heart of Jesus

Good Deeds

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.“ – Matthew 5:16 During the Christmas season, we are led to reflect more on the heart of Jesus. Jesus’ good deeds included healing the sick, and having mercy and compassion for others. He also had fellowship with people who society deemed as undesirable to associate with. One young man of good deeds born in 270 AD was Nicholas of Barre, an Ionian Greek. He was a Christian at the time Rome was crucifying Christians, burning them alive and feeding them to lions. He devoted his life to God and simply wanted to bring joy and happiness to people, even though life was so dark and challenging for Christians. He tried many ways to do this, and then something happened — his parents tragically died and left him

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Enduring Injustice

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” – Colossians 3:22 Throughout the course of history, many people have read the verse above and taken it out of context. It’s horrifying to think that before the Civil War, pastors were using this passage in Colossians to teach that God condones slavery. However, nothing could be further from the truth! Satan loves to take the Word of the Lord and twist it into something evil, after all, what better way to deceive than to cloak darkness in light? The reality of these verses is that the Apostle Paul is teaching us how to endure a bad lot in life, even if what is being done to us goes against the heart of Jesus.  Slavery is not

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Loftiness Doesn’t Equal Leadership

“Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.” – 1 Kings 16:33 No conversation about Jezebel (who we looked at yesterday) would be complete without an examination of Ahab, her husband, who turned out to be one of Israel’s most wicked kings. Though he ascended to power in the land that the Lord gave to His people as a sign of covenant love, his pride and arrogance led him down a path of corruption that ultimately impacted everyone under his rule. In spite of being given the title of “king,” his foolishness in allowing his wife to influence an entire nation by willfully promoting the worship of Baal proved that he was not suited for the job. He had a place of position but a total lack of wisdom.

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Do You Plan for Succession?

“When a land transgresses, it gains a succession of leaders, but with an understanding and knowledgeable man, its stability endures.” – Proverbs 28:2 (ISV) Today, I want to look at the second of three questions we’re wise to ask ourselves if we want to lead with the heart of Jesus, and that is — are we planning for our succession? From the very beginning of His ministry, our Lord was training others to take His place. He told His disciples that they would do greater things than He did because He was going to His Father. In other words, since He knew He was leaving the earth, He invited them to step up and accomplish even more — to build on the foundation that He laid. Likewise, as we seek to lead in our modern world, we’re wise to consider how we’re equipping those who come behind us. If we’re a

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