Healing Follows Forgiveness
Read: Matthew 9:1-8 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . (v. 6) There are times in my life when I’ve had to forgive someone who hurt me. There are other times when I’ve received the gift of forgiveness from someone I hurt. But I’ve never forgiven […]
A Miracle of Deliverance
Read: Mark 5:1-15 They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man . . . sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. (v. 15) Have you ever felt divided against yourself, unable to accept constraint, even wanting to end your life? Maybe you have, or maybe you know someone who has felt this way. […]
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Read: Matthew 8:16-17; Isaiah 53 He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. (v. 16) To fully understand Jesus’s miracles we have to go beyond a simple retelling of the events. In performing miracles, Jesus was fulfilling the word of God’s prophet Isaiah. Long before Jesus was born, Isaiah told […]
Iran in the Bible
Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about Iran? In Bible times, present day Iran was called Persia. While today, Iran is ruled by an Islamic government that persecutes Christianity, in Bible times the rulers of Persia came to respect the God of the Israelites. The Old Testament In the Old […]
Authority Underlies Power
Read: Matthew 8:5-13 The centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (v. 8) It’s clear from the Bible that Jesus worked miracles because of his power and his authority. It’s not just upbringing or theological education that produces […]
The Unclean Made Clean
Read: Matthew 8:1-4 Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. (v. 2 NIV) Do you know what it is to be an outcast, someone no one wants in their company, shunned by everyone? The man with leprosy came to Jesus as an outcast from all people. He wasn’t just sick. According to the […]
What My Father Is Doing
Read: John 5:1-21 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (v. 19) We live under the rule of a cosmic God, exerting his power through […]
Bibles for Iran
Every year, Words of Hope smuggles thousands of Bibles inside the country of Iran. In order to get Bibles into the country, Kurdish smugglers carry them on their backs over the mountains that border Iran. Often the Bibles are packaged alongside other contraband items like cigarettes and alcohol. Once inside the country, Words of Hope […]
The Unplanned Miracle
Read: John 2:1-11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (v. 11) Is your life a succession of ordinary events, just one thing after another? Do they have anything to do with God? In today’s reading, John takes us to a […]