Devotionals & Poems

Posts tagged Kingdom

It’s in the soil (Parables of Jesus ...

It’s in the soil  (Parables of Jesus part thirty)

  Once again Jesus draws from agriculture to teach kingdom truth, Luke 8:4-15. The picture is that of a farmer sowing seed in his field apparently the old fashioned way scattering it by hand. The seed is the word of God so it is very good seed of which God says it “shall not return […]

A sheep or a goat? (Parables of Jesu...

A sheep or a goat?  (Parables of Jesus part twenty nine)

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus talks about the time when all nations will stand before Him to be judged using the illustration of a shepherd separating sheep and goats into separate flocks. Sheep and goats have very different demeanors; the message however that Jesus is driving across is not about sheep and goats, it is about […]

Wealth or poverty (Parables of Jesus...

Wealth or poverty  (Parables of Jesus part twenty eight)

Weather you view the story in Luke 16:19-31 as a parable or an actual event the “bottom line” remains the same. Material wealth in itself should not be viewed as a sign of God’s favor and blessing, neither should the lack thereof, in itself, be viewed as a sign of His disfavor or judgment! God […]

Never give up (Parables of Jesus par...

Never give up  (Parables of Jesus part twenty six)

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus “spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” In Luke’s account this is recorded on the heels of Jesus teaching about His return and the conditions on earth leading up to it, thus we can take encouragement to remain steadfast and not become disheartened […]

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 […]

Faithful humble service (Parables of...

Faithful humble service  (Parables of Jesus part twenty three)

Using the setting of a man with a servant Jesus gives us a lesson on faithful, humble service in Luke 17 7-10. The servant goes to the field to till the soil or tend the cattle, when he returns to his master’s house does his master say, “Come at once and sit down to eat?” […]

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 […]

Vineyard laborers (Parables of Jesus...

Vineyard laborers  (Parables of Jesus part twenty)

As we continue looking at the parables of Jesus I will again point out that while being taught using a different picture, the main take away from various ones is very similar. With the repetition of truth we see its importance, also with different settings perhaps more will understand, and to be sure it helps […]

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 […]