Thoughts From the Bible

  Read Luke 24:1- 12- T hese twelve verses tell us of the most impactful event in history. Verse s 4-7 tell us, '(4) And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. (5) Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? (6) He is not here but is risen ! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee. (7) saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands o f sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." This moment lives through history. No other event in history has lasted as long and impacted so many people. Jesus said He would rise again and He did. I want to make sure I am quick to internalize the price Jesus paid for me but also, He rose from the dead to seal my salvation.   Proverbs 17:21 - He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.

  Read Luke 23: 50- 56- Courage- J oseph of Arimathea was a courageous man. In verse 50 we read this, "(50) Now behold, there was a man named J oseph, a council member, a good and just man . I call Joseph courageous because he was a council member, a man of position and respect of the people. In spite of his position in the Jewish community , he took Jesus' body and used his own tomb to bury Jesus. After the Jewish leaders had worked to kill Jesus, Joseph asked to be benevolent to Jesus. He had openly dis agreed with what the Jewish leaders were doing yet, he showed compassion to Jesus. Would I have stood up and asked to show compassion to Jesus? I would certainly hope so, but the pressure of the time was significant. We may be faced with a time when we must say "Yes" when asked about our belief in Jesus. We will give a strong and confident, even loud, "yes" or will it be timid? We need to be like Joseph and step up and show compassion when those times c...

  Luke 23: 44- 49- In this passage we God mourning the death of His Son. God also wanted everyone to see the importance of this situation. '(44) Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness overall the earth until the ninth hour. (45) Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in t wo. (46) And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father into your hands I commit My spirit." Having said this, He breathed His last.' Even in God's mourning, having seen all Jesus went through, He gave all of us a moment of freedom. When the veil in the temple was torn, it showed we now had a direct path to God. People no longer had a series of actions that were required to approach God. This is a picture of God's love for us in that while He watched the suffering of Jesus, He still loved us. We need to find ways to share this love.   P roverbs 17:19- He who loves tra nsgression loves strife, and he who exalts his gate seeks d...

  Read Luke 23: 39-43- Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One wanted to be saved from his fate; one wanted to be saved. He b elieved in Jesus. Verse 42 and 43 says, "Jesus remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And He said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." We know Jesus came into this world to be the sacrifice for our sins. What happened to Jesus on the way to the cross and on the cross was horrible. It was part of God's plan for Jesus and for us. We may not fully understand why certain things happen to us in this life. We may think we deserve better. We must see what happens in our lives and see ourselves as part of what God has planned for us. It is our responsibility to work with what God has allowed and then to make that a positive testimony of God in our lives. Sometimes it is easier said than done. That's why we pray.   Proverbs 17:18- A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge and...

Read Luke 23: 35- 38- One would think it would be enough to simply see someone tortured but it was not enough for those watching Jesus be crucified. Verse 35 says, 'And the people stood by watching, but the rulers scoffed at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One."' There are many who mock God and mock Christians. They do not understand the saving power of Jesus Christ. They also do not accept that we are all human and will make mistakes. Those mockers have the misguided thought Christians should be perfect since we con fess to believe in Jesus. They assume the thought we think we are better than they are. These misguided assumptions are perpetuated by those who do not believe . We must stay strong in our faith and continually build on it so we can consistently display grace in the face of angry words.   Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loves at all times , and a brother is born for adversity.  

  Luke 23: 33- 34- ‘(33) And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (34) Then Jesus Said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.’ This is the point of crisis for Jesus and the point He told all of us, “I love you this much.” This is the point we cannot imagine both the physical pain and the spiritual pain. In this time, Jesus still prayed for God to forgive those around Him. How much compassion is this? Do I have that much compassion for others? If not, why not?   Proverbs 17:15- He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.  

  Read Luke 23: 26- 32 - In verse 28 we hear Jesus say this, ‘(28) B ut J esus turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. (29) For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren wombs that never bore , and breasts which never nursed.’”’ Jesus, in the middle of His torment, is letting those women around Him know there will be times when living in the world will create great turmoil and stress. Satan is working hard to convince people to not follow Jesus, and all the turmoil will end. We know that will not happen. This struggle between Jesus Christ and Satan is for the souls of men and much of the problems we see in our world today are because of this conflict Jesus knew would occur. Jesus was continuing to let us all know things we would be able to refer to see His Deity .   Proverbs 17:14- The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore, stop contention before ...

Luke 22: 35- 38- Verses 37 and 38 say, “For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me , ‘ and He was numbered with the transgressors. ’ For the things concerning Me have an end. (38) so, they said, “Lord , look, here are two swords. “And He said to them, “It is enough.” Jesus wants us to see that we are in a spiritual battle, and we must be prepared as Christians. How do we prepare? We need to consistently study the Bible. We need to pray. We need to work to keep our hearts open all the time to hear the still, small, voice of the Holy Spirit. We need to work to meet the needs of those around us. We need to be prepared daily.    Proverbs 17:5 - He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

  Read Luke 23: 13-25- Pilate began to lobby the spiritual leaders of the time on Jesus’ behalf. Twice he spoke to the religious leaders that Jesus had done nothing to deserve the scorn He was receiving and Jesus certainly did not deserve to be killed. Verse 14 says, ‘(14) ....said to them, “you have b rought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, hav ing examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him.”’ As Christians, we are the ones who should be standing up courageously for Jesus Christ. Pilate did not have to worry about whether people agreed with him or not. As believing Christians, we need to make sure we are the ones defending our faith in Jesus Christ regardless of who the crowd may be and regardless of what risk there may be. We need to think about the level of courageousness that may be demanded of us and are we prepared to speak boldly for Christ.   Proverbs 17: 13 - Wh...

Luke 23:1- 12 - In verse 3, we read this, ‘(3) Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”’ Jesus did not elaborate on His answer, He simply gave a short answer. Then in verse 9 we read, “ (9) Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.” Jesus previously said in Matthew 5:37, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No ’, ‘No ’. For whatever is more than this is from the evil one.” Jesus was clear in His answer and practiced what He preached. In the second confrontation, Jesus all owed His silence to speak for Him. I need to understand that we need to be clear in our speech to others and avoid doing the verbal tap dance when we grow uncomfortable in a conversation. Jesus was under extreme duress yet communicated directly. I need to learn to allow my “Yes” to be “Yes” and learn to master that as Jesus did.   Proverbs 17:12- Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in ...