Scripture – Be Still…

Nehemiah 2:11-20 – Unwavering Faith

Read Nehemiah 2:11-20

Can you imagine gathering all of the people together who are returning to Jerusalem with you and saying absolutely nothing about the plan God put on your heart? That was a long journey to have not confided in someone, recruiting people to help you in your mission.

Apparently, Nehemiah had his reasons. And now in the opening scene of this passage we see him sneaking around! At least he took a select few with him. I don’t know why I was surprised by the piles of rubble still blocking the way. The city had been destroyed 70+ years ago, and there had already been returnees in Jerusalem for years by the time Nehemiah showed up to finish securing the city with a wall.

Ezra 9:1-15 – Cry Out to God

Read Ezra 9:1-15

Have you ever been in Ezra’s shoes, totally disgusted with the sinful behaviors surrounding you? It’s hard to not become embarrassed by the way some people choose to live their lives. This frustration is nothing new. The people God has created have a long history of making bad choices. Remember Adam and Eve?

Ezra chose to take his anguish to God in prayer. As if to apologize for all mankind, Ezra speaks of polluted holy race. Clearly the implications of intermarriage in Ezra’s day, and for generations before, amplified the chasm of sin keeping people for experiencing God’s best for them. What would Adam and Eve’s lives looked like if they had resisted the serpent’s cleverness? What would the Israelite people have looked like had they not intermarried people who distracted them from God’s laws?

Mark 12:35-37 – Whose Son?

Read Mark 12:35-37

This is an interesting little passage, didn’t you think? Nestled away between all the teachings Jesus is sharing with the people and with his disciples on his final journey toward the cross. This time, Mark tells us the message was proclaimed to the people. We have the honor to be able to hear Jesus’ teaching whether it’s to the “people” or to his closest disciples.

The crowd is delighted. I wondered about that word. Were they delighted just to be in Jesus’ presence? Perhaps they were honored that Jesus had asked them a question. Jesus wanted to know what they thought about a certain teaching of the religious leaders. A teaching about the Messiah, about Jesus himself. It’s always good to know your audience and how they understand such important matters.

2 Peter 1:12-21 – Pay Attention to Scripture

Read 2 Peter 1:12-21

Peter gets intimate with us here, reminding us of what’s important. Revealing his passion from having spent time with the Messiah himself, Peter shares a glimpse of what it must have been like. Peter knew he wouldn’t live forever and had to make sure he left his own legacy of faith for us to find.

Have you ever had an experience in life that you recall in perfect clarity and detail, as if it just happened a minute ago? Jesus’ transfiguration was like that for Peter. You can’t un-see something so magnificent. You wouldn’t want to. You only feel limited by the language we have to describe things. Seeing Jesus’ sparkling body and hearing God’s voice would certainly have rocked me to my core!

Luke 4:1-13 – What Tempts You?

Read Luke 4:1-13

Does it make you feel better to know that even Jesus was tested? What can we learn from his response to the devil’s schemes?

We see Jesus in this passage from the perspective of knowing who he is and how his life played out. Imagine if we were only seeing him for the first time in these few verses. What if we didn’t understand or realize he was the Son of God? Read the passage again through that lens (yes, I know it’s hard).

What are your impressions now? Here are some of my observations.

The devil knew Jesus was the Son of God. I wonder how?
I can’t imagine not eating for 40 days! I definitely would be hungry, I’d want to eat everything in sight!
Boy, Jesus was strong to resist that bread!
The devil tried to use Scripture, too, to fool Jesus. Crafty. Some people try to use it for their own purposes, too.
Why didn’t Jesus run away from the devil?

Continue reading “Luke 4:1-13 – What Tempts You?”