QUICK TO JUDGE Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked. —John 7:50-51 How many times do people make rash choices before they have all the information? This is what the Jewish leaders were doing. They did not take the time to check into the details about Jesus and His origins. Therefore they came to a wrong decision. Instead of becoming children of God, they remained children of the devil (John 8:44). Dear brother and sister, we have been allowed to know the information about Jesus and act upon it. The…

NO TURNING BACK! At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God. —John 6:66-69 There are those who profess they believe in Jesus, but when they do not like a teaching from Him they desert Him. Some professing “disciples” only stay with Jesus when things are going well for them from their perspective. When things get difficult or do not go the way they…

THE TERRIFYING JUDGMENT OF GOD That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. —II Kings 19:35 The pompous and arrogant king of Assyria was threatening Jerusalem and King Hezekiah with destruction. He spoke as if he were invincible and said the Lord would not save Jerusalem any more than any of the other gods could save other nations that he had victory over. But the other gods of the nations were no gods at all. Now the King of Assyria was confronting the Lord God Almighty and…

ETERNAL JESUS So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God. —John 5:16-18 Not here is a concept that is hard for us to fully understand. Yet God’s Word is very clear that Jesus is equal to God the Father and is one with Him (John 1:1). The Jews wanted to kill Jesus for this statement of calling God His Father and…

THE GIFT OF GOD Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” —John 4:10 The gift of God… It cannot be earned. It is not deserved. But this gift is available to “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13). Those who call on His Name are “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). “And do not grieve the Holy…

SELLING SELF TO DO EVIL “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight.” —I Kings 21:20 Ahab had sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord. How did he sell himself? He sold himself to the worship of Baal. He was in satanic bondage to do evil in the sight of the Lord. What do people sell themselves for to do evil in the Lord’s sight? Drugs, sex, power positions, relationships, money… There are people who would do evil in the Lord’s sight…

BE WHERE HE DESIRES! What are you doing here, Elijah? —I Kings 19:9 What are you doing here, Elijah? —I Kings 19:13 Are you where the Lord wants you? Then what are you doing where you are? Elijah was where he was because he was fearful for his life. The Lord God Almighty ministered to him where he was, but then moved Elijah to where He wanted him to be. Are you in the place God wants you right now? If not, why not? May you allow the Lord to minister to you today and move you to where He wants you. May it be so! Dear Father, may I…

SUPERNATURAL PROVISION The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. —I Kings 17:6 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. —I Kings 17:16 Talk about room service! Elijah’s breakfast and dinner were brought in by air delivery. Each morning and evening the Lord sent ravens to feed Elijah. Wow, we usually feed the birds but in this case God was working through the birds to feed His servant. Can we trust God to take care of our needs? I would believe so! Or how about the widow’s unending…

THE LAMB DETERMINES YOUR DESTINY The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” —John 1:29 All mankind’s destiny is determined by their decision to trust the Lamb of God’s finished work at the cross and through the resurrection or to reject that finished work. Yes, life or death, a relationship with God or not, Heaven or Hell is determined by what a person decides about Jesus, the Lamb of God. Dear Father, thank You for Your Son’s finished work on the cross and through the resurrection. May I live a life of gratitude in…

WITNESSES Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things. —Luke 24:45-48 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts…