The 17th chapter of Matthew begins with the Transfiguration on the Mountain, which was a vision, a brief glimpse of the true glory of the King.  This was a special revelation of Jesus’ divinity to three of the disciples, and it was God’s divine affirmation of everything Jesus had done and was about to do.  The Transfiguration was a foretaste of heaven; the participants were doing something worth n...  Read More

Around this time, 15 years ago, with the youth group I belonged to, we did a play called “Take up your cross and follow me”. What I can recall from it, is how several young men and ladies in the story are trying to figure out in today’s world and in different social interactions the call Jesus made thousands of years ago: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cros...  Read More

Matthew 15 addresses two key areas that define genuine faith: the contrast between human tradition and God's commandments (vv. 1-20), and the contrast between limited privilege and limitless faith (vv. 21-28). Jesus shifts the focus from outward religious practice to the inward condition of the heart, and from the boundaries of His initial ministry to the breadth of His compassion.REAL LIFE Princi...  Read More

John chapter 6 is a pivotal passage, beginning with the miracle of feeding the 5,000 and culminating in Jesus' powerful and challenging teaching: "I am the bread of life." This chapter invites us to look beyond temporary fixes and find our ultimate sustenance and satisfaction in Jesus Christ alone.REAL Principle: Seek Spiritual Sustenance over Physical ProvisionJohn 6:26-27, 35 "Jesus answered the...  Read More

All of these chapters in the Bible share one of the greatest miracles in Jesus’ ministry that was recorded. The feeding of the five thousand. An amazing story of how Jesus multiplied 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread to feed more than enough for all the people who were there for Him.But today I want us to focus not on the miracle itself, but on a specific word in this story. The bible says Jesus saw th...  Read More

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves... Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows." The Great Contradiction:In Matthew 10, Jesus commissions His dis...  Read More

In Mark chapter 4, we see several well known parables. This devotional is going to focus on the story of Jesus calming the storm at the end of the chapter. After a long day of teaching by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus tells His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” They take Him in the boat, and other boats follow. As they sail, a fierce storm arises — strong winds and waves begin to swamp th...  Read More

When we have a message or point, we are trying to share, we use illustrations or examples to do our best to communicate that message.  Jesus does this with parables.  He understands each of us.  All of us.   Some say parables are earthly stories with a heavenly message.   Matthew chapter 13 is all about Parables.  The heavenly Message – The Kingdom of Heaven, mentioned 13 times in this chapter.  T...  Read More

There must have been something special about watching Jesus pray that made the apostles want to learn how to pray as Jesus prayed.The disciples saw Jesus heal people, turn water into wine, among other miracles. But never asked to learn those things, only “teach us to pray”. Earthly fathers are not perfectly good. They’re not perfectly wise. God is.When we ask for strength, Jesus doesn’t just give ...  Read More

Matthew 11 starts off with a question from John the Baptist…Are you (Jesus) the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?  Whoa, bold words there Ole’ Cousin John.  If you have seen The Chosen, then you should remember that scene in Season 3, Episode 6, it was a good one.  Two of John the Baptist’s disciples came up to Jesus and said they needed to speak to Him. Instead of pulling them asi...  Read More

“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” — Matthew 9:36Jesus models a ministry that is holistic—He teaches, proclaims, and heals. But what drives Him is not just duty—it’s compassion. He sees the spiritual and physical condition of the people and responds with urgency. Then He turns to His disciples and invites th...  Read More

Real Life Principle: Discernment with HumilityJesus begins the chapter with a warning: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (v.1). But He doesn’t call us to abandon discernment—He calls us to exercise it with humility. Before correcting others, we must examine our own hearts.Jesus isn’t saying we should ignore sin or truth—He’s teaching us to examine our own hearts first. Before we correct o...  Read More

Matthew chapter 12 presents Jesus challenging the rigid legalism of the Pharisees, asserting His divine authority, and speaking powerfully about the inner condition of the heart. The chapter reveals that the true focus of faith is not in the outward performance of rules, but in the inward posture of love, mercy, and recognition of Christ's lordship.Scripture Focus: Matthew 12:7-8, "And if you had ...  Read More

  John 5 is a rich chapter that reveals Jesus’ authority, compassion, and call to spiritual awakening. The healing at the pool of Bethesda and His bold confrontation with religious leaders offer powerful lessons for the church today.John 5:1-9 — Healing at the pool of BethesdaJohn 5:16-30 — Jesus’ authority and unity with the FatherJohn 5:39-40 — The call to respond to Scripture and believe"Do you...  Read More

 Matthew 8 is rich with demonstrations of Jesus’ authority—over sickness, storms, spiritual forces, and even social boundaries. It’s a powerful chapter for stirring faith and calling the church to bold trust and compassionate action.Matthew 8:1-4 — Jesus heals a man with leprosyMatthew 8:5-13 — The faith of the centurionMatthew 8:23-27 — Jesus calms the stormMatthew 8:28-34 — Jesus delivers two de...  Read More

John 2:1–11 — The wedding at Cana, John 2:13–22 — The cleansing of the temple Jesus Transforms What We Surrender "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. — John 2:7Real-Life Principle: When we offer Jesus what we have—even if it seems ordinary—He can transform it into something extraordinary for His glory.Relevant Life Application:In ministry: Encourage leaders and volunteers t...  Read More

In Mathew chapter 4, we see a lot of important events like the temptation of Jesus, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the calling of the first disciples and Jesus ministering to crowds around Galilee. We are going to look at and focus on the temptations of Jesus. After Jesus is baptized, He is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to fast for 40 days and is tempted by satan 3 times. The first...  Read More

“Behold, the voice of one crying in the wilderness! In these 3 chapters, we find some history on John the Baptist,  his encounter and baptism of Jesus, and some of the early works of Jesus after His temptation. One of my favorite  Christmas stories is when Mary visits Elizabeth and John LEAPS in the womb of Mary, and preparing this devotional made me immediately think of the story. We find the rec...  Read More

Matthew 2 is not just a quiet Christmas story; it is a collision of kingdoms. On one side, foreign Magi travel hundreds of miles to find the newborn King. On the other, Herod, the self-proclaimed “King of the Jews,” trembles at the news and schemes to protect his throne.Both hear about Jesus. Both are moved by His arrival. But one group comes to worship. The other comes to destroy.The Magi shouldn...  Read More

The God of History and Hope Matthew 1:21-23 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). The Genealogy of Grace (Matthew 1:1-17) Real Life Principle: God is Faithful to His Plan, Even Through Imperfect People. The long list of names in the genealogy (verses 1-17) proves that Jesus is the promised Messiah, descended from Abraham and King David. But if you look closely, this family tree is messy. It includes: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba: Women, some of whom were Gentiles or involved in questionable circumstances, yet God specifically includes them. Kings and sinners: Great heroes of faith alongside people who committed murder, adultery, and idolatry. Relevant Life Application Embrace Your Story: Your past, your family background, your mistakes, and your current circumstances do not disqualify you from God's plan. The genealogy shows that God uses all kinds of people—even the flawed, the outcast, and the unexpected—to fulfill His perfect purposes. Ready Action Step: Stop letting past failures or current weaknesses define your future. Know that God can write the story of His grace into your life today.  Read More

Scripture Focus: John 1:1–14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."John opens his Gospel not with a manger, but with majesty. He takes us back to the beginning—not just of Jesus’ earthly life, but of creation itself. The Word (Logos) is eternal, divine, and personal. And this Word didn’t stay distant...  Read More

Wow! We have been on a long journey. As we are closing the Old Testament, we read Malachi. You would think it’s a happy sweet book because it comes right before the gospels, that people are in the rebuilt temple offering real and truthful offerings or worship. Unfortunately, it’s the complete opposite situation. Its first three chapters, the author is sharing God’s message to his people as a dialogue. In a nutshell, God is telling them they have been unfaithful, misbehaved and disrespected Him. The priests are a sham, they know how sacrifices should be made and have been giving the least and most despicable offerings. Nevertheless, chapters 3 and 4 share the prophecy that there will be a messenger (John the Baptist) preparing the way for Jesus. Who will come to renew and refine his people. Real: Life Principles  God loves us: As we have read in the entire OT, we see how God has loved his people and is proof He loves us. The mighty things He has done for them represent that amazing love He has for them and still does.  God is dishonored with blemished offerings: I don’t know what His people in this time thought, I believe they thought “let’s do this our way, no one will never know”. Hey! God is watching, He knows!! What we give Him must be the best. Always!  God is asking for faithfulness and integrity: The Israelites during this time were unfaithful with God and their wives too; by this time, we all know God loathes it. He wants us whole, not in pieces. He wants our faithfulness and to also demonstrate it in different areas of our lives. This makes me ask: are we walking the walk we talk? Relevant: Life Applications  God loves us and we don’t have to doubt it: The representation of the Israelites when they ask in verse 1:2 “How have you loved us?” makes me remember when I was young and impertinent with my parents. I would ask things, thinking I was smarter or trying to make them feel they had failed on something; just to find out minutes later, I needed to get under a rock, and I was utterly wrong. God loves us so much and through the reading and study of His word we can learn it. Daily in the big and the small He still demonstrates it. Ponder on how He has blessed you until now.  Walk the talk: Israelites had made a promise to God and were not living up to it. Are we calling ourselves (or writing in the headings of our social media pages) “Believers”, “Christians”, “Jesus follower” but are we really living up to it? Are we living in integrity? Are we faithful in and out of church? Or do people know two versions of us? Are we living the: “yeah! Let’s keep on rolling... no one will ever know” lifestyle? Well, you know now how it works. God does know, and he doesn’t like it.  What are we bringing to God? Are we bringing to the altar the best or just our leftovers (it can be applied to time, service, money, attention, worship)? Thanks God we no longer need to offer a sacrifice; Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. But in Romans 12:1 we are urged to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. For Christians honoring God as “living sacrifices”, means surrendering to Him entirely and trusting every aspect of our lives under His complete control. Ready: Life Actions  Daily think at least on 5 blessings God has given you and thank Him. Be intentional on reminding yourself God loves you and takes care of you in the big and small aspects of life.  If you have recently become a Christian or are not sure on how to walk the talk; please read and study the book of Ephesians, it’s a short but amazing letter written by Paul that contains instructions for Christian living applied to different areas of our lives.  Are you struggling to walk the talk? Remember we have a gracious and forgiving Father. Confess and repent, share with Him in prayer what’s causing you not to walk in integrity. Let Him take care of it. Remember He is molding you, surrender completely and let Him work. Find an accountability partner (can be a Christian mentor, leader or teacher) that is willing to hear you, support you and give you godly advice during this process. Dear God, Thank you for loving me, for my family and friends, for providing for each of my needs. Forgive me if I have been unfaithful or been living a double life. I need you and want to honor you in every single aspect of my life. Make everyday be more of you and less of me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.   Read More

Devotional Day 272 Nehemiah 13 Have you heard the expression: “When the cat’s away, the mice will play”?. This is exactly what happened with the Israelites after they had rebuilt the wall. The people of Israel, with the leadership of Nehemiah, had finished rebuilding the wall. God had protected them during this time, they had confessed their sins and returned to God’s ways, and they finally dedicated the wall with celebration. Nehemiah 12 says there was great joy, and it was so loud that the Joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. (Neh. 12:43) At this time, Nehemiah had to return to Persia as he promised (Neh. 2:6), and chapter 13 gives us insight into how the people had stepped away from the good path they were on. They had just read that no Ammonite or Moabite should enter the assembly of God (vs 1), and then we see that they had let Tobiah the Ammonite live inside the temple When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and found this, he was just disappointed, frustrated, and angry at some point. Not only this happened, but also, the Levites were not receiving the portions they had to receive, which led them to go to their fields to work and not work at the temple (vs 10). In those days, people were also trading on the Sabbath, which made Nehemiah confront these people and even kick them out of the city, and they even went back to marrying women from Ashdod and Ammon, as they were commanded not to. This points back to the first expression, when there is no cat, the mice will do anything they want. In this case, it was Nehemiah who kept them in the right path. God guided Nehemiah, and he led the Israelites. But for us now it is about Christ. Every one of us has Christ in us or has the opportunity to have Christ in us to guide us, but when we don’t spend time with him, when we do not listen to him, we will start doing things however we want and not according to his will. Real: Life Principles • Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Our life should follow his guidance, his words, his will. • If we try to do things away from God’s will, from God’s guidance, we will end up far away from God. Relevant: Life Applications • We need to recognize that we need Christ every day in our lives. We can’t do it on our own. • Depending on God’s guidance is not weakness. It is having the true freedom of Christ acting in our lives. Ready: Life Action Steps • Seek him every day, in every decision, in every aspect of your life. Follow his will. • Proverbs 3:5 says to trust in the Lord only, and not rely on our own understanding. The Israelites in this passage thought they knew better, but who did they end up?  Read More

Whoa! Do these chapters ever hit home! Not only with things we see around us now locally, but also in our nation and world today. This reading should stir all our hearts to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth in God’s Word to us. Chapter 8 shows us a RECOGNITION of God and His laws for us as Nehemiah, Ezra and some of the priests call God’s people together at the Water Gate. The exile is ending, and God’s people are returning to Jerusalem to rebuild. God’s word is opened, and the law is read to the people from early morning to mid-day, and the people soon realize (just as the law was intended) that they have not honored God. He set standards for His people, and they can’t measure up. The people are moved and begin a journey back towards God by instating the Feast of Booths. Chapter 9 continues with more reading and brings a REALIZATION of how far and long God’s people have strayed and the just punishment that has befallen them throughout their history from Abraham until now. We see a summary of how God blesses his people, the people come to Him, and then they begin to stray again…brining His just judgement upon them. I’ve spent quite a few lessons teaching in young kids classes all the way up to adults talking about the “Roller Coaster” pattern of God’s people from the time He chose them going forward. It’s amazing to see that summarized so well in this chapter of Nehemiah! Chapter 10 shows us a REPENTENCE as God’s chosen people are committing to Him (and His laws) once again. Many people are noted in this chapter who seal their names to this repentance. A real commitment that sadly as we look at Biblical history, we know they still can’t keep going. In all of this we can see the need for God’s plan of a savior for all who believe! We cannot measure up, and never will through works, dedication, and any other word you want to try to use to explain us truly being able to keep up His expectations of us. The answer…Jesus! God’s law is a picture for us that we will never be able to “measure up” to all His expectations. It takes Jesus being obedient to God even unto death on a cross and then rising on the third day…defeating death and carrying the burden of our sin so that we can have a relationship and eternity with our Great and Holy God. What a gift! Real Life Principles: Where do you stand? Do you realize none of us can measure up and we all need the blood of Christ to bring us back to God? We all sin and fall short, yet through His grace, we can be reconciled to Him! The Israelites in these chapters had real, “Oh crap!” moments, and they reset their hearts to God. We cannot do that for long under our own devices, yet through a true, deep, and meaningful relationship with Christ, we can not only be brought back into relationship with God, but we can also, through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives show others the way to Him! Relevant Life Applications: Connect…not just one or two days a week…not just on a special holiday, but daily in everything we do. The moment we start putting things of this world in conflict with our walk with God is the moment that chaos, trials, and judgement come as we turn more to worldly things more than we turn to God. Start your day honoring Him with praise, time in his Word, and prayer then trust the Holy Spirit to guide you in His Will and His Plans each and every day Being Ready with Life Action Steps: We can always find time for worldly things that “mean something” to us, however that leads us farther and farther from our Creator…a place we really don’t need to be! Think of how easily we commit to those worldly distractions and apply that dedication and commitment to your individual walks with God…each and every day, without fail. You will be shocked at the peace, joy and comfort that it brings to your lives (and others around you), even in times of trials. Fathers, Mothers…it starts in the home with y’all…draw closer to Him and do what He asks of you. It’s not easy, but it’s what He wants from us. Men, Women…when that family structure is not there for those you know, be praying how God wants to use you to fill in those gaps that worldly struggles have put upon broken families.  Read More