We are getting ready to enter the week of Thanksgiving. Why don't you start practice now? Count your blessings. Sincerely. Write them down and give the Lord praise for each of them. Get creative. Get specific. Take all the time you need. If you are writing specific people down, shoot them a text or give them a call and tell them that you are thankful for them. Learn to be swift in giving praise. A...

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Part of the enemy's prerogative his innerworkings of our lives to to stir ungrateful hearts in us. It is incredibly easy to become tunnel visioned at the experiences around us. Mary could have sat in a place of being amazed that Jesus simply wasn't p...

This image of Mary before Jesus, pouring out the best of what she has before Him and humbling herself to the extent that she has is a favorite of mine. I commonly consider this image when I am coming before the Lord. See what it is she has just experienced. Her brother died. Had Jesus been there, she knew her brother would live. Then something astounding happened. When Jesus got there, her brother...

Given the counter cultural points in the account of Mary pouring the spikenard on the feet of Jesus and wiping His feet with her hair, that would have absolutely stood out in this account. The example taken from this account at large would be that of humility. We see the example of Mary's humility and submission before the Lord and it contrasted with Judas' criticism.It was unfortunately common th...

There are many connections to make throughout this section. One I want to focus on is the act of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus. There are a few interesting point to note here.Firstly, when someone was anointed, it was usually the head that was anointed. Take the example of kings or priests. Oil would be poured over their heads as the act of anointing. Here, it is Jesus' feet that was anointed. ...

Do you remember last week how I said as we get nearer to the most important part of a narrative, it seems to slow down and it really zeroes in? Well this section does just that. There is a lot to unpack of very key details here.It is six days before the Passover and Jesus is at Bethany. Remember that Jesus is currently having to stay under the radar lest He be caught and killed. He does not head s...

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragr...

Given that suffering is promised, and knowing what we know about persecution around the world, our brothers and sisters overseas are in desperate need for prayer. I encourage you to take time this morning to pray for the church at large. Pray for those who are being persecuted and killed for their faith.31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who d...

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.-James 1:2-412 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that y...

Seeing how Jesus was treated for His righteous serves as an encouragement to me. As a believer, you find very quickly that people very quickly lose fondness for you in your faith. You get mistreated, talked poorly too and poorly about. You face ridicule and scrutiny from those that should be coming alongside you. Well these were the people who should have accepted Christ. They were the ones who kn...

The lesson is primarily informative but there is definitely a takeaway that Jesus iterates in just about all His comments about persecution. What we see is how Jesus is treated in light of His recent miracles. Namely, we see how He is treated for raising the dead. One would expect that everyone would be thrilled about the idea. But when that idea threatens to destroy what has already been establis...

I was listening to a teaching a while ago on the Gospel accounts. In this sermon, David Pawson went over the nature of how narrative texts like this would be written. It would start off very fast. Jesus was born, people were excited to see him and some wanted to kill him. Boom. First 13 years of Jesus' life. Then He made it to the temple and stayed there while His parents went looking for Him. The...

Let's carefully consider what is going on in this context. Jesus just got done with raising Lazarus from the dead, and now we are dealing with the results of that. Many Jews came alongside Mary and Martha to support them and mourn with them for the death of Lazarus. When Jesus shows up on the scene, they kick it off quickly with mockery. However, after the sign Jesus performed, some believed in Hi...

45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and ta...

Part of why I believe Jesus was groaning and weeping is because of the hatred of sin and death and the yearning for resurrection. Let us sit in a place of yearning for and longing for the same thing.Take 15 minutes and pray for the return of Jesus. Long for it and yearn for it. That model is set for us in Scripture. It is a healthy practice for the believer to remember the end goal.......