Buying and Selling When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Genesis 39:1 (NLT) When the Ishmaelite merchants sold Joseph, they were only seeing a buying-and-selling transaction—a financial gain. But God was doing…
Every Morning, Early “The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.” Luke 21:38 (NLT) Every day he was teaching at the Temple, and the crowds gathered early each morning to hear Him. This verse shows us a fascinating detail from the final days of Jesus’ ministry. There was an urgency and…
Kedron and Olives After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. John 18:1 (NLT) In this passage, Jesus and His disciples make a transition that is deeply symbolic. First, they cross the Kidron Valley, a name related to the root Qeidár, which means “to…
The Power of the Blood and the Testimony And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:11 (NLT) Brothers and sisters, the book of Revelation shows us a constant spiritual battle. John…
He Was Wasting What Belonged to His Master Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money.” Luke 16:1 (NLT) In this parable, Jesus introduces us to a manager who found…
Peace at All Times and in Every Situation Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NLT) The apostle Paul gives us one of the deepest and most necessary blessings in his letter. We live in…
Alignment of Faith and Works You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. James 2:22 (NLT) A misaligned car wears out its tires faster, veers off, and drifts out of the lane when you release the steering wheel. In the same way, a Christian life in which faith…
The Blessing Belongs to Those Whose Hearts Are in Harmony with You O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. Psalm 125:4 (NLT) The psalmist teaches us that blessing belongs to those who are in harmony with God. Being in harmony speaks of being aligned with something…
They Wanted to Trap Him They wanted to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him. Luke 11:54 (NLT) In this passage, we see that the Pharisees tried to provoke Jesus with many questions. Their goal was not to learn, but to trap Him with His own words. Of course, they failed; Jesus…
He Became Indignant But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.” Luke 13:14 (NLT) In this passage, we see…