Devotionals & Poems

Posts tagged Hope

Broken bottles (Parables of Jesus pa...

Broken bottles  (Parables of Jesus part twenty five)

Today we continue looking at Jesus response to a question regarding religious observances found in Matthew 9:16-17, where in verse 17 He brings us to the same conclusion as verse 16, but using a different metaphor; here He draws from the ancient process of winemaking. The bottles were made of leather or skin and Jesus […]

The wedding feast (Parables of Jesus...

The wedding feast  (Parables of Jesus part twenty two)

In Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus in this story likens the kingdom of heaven to a king whose son was to be married and many were invited to the reception, but those invited took it lightly and refused to come putting their own interests ahead of the kings invitation, even treating the messengers who brought the invitation […]

Lost and found (Parables of Jesus pa...

Lost and found  (Parables of Jesus part twenty one)

In Luke 15:8-10 Jesus uses the scenario of a woman that has lost a valuable silver coin. The message in this parable is exactly the same as that of the preceding one about the lost sheep, but using a different picture, the “or” in verse 8 clearly indicating this. Such coins were “often worn in […]

The story of two houses (Parables of...

The story of two houses  (Parables of Jesus part nineteen)

In Matthew 7:24-27 and the parallel account of Luke 6:48-49 Jesus likens us to one of two houses, one built on a solid rock foundation, the other hastily, perhaps thoughtlessly, built on shifting sand. The first withstood the storm and the flood, while the second differing only in its foundation was destroyed by the same […]

A lesson from the trees (Parables of...

A lesson from the trees  (Parables of Jesus part seventeen)

Matthew 24 (along with the parallel chapters of Mark 13 and Luke 21) is one of the very important portions of Scripture dealing with the “last days” where Jesus tells us conditions and things that would be happening on earth just before and leading up to His return. He begins by predicting the destruction of […]

The valued pearl (Parables of Jesus ...

The valued pearl  (Parables of Jesus part sixteen)

Jesus often used parables emphasizing the same truth but from a different viewpoint; perhaps this way more people would understand these truths, then too, repetition of a thing emphasizes its importance. Today we are returning to Matthew 13:44-46 where in our previous meditation we noted two parables pertaining to the value of the kingdom of […]

Hidden treasure (Parables of Jesus p...

Hidden treasure  (Parables of Jesus part fifteen)

In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus gives us two examples in parable illustrating the superior value of the kingdom of heaven. In verse 44 He likens “the kingdom of heaven (to) treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys […]

Faithfulness (Parables of Jesus part...

Faithfulness  (Parables of Jesus part eleven)

In Matthew 25:14-30 is one of Jesus “the kingdom of heaven is like” parables. Here He tells the story of a wealthy householder with several servants; calling them, he put them in charge of his affairs while he himself went to a distant country, possibly to conduct some sort of business. They were not all […]

“Growing seed” (Parables of Jesus pa...

“Growing seed”  (Parables of Jesus part six)

God has so arranged it that the natural and spiritual work parallel to each other. With the people of Israel being very familiar with the process of agriculture and livestock, Jesus often used parables from these to teach the spiritual truths of the kingdom of God. In Mark 4:26-29 He speaks of one scattering or […]

The great banquet (Parables of Jesus...

The great banquet  (Parables of Jesus part five)

Another parable of Jesus is recorded in Luke 14:16-24 where He tells the story of a host that was giving a great banquet; the custom was that the invitations would be sent out in advance and when the feast was ready a notice would be sent out. His friends had received the invitation, apparently accepted […]