365 Reflections

John 7:44–46 (ESV) Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” This is an amazing moment that we often breeze by in our reading. The chief priests and Pharisees wanted to arrest Jesus so they sent a guard to seize him. But they came back empty handed. Why? Because His teaching was that astonishing. His teaching was that powerful.  This is an incredible example of the power of God's Word. It can change the hardest of hearts who hear it. Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The Psalmist rightly declared the power of the Lord's Word. Psalm 29:4–5 (NLT)   The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. 5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of L...

And he answered them,  "To you it has been given to know  the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:11 When you read Jesus' teaching in Matthew 13 on the parables of the kingdom, it is astonishing.  And I thought about it this week.  If Jesus had never taught what He taught 2000 years ago, where would we be? Think about it.  There has not arisen a greater teacher since.  No one's teaching has had the far reaching impact of Jesus.  How often - being raised around this teaching, hearing sermons about it, knowing it, going over it again and again - how often have I taken for granted these wonderful words of life!  Instruction of the highest form.  The SECRETS of the KINGDOM of HEAVEN have been given to me.  I am undone. The Songs that have been written about Him, or quoted the Words from Him. The quotes used in plays, movies, and dramas across the span of human history. The number of people ...