Thoughts From the Bible

Read Luke 1:  39- 56-   Mary is greeted by Elizabeth, and they discussed the mercy of God on Mary . Mary responds with a praise of God that is truly sensitive to God. In verses 46 and 47 ,  ‘(46) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, (47) And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”   Mary continues to give praise to Go d after these two verses. I do not want to lose sight of the fact that we have a teenager who is speaking great words of praise to God. Mary has experienced something that could never be imagined.  I want to be sure to listen to anyone regardless of age when they want to speak of the Lord because age does not necessarily diminish the impact of what someone has to say about the goodness of God.  I need to focus on listening and not making assumptions about someone. God may be using this person for my benefit.   Proverbs 11:18-   The wicked man does deceptive work but he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. 

Read Luke 1:  34- 38-  There is so much in these five verses.  The key verse in this passage is one that is routinely used by Christians in so many situations. Verse 37 says,  “For with God nothing will be impossible.”  First, there is the miracle of  the immaculate  c onception. Second is the miracle that a teenager said in verse 38,  “...Behold the maidservant of the Lord. Let  it  be to me according to your word.”   Then we receive a lesson about God in that nothing is impossible with God. We need to remember in so many situations in our life that nothing is impossible with God. The other part of that whole thought is we must understand we are  not privy to God’s plan or His will in this life. Just because we see something that we think should be done and we do not see God change the situation does not mean God cannot do something.  It means there is a larger plan at work we do not understand.  As Christians, we ne...

Read Luke 1:  26-33-   “ (31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a  Son and  shall call His name Jesus. (32) He will be  great and  will be called the Son of the  Highest,  and  the  Lord God will give Him  the  throne of His father David. (33)  And He will reign over  the  house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom there will be no end.”   We see many unsettling things  happening  in our world. We wonder how  the world can  get  any worse  than it is today.  As we study the Bible we know of the spiritual warfare that continues unceasingly. Verse 33 tells us all we need to know about  how  this ends . Jesus will remain  despite  Satan and people who do not believe.   Proverbs 11: 16-  A gracious woman  retains   honor,  but ruthless men  retain  riches.  

Luke 1:  18- 25-  Zacharias was working in the Temple when the angel Gabriel talked to him about the birth of John the Baptist.  Zacharias had questions for Gabriel. Verses 18, 19, and 20 say, ‘ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? Fo r I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” (19) And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. (20) But behold, you will be mu t e and  not able t o  speak  until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”’   I know many times in given  situations;  I have many questions and need answers before I can  make a decision . I would  sincerely hope   if  Gabriel stood before  me,  I would not question  what he may be telling me.  There are things written in the Bible I ...

Read Luke 1:   5- 17-   T his passage of scripture shows a miracle of God both in the announcing  the birth of John the Baptist and speaking to the coming of the Messiah. Verses 15,16, and 17 say this,  ‘ ” For  he w ill be great in the sight of the  Lord and  shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. (16) And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. (17) He will also go before Him in the sp irit and power of Elijah., ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children ’,  and the disobedient to the wisdom of  the  just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”’   God revealed to Zacharias His plan for Zacharias’ soon coming son. We also see  a special mention of the Holy Spirit being a constant companion of John the Baptist.  This whole scene is a miracle of God among the living.  I think I  need to be more ...

Read L uke 1:1- 4 -   Luke started his gospel by telling the reader what his goal was in writing this letter. Verses 3 and 4 say,  (3)  “ It seemed good to me  also, having had perfect understanding   of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus ,  (4) that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”   Luke wanted to give us  an accurate  accounting of all that surrounded and impacted Jesus Christ. We need to do the  same . We need to document the events of our lives that show how Jesus Ch rist has  impacted  our lives. This will those who follow us to not only see how God has worked in our  lives,  but it will show to others the importance of God in our lives. This can be a lasting testimony of Jesus Christ to those who may be in our sphere of influence  or those who follow us who may be interested to know clearly who we were in th...

Mark 16:  19-20-   ‘ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into  heaven and  sat down at the right hand of God. (20) And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord workin g with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.   Mark is tell ing us about Jesus’ place in the world. Mark is also showing us how the disciples went to work to do as Jesus told them to do.  The Book of Ma rk ends affirming Jesus as Lord of us all and showing us what our mission is.  The Lord is great!   Proverbs 11: 12-  He who is devoid of wisdom desp ises  his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace .   

Read Mark 16: 9- 18-  Jesus is appearing to His closest followers, but some are not believing what they are hearing. These are finite people. Even though Jesus had said  He would return from the dead, they did not believe it had  actually happened . Even though they had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, they did not believe Jesus was  alive.  Then we read about the scene in verses 14, 15 and 16,  ‘Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at a table, and He rebuked their unbeli ef and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. (15) and He said to the, “Go into all the world and preach  the  gospel to every creature. (16) He who believes and is baptized will be  saved , but he who d oes not believe will be condemned.”’   Jesus gave the disciples their marching orders. Jesus expects for us to do the same. We are to spread the word of Jesus’  sa ving grace  and share what we ...

Read Mark 16: 1- 8-   The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verses  5,6 and 7 say,  (5) And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on   t he  right side and they were alarmed. (6) But he said to them , “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is  risen ! He is not here. See the place whe r e they laid Him. (7) But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, that He  is going before you into  Galilee;  there you will see Him, as He said to you.   As we approach Easter, it is important for me to realize this day is set aside to celebrate the  one who gave His life  for  me.    Proverbs 11: 9- The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.