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…
His Faith Grew Stronger Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. Romans 4:20-22 (NLT) The apostle Paul reminds…
No Flies “If you refuse to let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and all the houses of Egypt. The Egyptian homes will be filled with flies, and the ground will be covered with them. But on that day I will give special treatment to the…
Oppression “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.’” Exodus 6:6 (NLT) The people of Israel lived under the oppression of Egypt, carrying…
Rod and Hand Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. Exodus 4:2 (NLT) When God called Moses to deliver His people, He did not ask him to have all the resources in the world or to possess extraordinary knowledge. He only asked what he had in…
When He Received the Message So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to…
Establish, Prosper, and Grow Meanwhile, the people of Israel settled in the region of Goshen in Egypt. There they acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly. Genesis 47:27 (NLT) The people of Israel experienced three steps that marked their destiny: first they established themselves in a land, then they prospered, and…