Blog: January 2023

Jim Rhodes has written a book entitled Come and See, and he's releasing it online a chapter at a time.  So far, chapters 1-5 are available--you can read them here.  Several more chapters are on their way, and Jim aims to have the whole book posted sometime this spring. I hope you put other things aside and make time to read this encouraging book.  If you do, I think you'll agree that the Lord has led his servant Jim on some remarkable adventures.  But even more, I think you'll recognize that God is a great and loving Lord who is up to all ...

In our study of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness last Sunday (Matthew 4:1-11), I said this:  "The story of Achilles, the Greek warrior, is that his armor was complete, covered his whole body—he looked invincible:  except for his heel.  And that’s where the arrow struck, and it took his life.  So too, Satan aims at your weakness." So too, it was when Jesus had endured a LONG fast and was hungry that the Tempter tried to entice him into turning the stones to bread.  "Food is good, you're hungry, eat!" In his thoughtful and practical ...

Last Sunday we “watched” Jesus demonstrate how to wield the sword of the Spirit (i.e., the Word of God, Ephesians 3:17) against the Tempter, the Devil.  Repeatedly Jesus responded to the Enemy’s enticements by saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:1-11):  God has spoken, and his Word is perfect, authoritative, and final.  “Satan, be gone!” In 1652, Pastor Thomas Brooks wrote a book to encourage believers to stand firm against the Devil’s schemes: Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices. In it he lists dozens of ploys the Tempter uses to try ...

If you’re a parent or a spouse, there’s a strong likelihood that at some point you have had to say the same thing to the same person over and over to get your point across. Some things are so important they are worth repeating. And some people are so quick to forget, we must repeat. In Jeremiah 31, there is a phrase that is repeated by the Lord to the hearer of these words. The phrase, “the LORD’s declaration” occurs 10 times in these 40 verses. These words even appear at times in the middle of a thought or sentence, uniquely placed to ...

So far in Matthew, we’ve seen a deep, continuous dependence on the Old Testament.  And in 4:1-11, Jesus says three times, “It is written.”  How can we follow his lead and honor God’s Word? Schedule daily Bible reading.  Otherwise it won’t happen. Follow a Bible reading plan.  Don’t just flip to a random page, and don’t just keep rehashing a handful of favorite verses.  Study it all, and see how God’s whole story comes together. Take up the Scriptures with a humble heart and teach­able spirit:  “Lord, show me the log in my own eye” ...

Imagine this for a moment: It’s late Saturday night, and you’ve been out of the house all day. You’ve gone from place to place with more to do than seemed possible when you looked at all of it on the calendar. You’ve just returned home and sat down for dinner. Suddenly you remember that tomorrow is Sunday. You quickly recall that you are scheduled to serve with preschoolers tomorrow morning, your small group is having lunch together after church, and you are yet to plan out this upcoming week—which is just as packed as your weekend has been....

When we began our venture into Matthew’s Gospel in November, I mentioned a number of events and teachings that are recorded there only.  Knowing what’s unique to any one of the four Gospels helps us get a sense for that writer’s priorities.  So, in an effort to feel the pulse of his Gospel, let’s note that only Matthew… Gives us Joseph’s perspective on the Christmas story. Tells about “wise men” from afar coming to worship Jesus. Reports Herod’s rage and the “slaughter of the innocents.” Says ten times, “This took place to fulfill” OT ...

Peace and security are words often heard in the whirlwind of our news cycles. They are used as ideas or desires that require work to achieve. They are used in the negative sense of not being a current reality. They are used as the aim, answer, or solution to the world’s problems. Though the idea of peace and security are not foreign to our vernacular, they are most certainly foreign to much of our world’s reality. It is hard to find a pocket of the earth that might be described with these terms. Rather, what is most found is chaos and f ...

As we walk with Jesus through Matthew’s pages, it’s good to be aware of God’s life-transforming touch upon the Gospel-writer’s life—and it was quite a touch!  You see, before he met Jesus, Matthew (also known as Levi) was a tax collector (9:9; 10:3). When you hear the words, “tax collector,” don’t imagine a desk job with the IRS or a neighborhood office of H&R Block.  Envision, instead, an opportunistic, greedy, corrupt, back-stabbing neighbor working for Rome to make a major profit off of his Jewish kinsmen.  Not surprisingly, then, tax ...