As we discovered last Friday, many of those who trailed after Jesus decided His message was too hard to accept and left. Jesus then asked the Twelve if they were leaving, too. Peter’s answer is so profound, so full of trust, so full of truth, that it leaves me breathless.…
There’s something about this simple verse that gets me right in the middle of my heart. I can imagine the Twelve—Jesus’ closest earthly friends—watching the crowd disperse. All those people returning to their homes and their “regularly scheduled lives,” while these chosen ones remained without a shelter, without the assurance…
How heartbreaking it must have been for Jesus to have spent so much time with these people—pouring His heart into them, putting their needs before His own—and then be abandoned. We’ve probably all encountered those who stick around when we’re the givers, but when we need something in return, they…
HYMN DAY! If you’ve ever sung, “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” by Edwin Hatch, you know the tune is softly flowing–a good one to have as an “ear worm.” I hope the words linger in your mind and heart today. Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with…
Hoo boy, it sure is easy to offend these days, isn’t it? Jesus knew that some of those following Him were complaining about His message, and He asked the question, but you know what? I don’t think He was all that concerned about whether or not He offended. What concerned…
The multitudes of people who followed Jesus had seen Him perform miracles. They’d heard Him speak in ways that held them spellbound. They realized there was something special about Him, but they needed to understand that following Him wasn’t about being entertained—truly following Him was a commitment. So Jesus was…
God sent Jesus with the intention that none should perish. His will for every soul ever born is to seek Him, to find Him, to follow Him, to intimately know Him. Sometimes when I pray for people, I’m not sure what to ask, so I ask God to work His…
We live in a selfish, all-about-me world. The “if it’s right in my eyes, it’s right” or the “if it feels good, do it” mentality is completely opposite of the example Jesus set. He sought and followed His Father’s will. There was no selfishness involved in Jesus’ ministry. Everything He…
HYMN DAY! “Blessed Assurance” by Fanny Crosby is a hymn I know we’ve seen before (probably more than once!), but it fits this scripture so well, and it’s one that definitely bears repeating. Oh, the assurance of salvation! What an incredible gift. 1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what…
There are some people who are so stubbornly set in their own ways that even when they are proven wrong, they can’t accept it. The Jewish leaders had it in their heads that the Messiah would be a warrior king, one who would rescue them from Roman rule. Even though…
