December 28, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Advent 2024 – Day 28 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Growing Opposition
Read Sections 4.51 through 4.57 (pages 111-115)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
The narrow gate once again As Jesus speaks of many that think they are good to enter. Basing this in their behavior or positions like the Pharisees. To be that full of pride and that blind. Question whether or not a person can understand their need for a savior without the opening of their heart by the Holy Spirit. Today the question I’ve been asked is, Is there a mystical God? An easy answer. He would be a mystical God if the fact wasn’t true That he came in flesh and showed us exactly who he was. Point people today to the historical fact. That Jesus walked this earth performing many miracles, was crucified and many saw him after death. Let that sink in. The Pharisees telling Jesus, don’t go to Jerusalem. As if they cared if Jesus would be harmed. They had no clue Jesus was on his Father’s time table and no man could stop God’s plan Once again these Pharisees try to trap Jesus by inviting him into his own home and looking for Jesus to do something that they can arrest him for, but Jesus puts the question onto them. Is it lawful to heal on a Sabbath or not as Jesus uses examples that they do every Sabbath to silence them once again.
What a great picture of a shepherd leaving the 99 in spending time going after the one lost sheep or the woman that had 10 coins searching diligently for the one lost coin. Is that the way we are at church? Do we seek after people who are lost, do we love enough to care? Do we love enough to spend time with people that need to come back to the Shepherd? Do we love as much as God loved us? Let’s diligently go after the lost sheep. Ambassadors for Christ. Let’s put our desires aside
Amen, Mark!
Advent Day 28
Advent day 28
Good reminder to love Jesus above anyone.. even my own kids..
Narrow is the way to life and wide is the way to destruction. That is because Jesus is the only way for us to receive the righteousness of God. But an indication of us having that righteousness will be in the way we act. We must decide if we are going to follow Jesus and be willing to prioritize Him above all else. Because Jesus wants His kingdom full and some who expect to be there won’t be and some who don’t expect to be there will. But Jesus always seeks us out and leaves the 99 to pursue the one. And we should do the same as we think of the people we reach out too. We should not help people that can then help us. We should help people from whom we expect nothing in return. Flesh can create the first dynamic. It is the Spirit that produces the latter.
Believing in and following Jesus is not a casual decision. It isn’t based on our works, and yet, it is serious. Jesus wants us to be “all in.” It is the easiest thing to do, Jesus did all the work. We must only believe. Still we must count the cost and follow Him.