By Dr. Mark Scott Generous gifts and humble deeds sharply contrast with shrunken hearts and hypocritical actions. Today’s lesson shows that contrast in neon lights. The antagonists in the Gospels (the Pharisees, who were actually greatly respected) contrast sharply with a humble widow who made a most generous gift at the temple. Having just come […]
By David Faust After 40 years of marriage, it’s hard for me to surprise my wife. We know each other so well that we finish each other’s sentences and communicate a lot through squints, nods, and raised eyebrows. How could I ever surprise her with an unexpected gift? A couple of years ago I thought […]
By Michael C. Mack 1. Who is the most generous person you’ve ever known? What makes the person so generous? Read Matthew 23:2-12; Mark 12:38-44. 2. Come up with as many contrasts as you can between the religious leaders and the widow. Consider their dress, titles, how they were treated, how they may have prayed, […]
By Josh Cadwell At one point in life, I thought that if I went to church, prayed faithfully, made godly decisions, shared my faith, and contributed financially to the cause of Christ, then good things should happen to me. I thought that if I did these actions, I would sense and see God’s blessing and […]
Devotional thoughts on Exodus 13:13b-15 and Luke 2:22-32 By Josh Cadwell Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God shows us the importance of birth order and sacrifice. Paul informed us that Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation.” Luke informed us that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one. So it is easy to see […]
