Monthly Archives: July 2012

RE Verse reading–Matthew 25:31-46 (day two)  “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another”  (vs 32)  The future will reveal two facts.  We are all the same but different in one eternally significant respect.  Jesus saw the day when all nations would be gathered before him.  Every person.  Made in His image.  Accountable. EVERY [...]

RE Verse reading–Matthew 25:31-46 (day one)  ”To the extent you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to me”( vs 40)  Historically, there have been two main ways to interpret Matt 25.  One view takes “these brothers of Mine” to mean the poor generally.  Christ’s [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 (day seven) “No one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age–houses, brothers and sisters and mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions–and [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 “When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving” (vs 22)  “He didn’t run” may be the highest compliment.  One of my tasks as a leader, and human, is to see problems, seek the Lord and then be willing to pay the price of a solution.  Courage x 3.  Hard to [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 (day five)  ”Good Teacher, what must I DO to inherit eternal life?”  (vs 17)  It is fairly common to hear the RYR criticized for his question.  To some it indicates his spiritual confusion.  Didn’t he know that we are not saved by works of righteousness but by faith?  (see Ephesians 2:9) [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 (day four)  “Jesus looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing’ ” (vs 21)  Really good news.  When we are selfish and blind to the fact that we are selfish, the Lord is generous.  When we do not love as we should, the Lord still loves us.  The [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 (day three)  “Why do you call me good?  No one is good by God alone”  (vs 18)  The Lord is not brushing aside a compliment.  He is not quibbling over choice of words.  He is pursuing this man, pressing him forward to a deeper understanding of God and himself. He is [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 (day two)  “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me”  (vs 21)  It will be SOMETHING for everyone.  One thing that I hope I can hold onto and still have Christ.  One concession that [...]

RE Verse reading–Mark 10:17-31 (day one) “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (vs 21)  The rich young ruler (our name for this man) did not understand.  Perhaps we would have been similarly confused.  To sell and give were [...]

RE Verse reading–Luke 12:13-21, 16:19-31, James 5:1-6 (day seven)  As we near the end of our summer series on generosity, our task is to learn the lessons the Lord has for us in these terrible, poignant stories.  No one in this present generation can listen to Christ (His words re. money and its use) without [...]