spend time with God – Be Still…

Act 5:1-16 – What a Statement!

What did you think about what happened to Ananias and Sapphira? It’s a shocking story no matter how many times you’ve read it. There’s a huge lesson in there for us, even though I don’t often teach this Bible story to young children. This couple gave us an example to avoid.

We might want to commend them for giving to the work of the growing, young church. But was it generosity or a desire to receive respect like Barnabas in our last reading? It was the deception that ruined any possible beauty in their gesture. It wasn’t that they made a mistake, this couple intentionally made the decision to give only a portion of the sale proceeds away. The mistake was lying about it. Continue reading “Act 5:1-16 – What a Statement!”

John 6:1-24 – Time to Slip Away

Read John 6:1-24

What a miracle! Jesus multiplied the fish and barley loaves so that everyone was fed, with leftovers galore. The sheer number of people who experienced that miraculous feeding boggles the mind. This time, since the crowd recognized Jesus as the “prophet” they had been waiting for, Jesus had to slip away to avoid being crowned king. That was not his earthly mission.

Yes, Jesus is our King of kings, but his kingdom is not of this world. The people seeking him and following after him in those days had no idea about Jesus true mission as their Messiah. All the healings and signs and wonders had created the atmosphere of excitement and anticipation of being rescued from the oppressive Roman government ruling their land. That had to be so front of mind for them. Continue reading “John 6:1-24 – Time to Slip Away”

Ezekiel 21:18-32 – Two Routes

Read Ezekiel 21:18-32

Interesting that God allowed the King of Babylon the choice between Rabbah and Jerusalem. God intended doom on both rebellious nations of people! The Babylonian king simply chose Jerusalem, just as the prophets had been saying he would for years.

But we learn that the Ammonites would be doomed to a similar downfall as well. They had family ties to Israel, but they had chosen to be on adversarial terms much of the time. The LORD would be protective of Israel or at least controlling Israel’s destiny. Israel had made their choice to remain a rebellious nation, and the Ammonites continue to bring strife to Israel, even after the return of the exile before God finishes them off using Judas Maccabeus in the 2^nd Century B.C. Continue reading “Ezekiel 21:18-32 – Two Routes”

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 – This is Not Proverbs

Read Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

Solomon gives us “proverb-like” nuggets of wisdom here. However, I have to say that some of his tips don’t seem that wise to me. Keeping the perspective of when he was writing these thoughts down is helpful to me. Solomon had been exposed to countless false teachings from his many pagan wives. Plus, he didn’t have the promise of salvation we know in Jesus.

When we put our “redemption lens” on this passage, it’s easy for us to clear up some of Solomon’s concerns. I’d rather focus today on several of the observations Solomon got right. Having discussions on each of these points would be fun in a small group, don’t you think?

Ezra 6:19-22 – Passover Celebration

Read Ezra 6:19-22

The first part of Ezra and the temple restoration ends with this passage – the celebration of Passover. It sounds like this was the first time the returnees celebrated this festival of remembrance since being back “home.” What a beautiful bridge to close the chapter of their past wrongs and open the new chapter full of promise of following the Lord and his decrees!

To celebrate the Passover is to remember how God showed up powerfully to save you. We can celebrate what Jesus did for us every day! Sharing in this celebration was a brilliant way to signify a unified heart devoted to God. Such a fitting end to the dedication festivities!