We might think of love as a warm fuzzy feeling we get when we're with another person, or simply as the enjoyment we get from something we like. But God's love goes far deeper than that.
We use the word “hope” in situations of wishful thinking. “I hope it snows for Christmas.” But biblical hope isn’t based on something unpredictable, like weather. It’s based on something as predictable as the morning.
Jesus tells a fisherman to do the impossible, touches a leper, and forgives the sin of a cripple who didn’t ask. The kingdom is here!
Jesus announces that his mission is to bring good news to the poor (the outcast, the disenfranchised, the disadvantaged, those on the outside looking in.... and it still is.
Jesus is about 30 years old, and ready to begin his ministry. The question is: Does he really know what he is here to do? Has he understood what his mission will be? The phrase "time will tell" isn't going to be helpful. Like a good teacher tests her pupils to learn what they know, Jesus gets a test to see what he knows about the mission.
How would you fill in the blank in this sentence: "If I had ___________, my life would really sing"? We might be tempted to say the Sunday school answer: Jesus! But if the gospel is true, and you have been born again, you already have him! And yet it's pretty rare to hear someone say their life is really singing. So what is it that could make the difference?
Ray Ortland is quoted as having said, “There is a hell before Hell; a heaven before Heaven.” Proverbs warns against death multiple times, but rarely does it point to the actual event. So this discussion of life and death is bigger than simply, “Do you have a pulse or not?”
Is the gospel like a billboard – inviting, but powerless? Is God like a cosmic business owner, biting his nails hoping we will "stop in" for some of his "goods"? Proverbs 16 shows us the wisdom of understanding God's sovereignty in the world.
Inviting his son to look carefully at the ant, the father in Proverbs points out several life lessons that promote wisdom in making the most of every opportunity.
Using a very specific situation of co-signing a loan, the father in Proverbs teaches his son to be careful with how he stewards finances.