what is God’s will – Be Still…

Acts 18:1-23 – God Willing

Paul’s second missionary journey continues as he leaves Athens and moves on to Corinth, also in Greece. Paul met up with some refugees from Rome, fellow Jews and tentmakers. Paul continued to preach the word and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. When that message brought opposition from the Jews, he decided to focus his message on the Gentiles. Isn’t that what Jesus had asked him to do all along?

Understandably, being a Jew himself, Paul would have wanted his fellow Jews to accept and follow Jesus. Paul would have been grieved that they just couldn’t see the truth when it seemed so clear to him. But it wasn’t that long ago that Paul himself had been oppressing Christ followers. Continue reading “Acts 18:1-23 – God Willing”

1 Thessalonias 4:13-5:28 – What You Need to Know About Resurrection

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:28

You may recall that when Paul spoke of the resurrection, many people scoffed and disregarded him. Others were curious and wanted to know more later. Paul’s letter gives them the “more” they were looking for. Having just lost my own father, there is assurance in Paul’s words. The hope we have in Christ is the biggest comforter when our loved ones pass away. Paul suggests we’ll see them again when Jesus returns.

Paul tells us more about what resurrection means and how we share in that with Jesus because we’re believers. What a grand vision to imagine, joining Jesus and the throngs of faithful ones who have gone before us in the clouds! Would we block out the sun? With the radiance of Christ, we would need no sun. Such a glorious future to look forward to. No wonder Paul told us to use this vision to stay encouraged. Continue reading “1 Thessalonias 4:13-5:28 – What You Need to Know About Resurrection”

1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:12 – Our Pride and Joy

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:12

From the sounds of it, Paul is writing this letter to the church in Thessalonica from Athens. It seems he wanted to bring the whole traveling party back to see how they were faring on their faith journey, but Satan always interfered. Satan remains crafty today, and we often think of spiritual warfare, those battles we face when evil tries to manipulate us by keeping us busy and distracted. For Paul, it sounds even more intimidating.

Thankfully, Timothy was able to get back to these believers and put Paul’s mind at ease. Paul thought very highly of these people in Thessalonica and how they had embraced the truth about Jesus. As a ministry leader myself, I can identify with feeling “pride and joy” toward certain groups who’ve stayed faithful and even grown closer to God after I departed. It’s hard to describe how good it feels to open the doors for a spiritual journey to begin and see it swinging open wide. Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:12 – Our Pride and Joy”

Hebrews 10:1-18 – Old vs. New

Read Hebrews 10:1-18

It’s a big deal that Jesus is our High Priest. The preacher has kept with this topic for several chapters so that we would understand how Jesus has changed everything. While Jesus’ role ushers in the new covenant, he clarified that he wasn’t doing away with the old laws but simply bringing them up to date, given his role in our lives. But Jesus did cancel the old covenant promise, replacing it with a better promise.

In fact, the Holy Spirit declares here the message we heard a few verses ago. “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” We don’t have to worry about what laws God wants us to pay attention to because he will put them into our hearts and minds. We won’t be able to miss them, and hopefully we’ll be more obedient. Continue reading “Hebrews 10:1-18 – Old vs. New”

John 18:28-19:16 – What a Horrible Day!

Read John 18:28-19:16

Jesus had a horrible day. We’ve already read how he was taken from his prayer time by an army. He was questioned, beaten, and heard the chants to “crucify him!” Jesus may have known what was coming. Scripture even foretold some of the details, but to have it happen had to be dreadful.

As a follower of Jesus, it’s hard to read, much less try to visualize, these final hours of Jesus’ life. All of this was happening to the Son of God! I can barely wrap my head around that. The divine plan was playing out as if it had been scripted. Continue reading “John 18:28-19:16 – What a Horrible Day!”