Bible Story – Tell Me the Story

Thankfulness

Jesus walked the road from Samaria to Jerusalem, a road known to be treacherous with bandits. As He was going into the village, ten lepers met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” They were healed on their way to the temple. One of the men who was healed, a Samaritan, returned praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the others? Has no one returned to praise God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:13-19)

Leprosy is very contagious, and during the time of Jesus, the lepers had to live outside the community. They could not be close to anyone, even their own family. They could not hold their children or teach them or sing with them. These ten lepers were rescued from isolation in a moment–their lives given back to them. Why didn’t the other nine show gratitude?

THINK ABOUT IT

What about you? Do you show thankfulness when you are blessed or do you go on your way as most of the men in the story did? The Thanksgiving holiday is a reminder for us to show thankfulness for all God has done for us. Make it a time of rejoicing: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:4-6).

PRAY ABOUT IT

O Lord, our Lord, all we have comes from you. Thank you for loving us and blessing us. Help us to show others the compassion and generosity you have shown to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Keys to the Kingdom

Have you ever wondered what the keys to the kingdom are? In response to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (his confession) I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:17-19).

The keys to the kingdom were not only for Peter. They are for every believer who abides in Christ and in whom His word abides.

THINK ABOUT IT

The person who abides in Christ has God-shaped desires. He knows the character and will of God from being in a relationship with Him. That is the person God gives the keys of the kingdom. Could the keys be our prayers? Jesus said, “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 16:7).

PRAY ABOUT IT

Holy God, wonderful Father, thank you for Jesus. Through His sacrifice we have access to you, our Lord. Thank you! As we abide in you, teach us your ways, will and purpose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

5 Loaves for 5,000

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded at Herod’s birthday party, He withdrew by boat to a solitary place. He looked up and saw a large crowd following Him. He had compassion on the people and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples asked Him to send the crowd away so they could go to the surrounding villages and buy food for themselves. Jesus said, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16). A boy offered them his lunch of five barley loaves and two fish, but how far would this go? Jesus said, “Bring them here to me,” and He directed the people to sit down on the grass. He took the loaves and fish, looked up to heaven, gave thanks and broke the loaves. The disciples distributed the food to the people, and all ate and were satisfied–about 5,000 men (not counting women and children).

THINK ABOUT IT

It seemed like Jesus asked the disciples to do the impossible when He said, “You give them something to eat.” Yet, He participated in serving the people. God intervenes in times when we feel inadequate to do what we think is impossible. We will never do great things if we limit ourselves, but if we trust God, He will help us do more than we can imagine.

PRAY ABOUT IT

O Lord help us to carry out your will and plan in our lives, even when we think the task is impossible. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Best of Prayer

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Do you want the best you can think of or the best God can think of? Do you find it difficult to pray as Jesus did, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42)?

We live in an instant gratification culture. If we want it, we get it, but prayer often involves a waiting period. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Consider the story of Lazarus in John 11. When he was sick, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. “Lord, the one you love is sick.” The sisters were close friends with Jesus and had seen how He healed people. They thought sure He would come immediately when He got their message, but He didn’t. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days” (John 11:5-6). What?

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. Martha and Mary said to Jesus if He had been there, their brother would not have died. He followed them to the tomb and asked that the stone be rolled away. Martha said, “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days” (John 11:39). The Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” They rolled the stone away and Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42). Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out and Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (Luke 11:44).

THINK ABOUT IT

Do you see how God was glorified in the waiting? A great number of people had come from Jerusalem and the surrounding areas to comfort Mary and Martha. These people saw what happened and believed. Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to heal their brother Lazarus, but He gave Lazarus back to them. For two women who probably had no other means of support, this was the best God could think of. This was a greater miracle that what they prayed for or expected.

PRAY ABOUT IT

Thank you, Father God, for Jesus. Help us to pray that He would be glorified in our lives. Help us to pray in line with your will and to persevere–to wait for the best you have for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The World Needs a Rescue

A lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered the question with a question. “What does the law say?” The lawyer said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus agreed with him. Then the lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus responded with a story about a Jewish man who traveled on a rocky path through the mountains from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. They stripped him, beat him up and left him for dead. A priest walked by the injured man on the other side of the road. A Levite also walked by the injured man, but a Samaritan came by and took pity on him. He bandaged up his wounds pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him. The next day he gave two denarii to the innkeeper and said, “Look after him, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have” (Luke 10:35).

Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The lawyer said, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

THINK ABOUT IT

I have been convicted about busyness in my life, and like the priest or Levite, I would probably be too busy, too committed to stop and help anyone, something of which I’ve had to ask God to forgive me. There is more to this story than meets the eye. It’s called a parable. Compared to the Garden of Eden, Jerusalem was a place where man met with God and Jericho was the cursed area outside the garden. The world today is like the man who fell among thieves and needs our help. The world needs Jesus who is not only able to rescue us from drowning; He teaches us to swim. This gives greater depth to the situation of the man who fell among thieves. Mankind needs to know about the amazing love of Jesus. Helping others in trouble is a good way to initiate a discussion that will lead to their need of a Savior. Who will tell them? I hope you will answer as Isaiah did when God asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” and I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

PRAY ABOUT IT

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for Jesus and His amazing love. Create in our hearts a willingness and availability to serve others by recognizing opportunities to share your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Does God Change His Mind?

Is there a place in Scripture where you would think God changed His mind? Yes, I think of the time when Moses spent forty days and nights with God on Mt. Sinai. The people He rescued from slavery in Egypt grew impatient waiting for him to come down the mountain, and they convinced Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. It seemed reasonable to them because the surrounding nations worshiped golden calves.

God became so angry with them that He said He would destroy Israel and make a great nation out Moses.

Moses replied, “Why would you do that? The Egyptians will think You brought us out into the wilderness to kill us. O Lord, turn from your fierce anger and do not bring this disaster on your people” (Exodus 32:9-12). Then the Bible says God relented and did not bring about the disaster He said He would.

THINK ABOUT IT

Did God think in His heart, Moses has a point. I think I should show mercy and not judgement? If Moses could change God’s mind, He is not God. Instead, He looked for someone to stand in the gap for His people and He found Moses.

God still looks for those who will stand in the gap and intercede for His people. God loves all people so much that He sent His only Son as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin. Will you stand in the gap? Will you pray for your friends and family who do not know the love of God?

PRAY ABOUT IT

Father God, thank you for Jesus who made it possible for us to reconcile ourselves with you–Holy, Faithful and True God. Raise up your people, Lord! Bring revival to this world. Bring repentance and justice. O Lord, only You can heal our land. Only you can turn this world right side up again. Empower us to partner with you, to speak boldly for the salvation of many who need to know Your amazing love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Increase

Jesus’ last words to the apostles were, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about” (Acts 1:4).

His friends waited in Jerusalem. The gift Jesus spoke about was the power of the Holy Spirit. It came on Pentecost when people from many nations were in Jerusalem. Tongues of fire rested on each of the apostles and they began to speak in languages the people could understand. Peter explained, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:16:21).

Peter had the attention of the people and continued to speak with great power. He said, “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” The people felt helpless and asked what they must do. Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:36-38). Peter used many other words to warn the people, and that day about 3,000 people accepted the message and were baptized.

While the apostles were still in Jerusalem, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John. They were disturbed because the apostles proclaimed the resurrection of the dead in Jesus. Even though they seized Peter and John, the number of believers grew to about 5,000 (Acts 4:4).

THINK ABOUT IT

The same power that raised Jesus from the grave was at work in Peter and John. These were not educated men, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, they made convincing statements that led people to believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. This same power is at work in believers today. We are a kingdom of priests, called to tell the truth. Will you rely on this strength to speak boldly about God’s amazing love to a dark and dying world? I assure you, many people need to now the love of Jesus–mercy instead of judgement, peace instead of anxiety and hope instead of hopelessness.

PRAY ABOUT IT

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for Jesus and His sacrifice that brought about the forgiveness of our sins. Help us to live in the power of our salvation, to show compassion to others and to speak of your love to those who need to hear it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

WAIT!

The disciples walked closely with Jesus for three years. They saw Him rejected, persecuted and crucified. Jesus surprised them when He rose from the grave at the resurrection. Death could not hold Him, and He spent forty more days with them before His ascension into Heaven.

One time when He was eating with them He said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about” (Acts 1:4) and “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

This happened at Pentecost, the birth of the church. The disciples were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of the. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues so that everyone could hear what was said in their own language. At first the people from other nations thought the disciples were drunk, but Peter said, “It’s only 9:00 in the morning.” With power Peter didn’t have before, he explained, “Let all Israel be assured of this; God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36).

When the people heard this, it broke their hearts and they felt helpless. They asked, “What shall we do?” and Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

THINK ABOUT IT

This is why Jesus said “wait.” All this was new to the disciples. Do you think they felt the power of the Holy Spirit come into them? Remember when the woman touched Jesus’ garment? He asked, “Who touched me?” It seemed like a silly question because the crowd was pressing against Him. But He said, “I felt power leave me.” So if Jesus felt power leave Him, I think the disciples felt the power come into them. It’s what made Peter so bold in his preaching! He grew to be the rock of the gospel. The disciples all received power to boldly carry the message of salvation. They weren’t running scared anymore.

The same power is available to everyone who believes. As Peter said, “Repent and be baptized . . . and you will receive the Holy Spirit.”

PRAY ABOUT IT

Thank you, Father God, for your message of the good news. Thank you that those who believe and are baptized can have the same power as Peter and the disciples. Empower us with the same confidence as the disciples. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Run for You Life

When God called on Jonah to prophesy to Ninevah (in today’s Iraq), he boarded a ship going to Spain. That is in the opposite direction. Do you wonder why? Well, Jonah knew that the people in Nineveh were very mean. They didn’t need a real reason to behead or impale people. That was part of their wickedness and Jonah was not taking any chances. He ran for his life. Wouldn’t you?

What Jonah didn’t realize is that he couldn’t run away from God. The ship he boarded was caught in a terrible storm. Jonah confessed to the crew that it was his fault, that he was running from God. He told them they should throw him into the sea, which they did. The wind and the waves calmed down. Then a big fish swallowed Jonah and he lived in there for three days. When he cried out to God, the fish spit Jonah out onto the beach.

God commanded Jonah a second time to go to Ninevah and he did. He proclaimed that if they didn’t change their ways in forty days, God would destroy them. That’s what Jonah wanted to happen, but the Ninevites repented. They stopped their cruelty and did what God said.

THINK ABOUT IT

Mission accomplished, right? Yes, Jonah preached to Ninevah and they repented. But it seemed very wrong to Jonah. It seemed to him like the people got away with murder. He said to God, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). As far as Jonah was concerned, he’d rather be dead.

There is more to this story, but my point in this part of the story is that if God can show mercy to 120,000 residents of Ninevah, even after all their cruelty, then He can forgive you. You may think that is impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. He loves the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life with Him. New life begins the day you believe.

PRAY ABOUT IT

Thank you, Father God, for sending Jesus to be our Savior and Friend. Help us to accept your love and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Bread

The disciples asked Jesus how to pray. Do you wonder why? Maybe they saw Him withdraw to lonely places to pray to the Father. Maybe He prayed with them.

Jesus responded, “. . . when your pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to the Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew6:5-6).

We don’t have to babble on with big impressive words. God knows what we need and is ready to help us. He gave us a pattern of prayer in what is known as the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by 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” (Matthew 6:9-13).

If God knows our needs–the need to live for Him, to have our needs met, to forgive and to guard from temptation–then why does Jesus’ pattern of prayer include these things? The key is in the asking and the receiving. It’s in a relationship with a holy God.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). Everything we need is in Jesus. He has us in the palm of His nail-scarred hands. He loves us and cares what happens to us. Being in relationship with Him, we will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty, because Jesus is always with us. He will never leave or forsake us.

THINK ABOUT IT

When the Israelites moved through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land, they learned that God was their Provider. He gave them the right amount of manna every day, but many were greedy and collected more than they were told to. Maggots swallowed up the extra the Israelites gathered.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Friend, there is enough for everybody! We don’t have to stockpile God’s mercy or grace or sustenance. He gives generously because He loves and cares for us.

PRAY ABOUT IT

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for providing for us. Thank you for Jesus, for love and new mercy and compassion every day. Thank you that we will never have to worry about your presence in our lives. Thank you for a wonderful inheritance in the Kingdom of God that starts when we believe in Jesus as our Savior. In His great name, we pray, Amen.