Month: November 2016

Matthew 3:1,2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” I am no prophet, but I am pretty good at seeing the destructive behavior in the lives of those around me.  I am quite skilled at looking past my own faults while maintaining…
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Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and killed all the male children in Bethlehem… who were two years old or under. As I was reading this passage, I reacted in typical revulsion at the story of Herod, who killed babies in his attempt…
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Matthew 2:1,2  Now after Jesus was born… wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he? … For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” In Matthew, we read the only account of those whom he refers to as Wise Men.  These learned men, Matthew reports,…
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Matthew 1:19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he made the dignified decision to quietly end things with her.  He could have publicly objected to her apparent infidelity, but being a good man, he…
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Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. * I find it telling that God chose for Jesus’ story on Earth to begin in disgrace and…
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Revelations 22:14 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Shortly before my father-in-law’s death, my brother-in-law asked him if his life seemed to go by quickly. …
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Revelations 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore… Have you known someone for whom it was a blessed relief to leave this world?  Have you ever longed for the freedom that will come when every misery…
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Revelations 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. I have mentioned previously that I do not love the book of Revelations.  It reads to me like a hallucination and makes about as much sense.  To be sure there are meaningful passages that have…
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  Revelations 4:11 Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” When I contemplate the vast expanse of the universe, billions of light-years across, my brain simply cannot comprehend the scale of it all.  The…
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Revelations 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Here, in the bible’s final book, Jesus paints a brief picture that aptly sums up the message of the entire bible.  The creator…
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