficult to believe in a loving God?  And, before we start casting stones at the Jews, consider the crusades, along with all the other wars that have been fought using the Lord as an excuse to kill and maim our fellow man.  It is extremely important that we help others to understand that those who do such things are not true representatives of the one, true God.

November 12

John 14-17
“If you love me, keep my commands.”  Grace is truly the only way any of us can ever have salvation.  When judgment day comes, I want mercy, not justice.  However, we obtain that grace through our loving the Lord faithfully.  If we flaunt His commands, our love is a lie, and our salvation is a joke!  Some have been fed a false doctrine that leads them to believe they can live life on their own terms, just so long as they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  The word of God rebuts that teaching.  If we are to enjoy the grace of the Lord, we must obey His commands.  This is not a works-based salvation.  It is the reality of our love, or lack thereof, of the Lord.  Those who willingly go against the Lord’s commands are living in delusion if they believe they will continue to receive the grace and mercy of God!