HEARTACHE But his (Samuel’s) sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. —I Samuel 8:3 These are sad words. Any parent’s heart aches for a child who does not follow the Lord. I know mine does. I pray for him daily and for his wife and for their soon to be born child… sometimes multiple times each day. This song expresses how I want to live, but also how I desire to see my son, his wife and their soon to be born daughter to live as well. O Lord, may it be so! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLX83HbefrI Yes, may it be so…

PEACE—ONLY IN JESUS Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” —Luke 12:51-53 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me. —Matthew 10:21-22 There are those who still think that peace will…

THE BLESSING OF CHILDREN In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” —I Samuel 1:10-11 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for…

YOUR ARE GOD’S CHOICE Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David. —Ruth 4:21-22 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife. —Matthew 1:5-6 The son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon. —Luke 3:31-32 In this section of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus we see a harlot, a Moabite and…

HEAR AND OBEY EQUALS BLESSING He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”—Luke 11:28 What is God saying to you through His Word? Are you listening? Do you understand? Will you obey? Jesus said it is those who not only hear the Word of God, but those who do it— they are the ones who are blessed! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not…

SERVE A NEIGHBOR! On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem…

GO INTO THE HARVEST FIELD He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. —Luke 10:2 If the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, does that mean the harvest is not being fully harvested because there are not enough workers to bring it in? Jesus tells us to ask Him “to send out workers into his harvest field.” Are you one of those workers the Lord is sending into his harvest field? Will you obey and go? May it be so! Dear Father, I will go into Your harvest field,…

PATIENCE “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” —Luke 9:41 Jesus left perfection to come to perversion. He left glory to be among the godless. He left the believing to come to the unbelieving. He left sinlessness to come to sinfulness. He left heaven worshippers to come to earth rejecters. Patience… we won’t need to work on that in heaven! It is only known here on earth. Patience is needed where sinful people reside. There will be no sinful people in heaven. Not only will there be perfect peace, but perfect patience as well.…

GOING IN JESUS’ AUTHORITY When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority… —Luke 9:1 And so Jesus has also given us His power and authority to be His witness (Acts 1:8). He told us that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). We do not have to guess about…

Where is your faith? —Luke 8:25 Do we trust God only when things are going well? Are we of the mindset that God loves us only if there are no difficulties in our life? Will I trust His guidance even through the storms of life? If anyone was to draw back for what they had been through it would have been the Apostle Paul. “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the…