“Which is the most important commandment?” a young man asks Jesus in today’s Bible reading*. (Mark 12:28) At the time, the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day had taken the original Law of Moses — which included the Ten Commandments — and added thousands of additional laws in the Talmud, a commentary on the Mosaic Law….
One of the issues we must deal with as believers is the tension between liberty and love, or freedom and maturity. Believers are not under the Law, but under Grace. But this doesn’t mean that we can do anything we want to whenever we want to. The tension comes when we consider the fact that…
Today’s Bible reading* includes what is often called “The Love Chapter”. Part of this chapter 1 Corinthians 13:4–7) is often used during wedding ceremonies. But Paul didn’t write this chapter to describe marital love. Instead, he wrote it to show the superiority of love over spiritual gifts. He goes so far as to say that without love,…
As we continue along our path of growing our church, it’s appropriate to look at the prayers like the one that Paul prayed for the Thessalonian church in today’s Bible reading*. Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. And may the Lord cause you to increase…
Jesus gives us the parable of the True Vine and the branches in today’s Bible reading. He is the true Vine. And Believers are branches attached to the True Vine. The responsibilities of the branches are to stay connected with the Vine and let the life of the Vine flow through them. Union and Communion….
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus’ friends sent word that his friend Lazarus has died. Jesus knows that He will raise his friend from the dead. And yet, when He approaches His friend’s grave, Jesus wept. (John 11:35) The Jewish bystanders correctly observe that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying in the first place. I’m…
