TODAY’S DAILY READING: Deuteronomy 21-22 & John 20
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 21- The Curse
Deuteronomy 21:23
“…For he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
Galatians 3:13
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”
No man can stand under the Law of God. Each of the divine precepts reveals the sinfulness… Read More
Deuteronomy 22- Torn Apart
Deuteronomy 22:9-11
“You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled.You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together.”
To properly understand the Law of God, we must keep in mind that it served multiple purposes. Part of the Law was moral and set a standard for all mankind. It is that part of the law Paul referred to as a tutor designed to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Other portions of the law were civil, and designed to guide the behaviors of the people of Israel that they might have a healthy society. Finally, there were portions of the law that were religious by nature, and their… Read More
New Testament: John 20- Jesus The Gardner
John 20:15
“She, supposing Him to be the gardener, . . .”
Mary saw Jesus, but the circumstance she was in, and the experiences she was facing, caused her to conclude that He was a gardener. It was not until she heard His Word, that she clearly understood who He really was.
It interests me how many different, even opposing views, people develop regarding Jesus. These views have two things… Read More
Deuteronomy is a compound word meaning “Second Law”, and is a recap of the instructions Moses gave to the first generation of believers who had been delivered from Egypt. Forty years have passed and a new generation has arisen in Israel. Consequently, it became necessary to rehearse… 
Looking centuries ahead into Israel’s future, God speaks of the principles that should govern the life of the king. Four important principles are established which every leader would do well to observe.First, the king … 
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus spent hours in prayer. The portion of the prayer recorded for us had to do with a cup. The event is recorded in Mark 14:35-36,
God established three retreats in the calendar year for His people. Three times a year they would gather together to celebrate the Lord, and what He had done for them. At the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they were to remember the way they were supernaturally delivered from Egypt. At the Feast of Weeks, they were to remember they were once slaves in Egypt. And at the Feast of Tabernacle, they… 
Perhaps the best title for John 17 is, “The Lord’s Prayer.” As the hour of His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion approaches, Jesus takes time to pray for His disciples. His prayer, while encompassing many things, seems to focus upon three thoughts.
John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible because in twenty-five words it captures the entire message of Scripture; there is a loving God who will freely give eternal life to all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 13:4 is similar in that its twenty-eight words capture so much of what it means to walk with with God. Moses gives six steps that will… 
Imagine being on a team that has lost most of its games. Time after time, no matter who your opponent was, you figured out a way to lose. Now, imagine your team is about to face the best team in the league. How confident do you think you would be as the coach begins his pep talk in the locker room?
Every generation likes to think of themselves as more advanced than the one before them. I recall one of my children, when he was about four, asking what life was like back when things were in black and white. He really thought color was only seen by his generation and the rest of us had grown up in the gray hues of a silent movie.
We live in troublesome times. Many face the fear of cancer or some other illness. The economy has shattered the comforts we once thought we had, or would enjoy. And after thousands of years of written history, the heart of man has not improved. We read of nations on the brink of war, violent crime haunting even the most peaceful communities, and global acts of terrorism… 
We often feel like the struggles of our flesh are too great to ever overcome. Since we have been fighting the same battles our entire Christian life, it is easy to become discouraged, and even to allow things that should be removed, to remain. Knowing that this would be the case, Moses instructed Israel what to do when they became overwhelmed by the magnitude of the battles… 
Like most of us, much of my childhood was spent in school, and one of the worst words for any student to hear is “test.” For some of … 
The word “account” means “by reason of”. It means, Lazarus was the reason many put their trust in Christ. His life and his experiences with Christ were having a magnetic effect; drawing others to consider Christ for themselves.
The apostle Paul declared that all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable. That means that every page of your Bible has something valuable to teach. However there are clearly some passages that speak more loudly than others and this text is one of those. It is from this passages, that Jesus declared the most important of all the commandments. He said that above all else we should love God with all our heart, soul and strength and that we should love others as we do ourselves. These two principles are the foundation stones upon which all other commands are built. If we love God first and express that love toward others we will find that we are well ahead in keeping the remaining requirements of Scripture. Moses was told that the principle of being in a love relationship with God was so important that it was to be taught to each and every generation. It became the primary responsibility of the parents to instruct their children regarding who God is and what a relationship with Him was all about. Moses even goes so far as to explain how this instruction should be given.
