Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’ —Numbers 32:11-12 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have…

“Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” —Mark 9:35 The greatest among you will be your servant. —Matthew 23:11 This is so contrary to the world, the flesh and the devil which all want to be first and to be served, not to serve. Who are thought to be the mighty people on the planet? Isn’t it those who have large entourages catering to their every need? The rich and powerful are thought to be the greatest in this world. Are they not what makes the world turn? But Jesus had a totally different perspective on who is the greatest or…

“Anything is possible if a person believes.” —9:23 When we truly understand who God is, then we also know that all things are possible with Him. But just because all things are possible with Him does not mean that He definitely will do all things. The context of the verse above is when the dad brought his demon possessed boy to the disciples and they could not drive it out. The man asked Jesus to… “If you can.” This is when Jesus said that “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The man responded, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” The dad had said, “If you can”…

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? —Mark 8:36-37 One person is worth more than the wealth and ownership of the whole world! This is the value that God has placed on you! Nobody could pay the penalty for your sin. There is not enough wealth or worth on this whole planet or in all of creation that could redeem you from your sin. No man or multitude of men could ever redeem you from your sin— “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for…

Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it? —Numbers 24:23 You are breathing because it is God’s will for you to do so. Anything you are doing it is because, in the plan of God, He has willed it. You cannot do anything or be anything unless it is in the will of God. We cannot come close to fully understanding the awesome will of God on this planet or in all of creation. God has revealed what He has chosen to reveal and that is all we can know (Deuteronomy 29:29). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faiLQCuoskM In His will, God has allowed evil, but it will only be temporary. Evil thoughts, words…

As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” —Mark 8:15 Watch out for those who have a “religious” veneer whether they are from the religious community or government community. There are those who claim they are followers of God, but they only use this claim to fortify their power positions. Jesus warned His followers to beware of their teaching (Mark 16:12). Plain and simply there are liars in both communities who will say what they need to with the express purpose to hold their positions. Jesus warned us to “Watch out” for the teaching of these people.…

When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. —Numbers 15:39 Indeed, is the Lord God Almighty given the highest place in our lives? Are we being obedient to Him? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z_OoO_3suQ Or, are we following our own desires and defiling ourselves as the flesh is prone to do? Jesus said in John 14:21 that “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each…

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” —Numbers 13:30-33 People…

Jesus said, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” —Mark 4:24-25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtsHWFE6-w This happens when we sit at the feet of Jesus listening intently to what He is saying. He tells us that “the closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given— and you will receive even more. Those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-ZdMOx_HY Are…

The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of…