You Don’t Know the Time
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” Mark 13:32–33 On the Mount of...
View ArticleJesus Never Called Anyone who Was Lazy
“. . . James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder).” Mark 3:17 We learn several things throughout the Gospels about James and John. John...
View ArticleThe Master Storyteller
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near,...
View ArticleWhere Jesus Is Present
“That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many...
View ArticleGod’s Design for Marriage
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no...
View ArticleJesus’ Secret
Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been...
View ArticleFreedom in Jesus
This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No...
View ArticleAlone in Prayer
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 Picture the scene. On Saturday, the Sabbath, Jesus...
View ArticleSin and Forgiveness
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:6–7 They were right. In the...
View ArticleGetting Outside Our Comfort Zones
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 E.S. Williams served the Assemblies of God...
View ArticleThe Paradox of the Call
Several weeks ago I visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Engraved into the long Memorial Wall are the 58,195 names of all American military personnel killed in that war. I looked...
View ArticleOut of Bed
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took...
View ArticleWhere Have You Never Been Before?
Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach...
View ArticleKeep Your Enthusiasm in Check
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a...
View ArticleDisabled, But Not Alone
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them....
View ArticleThe Paralytic’s Own Testimony
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw...
View ArticleFrom Argument to Wonder
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed and ran to greet...
View ArticleA Powerless Church
“What are you arguing with them about?” He asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it...
View ArticleJesus’ Rebuke
“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw...
View ArticleWhat Beautiful Thing Can You Do for Jesus Today?
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not...
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