I want to make a comment about miracles. I'm reading a book called " The Top 100 Miracles of the Bible " by Pamela McQuade.  I'm using it like a devotional - reading a miracle or two a day.  The miracles are noted in Biblical order, not ranking them by the least to the best, or most important. Looking at it this way, I'm seeing a lot of miracles that I have only skimmed over in past readings.  The Top 100 Miracles of the Bible   By Pamela McQuade / Barbour Publishing What's your favorite miracle in the Bible? You'll find it here in these brief, easy-to-understand devotions. Readings feature entertaining and thought-provoking sketches with insights and applications for 21st-century believers. From creation to the exorcism of "Legion," from an unending oil supply to an overabundance of loaves and fishes---you'll witness God's intervention and glory ! 192 pages, softcover from Barbour. Some of the ones I've skimmed or not tak...

Well, Jesus wasn't only human but he was human too.  If you want to see part of that, read the story of the first miracle at the wedding at Cana. The one I'm reading today is John 2:1-25 .  I love this story. It is a wedding celebration, much different from now. The feast could last a long time, days instead of hours. I wonder if the "better" ones lasted the longest. If that's the case, we don't want to run out of food or drink.  That is just like our wedding celebrations - (receptions).  We don't want to run out of anything until we want people to go home. Plenty of food, drinks, music, etc. ....until it is over, or the hosts want it over. Anyway, as we read the story, we are at the wedding feast. Jesus is there. His mother is there We don't know if any other family members are there.  We also don't know whose wedding it is. The disciples are there. We don't know how many but this is the day after Jesus called Andrew, Peter, Nathanael, and...

John 6:22-30   The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone..... Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that...

Luke 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. I read this as part of the Bible Study we are doing. The study is on Miracles and their purpose. In this case, the miracles are for pointing to Jesus as God's chosen who we should listen to and respect. When I read this the last phrase stuck out.  Remember those exercises in grade school where we were supposed to pick the object or thing that didn't fit with the rest of the list?  Well, this last phrase struck me as something that didn't fit with the rest. The blind seeing, the lame walking, healings, deaf hearing, and the dead living are without a doubt miracles.  But what about good news being preached to the poor?  How does that fit with the rest?  My only original guess is that it is one of the prophesy ...

We are studying Miracles - I've already mentioned that in an earlier post .   I just completed my first pass at doing this week's lesson which is about the parting of the Red Sea. Then I picked up another study I was doing with another group of people called Fruit of the Spirit . The rest of the group has already completed the study but I wanted to do it anyway. The "fruit" for this lesson is self-control.  This is one I would have liked to do with other people. I think this is one of the fruits I'm most lacking!! Anyway, the lesson uses 1 Samuel 26 to illustrate self-control. David has the opportunity to kill Saul, who'd been pursuing him relentlessly. David exhibits an extreme amount of self-control when he chooses not to kill Saul and not to let his comrade kill him either. You see, they sneak into Saul's camp full of 6000 of Saul's chosen men and steal Saul's water jug and spear that were near Saul's head.  Saul was sleeping in the cent...

On Tuesday, I wrote a post about Psalm 71 saying that we are to pass along what we know about God to the next generation.  On Wednesday, the post was from Ezekiel saying that we should continue to pass along God's love and our knowledge of Him regardless of whether anyone listens or not.  Then I read Hebrews 2:1-4. " We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." Now to be really honest about this, I didn't see the connection, until I looked at the Bible Study we are starting on Miracles . One of the questions ...