PRAY He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” —Matthew 21:13 The temple was supposed to be a place of prayer, but thieves in the temple distracted people away from that. Today, our bodies are His temple. Are there “thieves” that distract us away from prayer? Maybe the thief of business keeps us from prayer. Or, maybe it is the thief of priorities. Could it be the thief of laziness or apathy that keeps us from prayer? Is there anything in your life right now that is keeping you from prayer? Are…

SERVE But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:25-28 What was Jesus’ life all about while He was on this planet? Service… His life was about serving others. He served through…

ON EAGLE’S WINGS! You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. —19:4 In Deuteronomy 32:11—“like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.” Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers states: ” When its young are first fledged, the eagle is said to assist them in their flight by flying beneath them, so that they may settle upon its wings or back, if necessary. God means that He has bestowed upon His people the same tender and powerful care, has borne them up mightily when they might have fallen, supported their…

LET THE CHILDREN COME TO JESUS! Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” —Matthew 19:14 Oh, how children are hindered from coming to Jesus! Parents hinder them, relatives hinder them, the educational system hinders them, laws hinder them, media hinders them, abuse hinders them, hunger hinders them, sickness hinders them, worldly philosophies hinder them and society in general hinders them. Jesus is not happy about this. We are told by Jesus to let the children come to Him and not to hinder them, not to obstruct them from doing so. Children are the…

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN I am the Lord who heals you. —Exodus 15:26 Large crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick. —Matthew 19:2 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’–meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum’ (Luke 4:23). Jesus is the Great Physician. He can heal anything, anytime, anywhere and whenever He desires to for His purposes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHDI1yPDAew But let us not forget that the greatest “healing” will come after we die! “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth”’ (Revelation 21:10). Wow, talk about healing. The whole of creation is going to be healed!…

FORGIVE! Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please,…

THE POWER OF GOD “This is the finger of God!” —Exodus 8:19 God is powerful and that is all there is to it. His power is seen all around us and for those who deny His existence… well— “The fool says in his heart ‘There is no God”’ (Psalm 14:1). They are fools because “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends…

JESUS IS ALIVE! The only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. —Matthew 16:4 The only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. —Matthew 12:39-40 All of Christianity hangs on the resurrection of Jesus and that was what the sign of Jonah was all about—-“as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son…

TAKE COURAGE “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” —Matthew 14:27 The disciples were caught in the midst of a storm and were fighting heavy waves. Jesus told them not to be afraid. He was there. Are you in a storm? Jesus is there and He has told those who follow Him that He will never leave them, nor will He forsake them. He is with them to the end of the age! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUWbmtbzDno Fellow follower of Jesus— you are not alone in the storm! Dear Father, thank you that I can always trust You in the calm and in the storm. I am grateful to know…

TRUST HIM TO WORK THROUGH YOU But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. “Bring them here,” he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!…