Why did Jesus fast? When Jesus joined John in the wilderness of Judea, two surprising events occurred. He was baptized by John in the Jordan River then the Spirit of God drove him into the wilderness to meet the devil. We might expect Jesus to join John in a preaching campaign to lead Israel to […]
MONDAY Reading for Today: Mark 12:35-44 2 Corinthians 10 Psalm 105 1 Samuel 24–25 2 Corinthians 10 When you take something captive, three things happen. First, you capture it. This takes both time and energy. It doesn’t happen by chance. Once you capture it, you must contain it. A captured mouse is not able to […]
Our laughter and our tears display our hearts, but our calendars and checkbooks display our priorities. God wanted his people to get first things first. This principle related to every category of their lives. A reoccurring phrase in the book of Leviticus is, “I am the Lord.” God’s peoples’ conduct was inextricably linked to God’s […]
Nothing tests a person’s priorities more than an empty stomach. A severe drought plagued Israel, but in the midst of the famine God provided for Elijah. Ravens brought the faithful prophet bread and meat twice a day and he drank water from a nearby brook. Eventually, though, the brook dried up—and it looked like hope […]
Use one or both of these questions to introduce the lesson: 1. How many phrases can you think of that begin with the word “first?” Here are a few to get you started: first dibs, first sight, first blood, first love. Other than just denoting order, what can first also imply? 2. Imagine going to […]
