Learn the Bible in a Year

1 Samuel 25:32-33 – David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.” David was close to making a big mistake. Abigail’s husband, a wealthy man named Nabal, rejected David’s request to share his riches with the people of Israel. David was rightly offended by Nabal’s refusal … but his retaliation would’ve been worse than Nabal’s offense. Abigail was sent by God to keep David from killing Nabal – an action that would’ve brought guilt, regret, and damage to his reputation. Nabal not only lived as a fool, but also died as one. God overruled David’s foolish plans and, by his grace, overrules ours sometimes. He might send someone like Abigail, or change our minds himself. God often protects us from the harm we’d do to others, as well as to ourselves. David would eventually take Abigail as his own wife. By marrying his widow, all Nabal’s wealth became David’s. Everything Nabal worked for, and everything he acquired, now belonged to someone who cared about God. If we don’t manage our money for God, he can give it to someone who does.

1 Samuel 13:5 – The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Saul had been king of Israel for many years … and was now facing a serious challenge. God had given the land to Israel, but the Philistines wouldn’t give it up, and had the military advantage. This challenge was so great that Saul’s army was quaking with fear, and many were deserting. The prophet Samuel had instructed Saul to wait for his arrival, so he could offer a sacrifice before the battle. Since the prophet spoke for God, this was not a suggestion — it was God’s command. But Samuel didn’t arrive on time and Saul felt compelled to act. Perhaps the prophet was sick, or delayed for some other reason. Saul thought if he waited any longer the battle would be lost. So he offered the sacrifice himself. Samuel wasn’t pleased. He told Saul in verse 13, “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure.” This was a test of Saul’s faith, and he failed. The word of the prophet was the word of God to Saul, and the word of God was: Wait! Taking action ahead of God is always counterproductive… but whoever waits on God never waits too long.

Judges 21:25 – In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. This is the final verse in the book of Judges, and is a fitting conclusion to the moral and political chaos of the time. God had  led his people out of slavery. Then he led them through the wilderness to the land he had promised. They didn’t conquer the land, however, and were no better morally than the pagans who lived there. What they needed most was a godly king to help them fulfill their destiny. Syncretism is the blending of religious ideas to come up with something new. The people of Israel took a few ideas from God’s word, and blended them with a few ideas from the people groups around them – and proceeded to contradict God’s word at almost every point. Kings were later appointed, and things improved a little. But the kings had problems of their own, and often did more harm than good – until, finally, a righteous king arrived. The people took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” That king was Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world, and will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then we’ll have the king that we need, and the world will be as it ought to be forever. That’s where the Bible – and all of human history – is going.

Joshua 7:6 – Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. Shortly after their miraculous victory over the city-state of Jericho, the Israelites suffered humiliating defeat at the small town of Ai. They were so confident it could be conquered that they recommended only two or three thousand soldiers be sent to overthrow it. To everyone’s surprise, however, Ai scattered Israel’s army, and killed thirty-six of their soldiers. This was a catastrophic disaster.  As Joshua lay face down before the Ark of the Covenant, God revealed the reason for Israel’s defeat: Before the attack on Jericho, God gave clear instructions: “All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury.” But an Israelite soldier named Achan found some precious things in Jericho, and kept them for himself. God was now withholding his support until Achan be singled out and put to death. Achan could’ve confessed and begged for mercy. He might never outlived the shame, but perhaps he could have saved his own life. But Achan refused to confess until it was too late. We can learn from his mistake, and be prepared to repent and ask for forgiveness when we need it.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. The book of Deuteronomy was written by Moses for the people of God around 1406 BC, while the nation camped in the land of Moab, just outside the Promised Land. In a series of speeches, Moses reviewed the covenant God made with Israel after they came out of Egypt, forty years earlier. The first generation had died, and a new generation needed to hear God’s word before entering the land.  There’s only one God, the creator and sustainer of all that exists. This conviction made Israel unique among surrounding nations who worshipped many gods. Whenever Israel turned to other gods, they became weak. But when they trusted the one, true, and living God, they became strong. How awesome to know that this same God has become our heavenly Father through faith in Jesus Christ! When God’s people came out of Egyptian slavery, he led them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. All they had to do was look, and they could see the presence of God. But as they entered the Promised Land, that was about to change. Here, Moses reminds them not to forget the Lord or his commands.

Exodus 32:15-19 – Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Moses had been on top of Mount Sinai with God for nearly six weeks, and the people were growing restless. In Moses’ absence, they turned to his brother Aaron, and asked for gods to lead them. Aaron collected gold from the people, and melted it down to create an idol in the shape of a calf. By breaking the tablets in front of God’s people, Moses was demonstrating how violently the people had broken their covenant with God. This was a recurring problem since God’s people broke the covenant often, and had to renew it again and again.  Aaron’s failure reminds us of our need for a perfect high priest — Jesus Christ. Such a high priest truly meets our need for one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7:27 says that, unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins.

Exodus 2:1-2 – Now a man of the tribe of Levi married to a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. This is the beginning of the story of Moses. At this point, the people of Israel were living in Egypt. To reduce the threat of too many Israelites, Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill baby boys at birth, so they wouldn’t grow up to become an opposing army. Moses’s parents may’ve prayed for a girl, and been disappointed when they had a boy. They couldn’t bring themselves to part with their child at once, however, so they hid him for three months. When he could no longer be concealed, they put him in a box, and placed it in the Nile River. Miraculously… when Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe in the river, she saw the box, and brought the baby inside. Growing up an Egyptian prince, Moses enjoyed every advantage, including the best education. Moses was chosen by God, and God was overseeing everything to be sure it went according to plan. The same is true for all who believe in Christ. “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” wrote Paul in the book of Ephesians. Our lives don’t always make sense at the time, but one day we’ll see that everything went according to God’s plan — for our good, and for His glory.

Genesis 28:10-11 – Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. Jacob was at a low point when God appeared in a dream, and affirmed the promise he’d given to Abraham, and to his father Isaac, and now to Jacob. Verses 12-14 say, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.” The stairway to heaven which Jacob saw in his dream speaks of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, “You will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This is helpful for understanding how Jesus read the Old Testament. “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,” he said. Jesus saw himself through the Old Testament, and we are not wrong to see him there as well. From beginning to end, the Bible points to Jesus Christ. He came to save us from our sins, and restore us to a greater paradise than the one Adam lost.

Genesis 12:1 – The Lord said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. The nation of Israel begins here. Here the story of scripture shifts from God’s relationship with the world in general, to God’s unique relationship with Abraham and his offspring — the Israelites. Abram wasn’t chosen by God because he was better than anyone else, but simply because God chose him. He became so important to the Bible’s story, however, that his name is mentioned more than two hundred times. Abraham was living in a pagan culture when God broke into his life, and told him to move to a Promised Land. Abraham chose to listen to God… and for much of his life, Abraham lived in a tent, traveling through the desert. He’s an example to those who refuse to settle down in this world as they journey to the next. The book of Hebrews tells us, in its beloved “Hall of Faith” chapter, that Abraham “Was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” God also promised Abraham, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This anticipates the gospel of Jesus Christ who, two thousand years later, was born to Abraham’s bloodline. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ has spread throughout the world, the world has been blessed through Abraham. The God of Abraham keeps His promises … and we can trust Him.

Genesis 3:21 – The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. The only way to get skin from an animal is to kill it… so we know this was the first animal sacrifice. Adam and Eve had never seen an animal die. But, naked and ashamed, they needed the animal’s skin to cover their humiliation. To make His point, God may have made them watch the slaughter of this innocent victim: throat slit, body trembling, it was a bloody object lesson to portray the terrible cost of sin. The Old Testament is filled with the blood of sacrificial animals — sheep, goats, bulls, and more. But all the blood of all the animals ever sacrificed could never take away sins, says the book of Hebrews. That required nothing less than the shed blood of Jesus Christ — God in human flesh. Sin is man taking the place of God. Our salvation came through God taking the place of man. Adam and Eve were clothed with the skin of a beast, but all who believe are clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Just like clothes cover our physical shame, the blood of Christ covers the shame of our hearts… and presents them white as snow to God. The first animal sacrifice pointed ahead to the sacrifice of Christ.

Revelation 10:1-3 – Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He planted his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. This mighty angel is so wonderful some believe he’s Jesus Christ. But we know he’s not Jesus Christ because John described him as “another” mighty angel, like the seven angels who sounded the seven trumpets. This is an angel of importance, however, which tells us something about our future. Psalm 8:5 says that people were created “a little lower than the angels,” but will be exalted ABOVE the angels – just as Jesus “was made lower than the angels [but is] now crowned with glory and honor” (Hebrews 2:7). Mankind was created in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:27), but that is never said of angels. Believers are called “children of God” in First John 3:1, but that is never said of angels, either. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 6:3, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?”  When we consider the glory this “mighty” angel possesses, we can begin to imagine the sort of glory God has planned for us, his redeemed children.

Jude 1:1 – Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. Jude was the half-brother of Jesus Christ, and full brother of James. Just like his brothers, Jude didn’t believe in Jesus during his earthly ministry, but came to believe after Jesus rose from the dead. There is a distinction between the “general call” of God -- and the “effective call” of God. Jesus said in Matthew 22:14, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” That is the “general call” of God. The “effective call” of God is the one that converts a sinner to himself. When we understand the effective call of God, we give glory to him for our conversion, and take none of the credit ourselves. God is the one who saves us, and God is the one who keeps us. We must believe and obey, of course, but it is the Father who keeps us for his Son. Jude wrote that believers are “kept for Jesus Christ.” This concept is “preservation.” In Philippians 1:6, Paul reinforced that concept: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” By understanding the doctrine of preservation, we can give all glory to God for keeping us, and take none of the credit ourselves.

2 Peter 2:21 – It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. There have always been some people who appear to receive Christ, but later walk away from him. But what about the young man who comes to Christ right out of high school, and makes a good start. Then he goes off to college, and he no longer prays, reads his Bible, or goes to church. Is he still going to heaven? Was he ever really saved? Believing family and friends may hope for their salvation, but these words are not encouraging. Even so, scripture does tell us that whoever comes to Christ can never be lost. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). The reason Judas walked away from Christ is because he never truly believed. But then, Peter denied Jesus three times with a curse, so is there a way to tell the difference between a “Peter” and a “Judas”? Not really. The status of those who fall away can’t be known, unless or until they return to Christ. Either they’ve temporarily lapsed, or they’ve renounced faith in Jesus. If they ever truly believed, however, they will return—even with their dying breath.

James 4:4 – You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. God loves the world, and wants us to enjoy it. But when he sent his Son into the world, people killed him, and still rebel against him. When Christians are too at home in the world they become worldly, and come under God’s rebuke. The problem with worldliness is that it happens so gradually that we don’t perceive the danger—like a boat with a slow leak. The boat belongs in the water, but if enough water gets in the boat, it’ll sink to the bottom. Christians are a witness in the world, but if the world fills up the hearts of Christians, they’ll sink, as well. Paul wrote to Timothy about a follower of the Lord who fell away from faith. He said, “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas had the privilege of working with one of the greatest followers of Christ in history. But he loved the world so much that he walked away from Paul. Worldliness is any affection for this world that reduces our affection for the world to come. If we hope to get to heaven, we should throw out everything that’s pulling us down.

Hebrews 9:12 – He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. Under the Old Covenant, the high priest entered the holiest room in the temple once a year with blood from an animal sacrifice. This was surpassed by Jesus Christ, who brought his own blood into the presence of God. He’s not only our great High Priest, but also our perfect sacrifice. The fact that he did it “once for all” means his sacrifice is good enough for everyone, and can never be repeated. Since we have a great high priest, as well as a perfect sacrifice, it’s no longer necessary to go to the Temple to offer the blood of animals. Jesus fulfilled the religious system of the Old Testament, and he also replaced it. Jesus had predicted this in Mark 13:2, when he said to the priests in the Temple, “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one (of them) will be thrown down.” This was fulfilled in AD 70, when the Romans marched into Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, putting an end to the earthly priesthood and the sacrificial offerings for sins. God ordained the Old Testament religious system, then sent Christ to fulfill it for eternity. How wonderful are his works!

2 Timothy 3:16 + 4:1-2 – All Scripture is God-breathed. … In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word. A true disciple of Jesus Christ will believe in the absolute inerrancy of God’s word. We’re all inclined to skip over parts we don’t like, but the Bible isn’t a smorgasbord from which we pick and choose; it’s the word of God by which we live and die. And since the greatest need in the world is the faithful preaching of God’s word, Paul made his charge to Timothy as direct as he could: “Preach the word.”  One preacher, Greg Laurie, put it this way: “I am not here to be a cheerleader or a life coach or a motivational speaker. I am not here to be a psychologist or a political pundit. I am here for one reason: to teach the Word of God.” This kind of preacher is nothing less than a gift from God, as promised in Jeremiah 3:15: Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” A faithful shepherd with a heart for God, who teaches with knowledge and understanding, is God’s gift to his people. For all such preachers, we should be thankful.”

Colossians 4:2 – Devote yourselves to prayer. Prayer is nothing more or less than talking to our heavenly Father. But words don’t always come easily for some people, so, in Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” But we don’t need to stop there. We really can devote ourselves to prayer, and -- as Paul said in First Thessalonians 5:17 -- even “pray continually.” A woman named Anna, of the tribe of Asher, became a widow after seven years of marriage, and never remarried. Luke 2 says, “She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” She quite possibly prayed for the coming of Messiah, among other things. When she was eighty-four years old, Anna saw the little Savior with her own eyes when he was brought to the temple for his dedication. “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” We can all grow spiritually by choosing to “pray continually.”

Colossians 1:15-17 – The Son is the image of the invisible God. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. It’d be easier to believe in God if he wasn’t so invisible. We identify with Philip who said in John 14:18, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replied, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” If you want to know what God is like, look at Christ. Not only that, Jesus is the maker of everything, and everything was made for him. This answers the question, “What am I here for?” When you know that you were made for Christ, everything you do becomes significant. This is why we get out of bed every day, and do whatever we do. We were made for Christ, and live to do his will. Jesus created the world and continues to hold it together. The world doesn’t exist on its own, but depends on Christ to keep it from flying apart. If Jesus stopped holding the world together, it would cease to exist. This idea isn’t found on every page of the Bible, but it IS found in at least one other place. Hebrews 1:3 proclaims, “He is sustaining all things by his powerful word.” We continue existing because of him.

Ephesians 4:15 – . . . speaking the truth in love. Paul was right. Truth is such a precious thing that it must be spoken in love. The more lovingly it’s said, sometimes, the easier it is to receive. It doesn’t take a great deal of thought to say what you think, but it takes some thoughtfulness to say it in a way that will be helpful. Christians should always speak the truth, and always do it in love. To build up, not tear down. This is the way the body of Christ stays together, just as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:6, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” One of Paul’s favorite images for the church is the body of Christ. Every part of a body has an important function, and everyone in the body of Christ has an important role to play. A fingernail doesn’t seem important until you lose one, and you likely won’t think of your pancreas unless it stops working. Likewise, the body of Christ “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it is work.” If we seek to honor Christ, we should be able to say, “We don’t just want to attend a church; we want to build the church we attend.”

Galatians 4:6-7 – Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba (AH’-bah), Father. -- Since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. The Aramaic word for “father” is “Abba”. Because it’s so easy to pronounce, it was one of the first words a child learned: Mama, Papa, Abba. It’s a term of tender familiarity, and seldom appears in the Bible. But we read in Mark 14 that the night before he was crucified, Jesus prayed to “Abba, Father.” God wants all believers to enjoy that same relational closeness with him, so he sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts so that we, too, would call him “Abba, Father.” The Spirit of Christ is always drawing us into a closer relationship with our heavenly Father. Many of the early Christians were financially poor, but through faith in Jesus Christ, they became joint heirs with him. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:24, “You will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” And Peter wrote, in First Peter 1, that “this inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” And Hebrews 9:15 promises believers an “eternal inheritance.” This is better than any inheritance in this life. Faith in Jesus Christ not only brings spiritual blessings now, but blessings forever in the age to come.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4+1:20 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. … For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. Paul suffered throughout his ministry, partly due to Christians in Corinth. Paul loved them deeply – but, like rebellious children, they often went astray and questioned his authority. In times of terrible distress we can come to our heavenly Father and receive consolation, and the strength to go on. Jesus is the present and future fulfillment of everything God has promised. Paul wrote in Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” You may die of sickness, but you’ll wake up to health. You may die of sorrow, but you’ll have joy. You may die of conflict, but you’ll wake up to peace. You may die in weakness, but you’ll have new strength. You may die disgraced, but you’ll wake up to honor. You may die in pain, but you’ll receive pleasure. … The remarkable thing about the comfort God provides is that it’s real.

Romans 13:1 – Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. It was natural for Christians to wonder about their relationship to ungodly governments like Rome. If Jesus Christ is King of kings and governments do not acknowledge him, are Christians obligated to obey their ungodly government? The short answer is, “yes.” Paul viewed government as being established by God. This is a little surprising since the emperor at the time Paul wrote this was none other than Nero. He was an evil man who had killed his own mother, and would later on probably be responsible for setting fire to a poor part of Rome to make space for new buildings. When the rumor that Nero started the blaze wouldn’t go away, he blamed the Christians. He then began a horrific persecution in which Christians were burned, crucified, and thrown to wild animals. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome before this event, but if he required them to support a government led by Nero, then Christians should support their government whenever possible, unless it commands something God forbids. Acts 5:29 says, “We must obey God rather than human beings.” Otherwise, we should “be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”

Romans 4:3 – What does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Paul used the example of Abraham to prove from the Old Testament that we’re made right with God by faith, what we BELIEVE, and not by ‘works,’ meaning what we DO. Abraham is a good example because he was the Father of the Jewish nation, and also, according to Isaiah 41:8, he was God’s friend. To make his point, Paul quoted a verse that some of his readers knew well, Genesis 15:6: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham didn’t try to work his way into God’s favor, or obey his way into God’s favor, but simply “believed God.” Many in Paul’s day thought the way to be right with God was by being a pretty good person. We’re all pretty good compared to the devil, but the devil isn’t the standard of goodness. It’s impossible to get right with God by behaving fairly decently. Thankfully, there’s another way. Since Jesus never sinned and paid the penalty for our sins, we can be right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 6:47, “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.” As we read in Ephesians 2, just like Abraham, we are made right with God through faith, not works.

Acts 14:19 – Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. Paul’s opponents traveled for several days, over a hundred miles, in order to cause him trouble. Paul understood their motivation, since he, too, had traveled to persecute the church. How happy he must’ve been to be on the right side of Christ, even if it meant hostile opposition. The people of Lystra wanted to worship Paul, but then they turned against him. Christians can also be fickle, giving their leaders semidivine status, then rejecting them when they turn out to be merely human. True Christianity exalts Christ alone, and isn’t surprised by the humanness of its leaders. Paul’s few disciples gathered to grieve when, suddenly, he opened his eyes and got up. We’re not told if this was a miracle, or if Paul was only unconscious. Either way, he was willing to take his knocks and keep going for Christ. He said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Paul may have been surprised that healing a man who was lame from birth didn’t lead to more conversions. What starts big doesn’t always end big, and what starts small doesn’t always stay small. What mattered to Paul was that a few believed, and a little church was born.

Acts 5:31 – God exalted [Jesus] to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. The apostles were brought before the Jewish high court to give an account of their preaching. Along with the message of forgiveness, they insisted on repentance from both the nation and the court. They had killed the Son of God, and you can’t have a relationship with God if you’re not sorry for killing his Son. All God wanted was for them to repent. Remember the story of the prodigal son, who took his father’s wealth and wasted it in on wild living. Then, as it says in Luke 15:17, “he came to his senses.” This is the beginning of repentance. Repentance isn’t feeling bad about yourself. It’s not a promise of perfection, since we’ll never be perfect in this life. It’s not a promise never to do something again, since that’s the most broken promise on earth. Repentance is agreeing with God against ourselves and turning back in his direction. When the prodigal son “came to his senses,” he went back with these words: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” His father was so thrilled that he ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him. That’s how God treats us whenever we come back to him, through faith in Jesus Christ.

John 19:24 – ‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another. ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’ This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.’ This fulfilled an ancient prophecy in Psalm 22:18. The traditional clothing for an adult male Jew in Jesus’ day consisted of five pieces: headdress, robe, sash, sandals, and undergarment. There were four soldiers, according to John 19:23, and five pieces of clothing, so it makes sense that each soldier took one piece and then gambled for the fifth. Even more amazing are the many other prophecies fulfilled at Jesus’ death, like: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death” (Isaiah 53:9). “They will look on me, the one they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10). “Not one of [his bones] will be broken” (Psalm 34:20). These sound like eye-witness accounts, but they were written hundreds of years before the event. It may be hard to believe in Jesus Christ, but it’s harder not to believe, when all the evidence is honestly considered.

John 11:21 – Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Martha had opened her home to Jesus and given him hospitality time and again. When he arrived with his disciples, without notice, she fed the whole group at her own expense. Jesus was willing to receive her kindness, but where was Jesus when she needed him most?  There’s little of this in the Bible, but the forty-fourth Psalm is a good example of a godly person who’s angry at God. The people were destroyed in battle because God hadn’t protected them, so the writer took issue. “We had not been false to your covenant. Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path. But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; you covered us over with deep darkness.” God knows our anger is a natural response to the unfairness we feel, and He allows us to express our anger, respectfully. The only way to get beyond anger, however, is to trust that God is good, even when life is not. In the last verse, the Psalmist said, “Rescue us because of your unfailing love.” The Psalmist chose to believe in God’s unfailing love, even when the love of God appeared to fail. And Martha would learn that Jesus could be trusted, no matter what.

John 6:15+6:28-30 – Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. . . .[When they found him on the other side of the lake,]  they asked him, ‘What must we do, to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’ [Then they asked,] ‘What sign will you then give that we may see it and believe you?’ People wanted to make Jesus king. BUT: First, no one makes Jesus king; Jesus is the king. Second, Jesus didn’t come to sit on a throne, but to die on a cross. Third, though the people asked the right question, they didn’t like his answer. They wanted to do something to earn eternal life. It was insincere for them to ask for another miracle before they would believe. The problem wasn’t asking for the miracle, of course, but their determination to not believe unless a miracle was performed. Author Philip Yancey wrote, “Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he did meet skeptics he could not convince and sinners he could not convert.” For those who aren’t willing to believe, no amount of evidence will ever be enough.

Luke 19:30-31 – Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? say, The Lord needs it. As Jesus approached Jerusalem, where he’d soon be crucified, he called for a colt, in order to fulfill a prophecy by Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus’ fame had spread because of his many miracles, especially the raising of Lazarus. According to Matthew 21, many came out to greet him with messianic praise, crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” They spread their cloaks on the road, along with palm branches, to create a royal path. But Jesus knew their faith was superficial, that some of them would call for his crucifixion, and as he approached Jerusalem, he “wept over it,” and foretold its doom, “because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Many appeared to receive him, but the nation as a whole rejected him. Excitement for Jesus Christ apart from faithful obedience means nothing.

Luke 15:11 – There was a man who had two sons. One of them was lost in a distant land; the other was lost in his own back yard. The younger son asked for an early inheritance, went away to a distant land and spent his fortune on wild living. When it was gone, he returned to his father, prepared with a speech found in Luke 15: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But as he came up the road, his father saw him, and ran out to meet him, and “threw his arms around him and kissed him,” and called for a party, saying, “…for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” The older son complained: “All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has squandered your property with prostitutes, comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” The older brother’s attitude shows he was just as lost as his younger brother. His sins weren’t as obvious, but just as deadly. Whether we are near to God, or far away from him, we all need to come home.

Luke 8:5-8 – A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. Jesus explained his parable. “The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” About the seed that falls on rocky ground, Jesus said, “[These] are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away.” He continued, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” But “the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it – and, by persevering, produce a crop.”

Luke 5:12-13 – While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing, he said. Be clean! And immediately the leprosy left him. No cure was in sight for this man, so he seemed destined to a life of sorrow, misery, and loneliness. But then he learned of Jesus Christ. … The man’s desperation left no room for pride. He bowed as before a “king,” and pleaded for his life. “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said. There may’ve been a moment when he wasn’t sure what Jesus would do. But then Jesus did the unthinkable. He “reached out his hand and touched the man.” Fear of catching the disease kept anyone else from touching him. It may’ve been years since he felt the loving touch of his wife, children, or anyone else. He was considered untouchable, but Jesus will touch anyone. “I am willing, he said. Be clean!” The disease of sin is infinitely worse than any case of leprosy. Yet, no matter what we’ve done, or how many times we’ve done it, Jesus will take away our sin, if we ask.

Matthew 28:11 – While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. After Jesus was buried, the religious leaders went to Pilate and requested a guard for the tomb, because they knew that Jesus predicted his resurrection. Pilate wanted this ordeal to be over, so he said, “Take a guard.…Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” It would’ve been foolish for the guards to be outnumbered. We should probably think of at least dozens of guards standing outside the tomb of Jesus Christ. But when the angels appeared, “The guards were so afraid . . . they shook and became like dead men.” When their strength returned, they went and told the religious leaders everything that happened. At this point we expect the guards and religious leaders to all become Christians. As Luke wrote in Acts 3:15, “They killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.” This was a perfect time to repent and believe. But instead, the religious leaders gave the soldiers money to say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” This is precisely what Jesus predicted. Didn’t he say in Luke 16:31, “They will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead?”

Matthew 26:36+26:38-39 – Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane (geth-SEHM’-mah-nee). … My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Gethsemane was a garden, outside Jerusalem, where Jesus often went with his disciples Here, as described in Luke chapter 22, Jesus prayed until his sweat was like “drops of blood.” And he was “in anguish.” Jesus wasn’t exaggerating. The depth of his sorrow was so overwhelming it nearly killed him before he went to the cross. It wasn’t the physical pain he dreaded so much as bearing the Father’s wrath against our sin. This was his greatest source of agony, and something we’ll never have to experience. Jesus referred to the cup of God’s wrath mentioned by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. Nothing was more important to Jesus than pleasing his heavenly Father, so nothing was worse for him than bearing his Father’s furious wrath. He could barely bring himself to do it. If there was any other way for the world to be saved, Jesus wanted to avoid the cross. But there was no other way for the world to be saved. The death of a million angels couldn’t atone for our sin—only the death of God’s Son could do that.

Matthew 18:21-22 – Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Peter was likely stunned. Who could forgive seventy-seven times, especially if the offense was serious? Jesus isn’t saying we can retaliate on the seventy-eighth time, but we must forgive indefinitely. This seems like a dreadful command, but there’s a hidden blessing. Everyone in the world has a favorite sin which they’re prone to repeat. It could be lying, lust, gossip, greed, or something unmentionable. We might wonder if God has a limit to how many times he’ll forgive. Here’s the good news: if God requires us to forgive others an indefinite number of times, he’ll never turn us away for sinning one too many times—unless, of course, we don’t forgive others.  Jesus taught us to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” God will forgive us for whatever we’ve done, and simply requires that we forgive others. Jesus elaborated, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). This is a wonderful promise, and a very solemn warning.

Matthew 7:13-14 – Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. In these verses, Jesus contradicts the overwhelming consensus of popular theology. Among those who believe in heaven and hell, the vast majority think that most people go to heaven, and only a few go to hell. But, if Jesus is right, the opposite is true. When Jesus spoke of the “narrow gate,” he was referring to himself. According to the Apostle John, Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” And, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” And, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Antinomianism (an-tee-NOH'-mee-uhn-NIZ-zem) says that, since we’re saved by grace, we can do as we please and still go to heaven. You probably don’t believe that, but you may’ve been tempted by it. Remember, when God destroyed the world with a flood, everyone died except Noah and his family. Majority opinion is not a reliable guide to how God will judge the world. When Jesus spoke of the narrow road, he meant the way of obedience.

Matthew 4:12+4:17 – When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. … From that time on Jesus began to preach, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. When John the Baptist was imprisoned for criticizing King Herod Antipas, Jesus moved about eighty miles north of Jerusalem, to Galilee, where he carried out much of his ministry. This was according to God’s plan, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah: “Galilee of the nations.” … “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” The prophets not only foretold that Christ would be born in Bethlehem, but that he’d spend time in Egypt, and minister in Galilee, as well as in Jerusalem. Galilee was called a place of darkness because it was far away from Jerusalem, and home to both Jews and Gentiles. It wasn’t known for godliness, but was where the light of Christ could be clearly seen by many who were in need. Jesus began his preaching ministry with a call to repentance. This has been misunderstood to mean punishing yourself. But repentance is a change of mind and heart that leads to a change in direction. Paul said in Acts 26, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.”

Haggai 1:5-6 – Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Because God’s people were putting themselves ahead of God, God wasn’t blessing their finances. He was actually draining them. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away,” the LORD told Haggai. “I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces.” God’s people neglected him financially, so he neglected them financially. We shouldn’t expect God to be generous toward us, if we’re not generous toward him. We ought to evaluate how much we’re giving to God. But there’s not always a correlation. The wicked often prosper, and the righteous often suffer. We read in Matthew chapter 8 that Jesus was rich in heaven, but so poor on earth that he had “no place to lay his head.” We shouldn’t assume financial distress is always the result of neglecting God financially. We ought to give what we can, and trust God to provide for our needs.

Dr. Shane Houle is the author of the book Learn the Bible in a Year, from which the individual episodes in this podcast are derived.  A pastor, Bible teacher and author, Shane provides answers to questions about the challenges of understanding his favorite book, the Holy Bible.  

Jonah 3:1 – Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. The first time the word of the Lord came to Jonah, he wasn’t receptive. By running away from God, he brought many into danger, and caused massive financial loss. Jonah may’ve thought God would never use him again. But God still had big plans for Jonah. God doesn’t dwell on our failures; neither should we. If Moses dwelt on his failure after murdering the Egyptian, who would’ve delivered the Israelites from slavery? If Peter dwelt on his failure after disowning Jesus, who would’ve preached on Pentecost when three thousand were saved? And if Paul dwelt on his failure after approving the stoning of Stephen, who would’ve evangelized the Gentiles, and written so much of the New Testament? Two things are necessary to succeed as a Christian: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. An electrician flipped the wrong switch at a power plant and caused a million dollars-worth of damage. To no one’s surprise, he was promptly fired. But when a similar thing happened at another company and the worker turned in his resignation, his boss said, “I just spent a million dollars training you. Why would I let you go now?” That’s God’s method. He doesn’t fire us when we make a mistake; he uses our mistake to make us better.

Joel 2:25+2:28 – I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. … And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. God’s people would suffer loss, but were assured by the prophet Joel that God would repay them in the future. This is a wonderful way to think about the age to come. The pain of loss can be devastating, but whatever we lose in this age will be more than repaid. The power of the Spirit was restricted to just a few in the Old Testament, like the 70 elders chosen by Moses in Numbers 11. But after Jesus rose from the dead the Spirit came so mightily that Peter said, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Ever since that day, whoever believes in Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit. We believe in many things on the authority of others. We’ve never seen them, but we’re willing to trust. In John 17, Jesus prayed to the Father, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” When we put our trust in Christ, his Spirit comes to live in us, and we know God for ourselves. And if we know God for ourselves, then we have eternal life. This is the work of the Spirit promised by the prophet Joel.

Daniel 3:28-29 – Praise be to the God of Shadrach (SHAD-rack), Meshach (MEE-shack) and Abednego (ah-BED-nah-go) who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! … Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way. This was a wonderful outcome—not only for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but for all the Jews in Babylon. If these three men had bowed down, others would’ve followed them, resulting in widespread apostasy. These three men were saved by standing firm, and so were many others. We never know how God may use our faithfulness for the good of those around us. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are exceptions to the many believers who’ve gone up in flames. Emperor Nero had Christians tarred and set on fire as human torches, and others have been burned at the stake. Tyrants of this world may threaten us with fire, but Jesus threatens them with worse. Matthew 25:41 says, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” The promise of Christ is not that we’ll never be burned, but—as stated in John 10:28—we’ll “never perish.”

Ezekiel 18:32 – I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! Many of God’s people were living in exile, others had died of starvation, and others were put to the sword. Given the severity of their punishment, some may’ve wondered if God enjoyed afflicting his people. To this we can add the biblical teaching of eternal punishment in Matthew 25:41. If God is good, why does he let people suffer and die, only to send them to hell? What kind of God would do this? Against the problem of suffering, the biblical writers insisted that God is good, and wants everyone to be saved. “[God is] not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance,” wrote Peter in Second Peter 3:9. Paul wrote in First Timothy 2:4 that “[God] wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” And Jeremiah assured us, in Lamentations 3:33, “For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” But the greatest proof that God is good comes from what he’s done. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He took the suffering we deserve, and put it on himself, so we could live forever.

Isaiah 53:11-12 – After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Jesus knew his death and burial would not be the end of his life. The disciples didn’t expect the crucifixion, or the resurrection, but Jesus expected both. And when it was over, he was “satisfied.” His mission was accomplished, and he’s enjoyed the love of his people ever since. One of our greatest needs is for someone who is close to God to pray for us. No one is closer to God the Father, than Jesus Christ his Son. And even though we sin, God will not reject us, because Jesus intercedes for us. He makes sure that his saving work will always be applied. The night of his arrest Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would “not fail.” Peter stumbled badly by denying Jesus three times with a curse. But his faith didn’t fail because Jesus prayed for him. Likewise, according to Paul in Romans 8:34, “Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us.” The reason God doesn’t turn away from us, and that we don’t turn away from God, is because Jesus lives to intercede for us. The prophet Isaiah saw this hundreds of years in advance.

Ecclesiastes 9:10-11 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. … The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise, or wealth to the brilliant, or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Life is a gift, and God doesn’t want us to live it half-heartedly. He sets a task before each one, and wants us to do it with vigor. God is honored when we live to the fullest, serving him with all our might. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, … he should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper, who did his job well.’” This is important for understanding how the world works. The fastest person on earth might live in a remote village, unknown to the rest of the world. The best soldier might die from a sniper’s bullet, and the most brilliant person might be poor if the world isn’t ready for his or her ideas. Only when God matches our gifts with the right opportunities will we encounter success. When we understand that gifts and opportunities are both from God, we’ll give him all the glory and keep none for ourselves.

Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that asks, “How do we know what we know?” Do we know things are true by induction, deduction, abduction, intuition, or some other way? It’s an important question because, unless we understand how we know something, how can we be sure that we actually know it? According to this verse, true knowledge begins with the fear of God—the basic intuition that God exists, and is to be obeyed. To deny this truth leads to irrationalism because without an ultimate mind, the logic system of every mind is equally valid, and there’s no basis for a common rationality. Without belief in God, there can be no categories of right and wrong, only preferences. There can be no absolute truth, only your truth and my truth. The rejection of God, therefore, is the loss of reason. When we were children, we learned the alphabet. Then we learned to read words. Then we learned to read sentences. Now we read books. In a way, the alphabet became for us the beginning of knowledge. But, according to this verse, there’s something even more basic to knowledge than the alphabet, and that is the fear of God. A child who fears God knows more about ultimate reality than a university professor who doesn’t fear God.

Psalm 51:1 – Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, and having her husband killed, David’s initial impulse was not to ask for mercy, but to run away from God. So God sent the prophet Nathan to restore him. Then David wrote this remarkable Psalm of repentance. David didn’t shift the blame for his behavior, like Adam and Eve. Nor did he blame God for making him a sexual being, or Bathsheba for bathing in plain sight – He simply begged for mercy. Some people think sin is okay, if no one gets hurt, but that never happens. God is always hurt. This is why forgiveness is never complete until we’re forgiven by God. We should ask forgiveness from those we’ve offended but, even if the whole world forgives us, we’re never completely forgiven until we’re forgiven by God. David’s sin strangely comforts us because if God can forgive David, then he can forgive us. God used David’s sin to demonstrate the extent of his forgiveness, so that other sinners wouldn’t lose heart. God is so good that he not only wants to forgive us, but longs to help us recover. That is why he offers to un-sin us, through the blood of Christ, to bring us back into good fellowship with Him.

Job 1:22 – In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Job was devastated. God had allowed Satan to take away everything Job had in an instant – his family, his wealth, his home – but he chose to worship God instead of cursing him. Praising God in heaven is easier than praising God on earth. And praising God when things go right is easier than praising him when things go wrong. By worshipping God in the midst of loss, Job brought more glory to God than angels above. Job was able to respond this way because he understood two important things: First, everything he had on earth was only temporary. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart,” he said. He came into the world with nothing, and would leave with nothing. The important thing was that he still had God. Second, Job understood that God was in control of his loss. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away,” he said. Job wasn’t in the hands of fate, chance, or the devil. He was in the hands of a good and loving God who is always worthy of praise. So even in the midst of loss, Job gave praise to God. Job was the kind of person who did what was right because it was right, not because it easy.

Ezra 3:10-11 – When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord … all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. After God’s people returned to the Promised Land following their exile to Babylon, they gathered in Jerusalem, built an altar, and began to make sacrifices to the lord. This was important because, according to Hebrews 9:22, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. No sacrifice had been offered to God for nearly seventy years in Babylon. Now, at last, sacrificial blood was being spilt again. After building the altar, God’s people started to work on the temple itself. When the foundation was laid they gave a great shout … but those who had seen the first temple, which had been destroyed, began to weep. The new generation was excited about the temple, but the old generation was discouraged by how it compared to the previous temple. They should’ve been thankful for the honor of serving God, but were discouraged by comparing their work to someone else’s. Our churches today can also be discouraged by comparing themselves with others. The church of Jesus Christ is always growing, declining, and being rebuilt. The important thing is not the size of the church or the beauty of its walls, but the faithfulness of its congregation.

II Chronicles 25:14 – In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah was still a young man and didn’t want to die, so he prayed earnestly and wept bitterly. God spoke to the prophet again, this time saying, “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people … I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.” We don’t often expect God to change his mind. God’s omnipotence suggests that human choice and behavior have little influence with God, since everything has been determined. This story helps us understand that we’re dealing with a personal God, not impersonal fate. God told the prophet Isaiah that King Hezekiah would be healed, so we might expect a miracle. But that’s not what comes next. Instead, Isaiah called for a poultice of figs to be applied to the King’s boils, and Hezekiah recovered within a few days. We don’t have to choose between God and other remedies, since God often foregoes grand miracles to heal us. There’s nothing inconsistent about taking medicine and asking God to heal us at the same time – God can use medicine to bring about his divine healing.

I Kings 18:21 – Elijah went before the people and said, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. The Israelites had a long history of believing in God, but also believing in other gods. Elijah told them to stop wavering and make up their minds. To demonstrate who the real God was, Elijah proposed a sacrifice. He and the prophets of Baal would each prepare a bull, put it on wood, but not start a fire. Then they’d pray, and whatever deity answered by fire was God. The prophets of Baal went first, and failed miserably. Then Elijah built an altar with stones, and dug a trench around it. He cut up the bull, laid it on the wood, and had water poured on the sacrifice until the trench was full. Then he offered a simple prayer, and the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. Here we learn the importance of prayer for bringing about the will of God. God doesn’t need our prayers, but he likes to use them to bring about what he has promised. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come.” Whenever we understand the will of God, we should pray for God to do it.