From my devotional, His Song in the Night Jesus returning for His followers. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up …
The Blood-Stained Path of the Kingdom
Jesus carrying a wooden cross surrounded by onlookers and Roman soldiers Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and …
A Kingdom of Peacemakers
Two women happily reading and discussing a Bible together in a cozy living room Life is a bit crazy right now for me, so I am using the introduction of this week's study as the blog post this week. As usual, the pdf will be attached to download, and last week's answers will be linked. …
The Unprecedented Rules of the Kingdom
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 Since the beginning of time, humans have imagined their deities as wrath-filled gods in need of appeasement. Ultimately, every man's god was like the man himself: flawed, doling out justice in his own best interest, given to fleshly desires and appetites. Kings, …
The Heart of Desire in God’s Kingdom
A large rustic table filled with a variety of dishes and drinks for a festive communal dinner. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 The beatitudes began with the spiritually poor who longed for a place in God's Kingdom. Next, those who mourn were …
Repentance: Exchanging Kingdoms
Ruling My Own Kingdom The message of repentance often gets lost in the 1-2-3, a-b-c, easy as can be, altar call to salvation. The message both John and Jesus were preaching started with repentance. The last post mentioned this, but today's will build on it. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the …
Carrying Extra Weight
One thing that has surprised me about getting older is the near impossibility of losing weight. About ten years ago, I made a lifestyle change that helped me lose 35 pounds. Ten years later, I thought that if I reimplemented that same plan, the weight would fall off again. Not so. In fact, what …
Coming Out of the Dark
Yesterday, two dear friends and I met to discuss John 9. We read the story of the man, born blind, who was unexpectedly healed when Jesus passed by him that day. He did not ask Jesus to heal him. He had probably never even entertained the idea that He would ever see. He did, …
Blessed Are They That Mourn
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 Last June, I sat in the hospital with one of my children alone. Only one parent was allowed at a time, and there was no cell service there. It was a fear-filled time with so much still unknown. It was a time to …
Doest Thou Well to be Angry?
The following statements may surprise you. Anger is not a sin. Anger is not a result of the Fall. Anger is not straight out of Satan's toolbox. Anger, instead, is part of God's image that He placed within man at creation. The emotion of anger stems from God's holiness and His love. More than …
His Song in the Night 