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Jesus in Hell
2008/04/14
Jon Walker
Jesus spent three days in hell. He spent three days in hell in
order to bring us home with him.
He spent three days in hell because he loved you more than the
human mind will ever be able to comprehend.
We often talk about the crucifixion, and we often talk about the
resurrection – but it’s rare that we talk about how Jesus was “in
the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” (Matthew
12:40, HCSB)
Gary Wills, in his book, What Jesus Meant, writes about a time
when his young son woke up from a violent nightmare. Wills held
the boy and asked why the nightmare had been so frightening. His
son said, “I dreamed I was in hell.” Then he asked, “Do you think
I’m going to hell?”
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Developing Confidence By Losing
Confidence
2008/04/11
Jon Walker
The secret to living with confidence is to be confident in God’s
compassion and power. He is the Almighty and everlasting God, and
his power and compassion are unlimited. We gain confidence by
developing confidence in God and letting go of confidence in ourselves.
When we think we have to do it on our own, or when we think we
are doing it on our own, we stand on an uncertain foundation,
like the man who built his house upon the sand. No matter how
confident we are in ourselves, eventually the rains will come,
washing away our self-confidence.
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Burned-Out On Religion?
2008/04/10
Jon Walker
Jesus might have asked: “Aren’t you tired and burned-out on all
that religious stuff? Look, come walk with me, and I’ll help you
recover your life – your real purpose – and even though it will
require some hard, very hard work, you’ll be energized by it
because you’ll be living life to its fullest. You’ll be doing
exactly what my Father created you to do, and more importantly,
you’ll be exactly who I want you to be.”
In taking on the Jesus-yoke, he is asking us to join the school
of Christ. In ancient times, when a student studied under a
specific teacher, it would be said that the student took on the
teacher’s yoke; the student was yoked to the master.
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Love Is Fruit, Not Root
2008/04/09
Jon Walker
Our love for others is the fruit, not the root, of our
relationship with God. The Apostle John taught that our love for
others emerges from our relationship with God, that anyone who is
born of God and knows God will love with the love of God. (1 John
4:7, NLT)
In a sense, you could say the process of sanctification – the
movement toward becoming like Jesus – involves the Eternal One’s
love cleaning the clutter you’ve stuffed into the cupboards
hidden inside you. God strides confidently through the dust and
the grime that builds up because of our sin, and he throws open
the shades and wipes down the windows until we “shine like stars
in the world.” (Philippians 2:15, HCSB)
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Neighborly Compassion
2008/04/08
Jon Walker
If you had to boil all of the commandments of God down to no more
than a sentence, Jesus confirmed it would read something like
this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength,
and mind, and also love your neighbor as yourself.
Once again, we see the connection between our love for God and
our love for others. We see the connection between the compassion
we receive from God and the compassion we extend to our
neighbors.
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Lavish Compassion
2008/04/07
Jon Walker
Being a prodigal means you’re wastefully extravagant. Look up the
word in the dictionary and you’re likely to see a picture of the
prodigal son sitting in the mud sharing a meal with pigs – the
four-legged kind. He’s dining with swine because he’s blown
through his entire inheritance and only has some tattered clothes
to show for it.
Yet, the older brother in the story argues that the father is the
real prodigal. He complains that his father is being wastefully
extravagant with his inconsiderate little brother.
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In Pursuit Of Fairness
2008/04/04
Jon Walker
My kids are obsessed with fairness. They argue over who gets the
biggest piece, who gets to play the computer game longest, who
gets to sit next to the window. I suspect your children or the
children you know are the same way.
One night during dinner, my kids were arguing over who would get
the last slice of pizza and out popped the oft repeated phrase,
“That’s not fair!”
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The Forgotten Gift
2008/04/03
Jon Walker
One day a disciple of Jesus receives one million dollars as a
gift, designated to help the poor. The disciple is thankful for
the gift and begins making plans for a ministry to those in need.
A year goes by, and the gift-giver returns, joyfully asking,
“Tell me how you used the gift to serve God. Have people come to
know Jesus through the ministry you were able to start with the
money?”
Confused, the disciple of Jesus asks, “What gift?”
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The Captivity Of Discontent
2008/04/02
Jon Walker
The Apostle Paul, who was blessed with great privileges – but
also beaten and stripped of everything he had – taught that true
contentment must be learned: “I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret
of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or
hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12,
NIV)
He teaches that God gives us strength to be content. This is an
important spiritual truth to learn because if wealth, good looks,
or the seemingly perfect spouse brought lasting contentment, then
Hollywood would be filled with some of the most content and happy
people on earth. But it’s not.
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Jesus Prays For You
2008/04/01
Jon Walker
During the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for himself, and then he
prayed for the disciples.
And then, with the hour of his death approaching, he took the
time to pray for you. He prayed for all those who would believe
through the ministry of the disciples, and that means you.
Jesus prayed for you, and this is what he said to God:
“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me
through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are
in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world
may believe You sent Me.”
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Leaving To Go Home
2008/03/31
Jon Walker
Jesus fed the 5,000, and then Jesus walked on water. He showed
the disciples that, with a mustard-seed faith, they too could
step onto, and not into, the water, like Peter taking baby steps
toward Jesus.
But then Jesus said he was the Bread of Life – that his ministry
wasn’t about giving the faithful a free lunch, all the food and
miracles anyone could ever want. “Don’t come to me for what you
can get,” Jesus explained. “Come to me because I am the One.”
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A Toddler’s First Steps
2008/03/28
Jon Walker
The disciples are over a mile from shore as a violent storm moves
across the Sea of Galilee. All eyes are on a ghostly figure
walking toward their boat. And then Jesus, walking on the water,
says, “It is I.”
Bold and brash, Peter says, “Lord, if it is you, then command me
to come to you on the water!”
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Jesus Or The Boat?
2008/03/27
Jon Walker
Jesus needed time to refresh and so he sent his disciples on
ahead, across the Sea of Galilee in one of their fishing boats.
But storms sweep across this inland sea like tornados that emerge
from nowhere.
And now the disciples were in a fight with the Goliath-like forces
of nature. Some of the disciples were fishermen. They understood
the danger, and so they fought the storm long and hard, but made
little headway.
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Just Getting Along?
2008/03/26
Jon Walker
The Bible doesn’t tell us to just get along with other believers.
Even the worst of enemies can bury their differences for a short
time and be cordial toward one another for a mutual goal or
benefit.
But God calls us to a higher standard: “Make me truly happy by
agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and
working together with one heart and purpose.” (Philippians 2:2
NLT)
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The “God-Chip” Empowerment
2008/03/25
Jon Walker
God empowers you to successfully do everything he asks to do. He
gives you abilities to use in service to others, and he
transforms you inwardly with a growing desire to serve others.
The Holy Spirit within gives you the ability to tune into God, to
hear him, to listen to him – and to talk with him. Please hear
this: he didn’t create you for failure; he created you to succeed
with the Holy Spirit energizing your abilities and empowering
your efforts.
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A Mere Human View
2008/03/24
Jon Walker
Jesus says we should think like He thinks – with a heavenly
perspective above and beyond mere human thinking.
This doesn’t mean we become mindless robots; rather, our thoughts
should begin to match the thoughts of God as His Spirit works
within us, helping us to look at people and circumstances from
his perspective: “From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a
purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human
way, yet now we no longer know Him like that.” (2 Corinthians
5:16, HCSB)
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Trust Me, I’m A Reporter
2008/03/21
Jon Walker
There is an old joke among journalists about a beginning reporter
sent to do a story about a town meeting. He comes back a few
hours later with sooty smudges on his face, and he tells his
editor that there’s nothing to report about the meeting.
The editor asks why, and the young reporter says the meeting
never took place because the town hall burned to the ground. And
wiping the soot from his face, he says, “Some of us barely got
out with our lives!”
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Give Flowers Or A Life-Long
Love?
2008/03/20
Jon Walker
He cradled the roses in his left arm like a running back carries
a football (U.S.). He debated with himself over which would be
best: a solitary rose or a dozen roses wrapped with baby’s
breath. He went for the dozen, thinking the more, the better when
you’re trying to tip the scales back toward the “nice guy” side.
So he carried 12 deep-red roses just on the edge of a beautiful
bloom. They’d cost him plenty, but that’s the price you have to
pay when you let someone down. Today was their anniversary. There
were dinner plans, a night of romance, whispered words, tender
kisses...
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Wash And Rinse Faith
2008/03/19
Jon Walker
Good afternoon, Mr. Watson, it’s so good to see you again. How is
the washing machine working out for you? What’s that? Let me make
sure I understand: You’re saying it isn’t working properly!
Okay, okay, no worries -- here at the Appliance and Bible
Application Center, we pride ourselves on being able to support
our customers. So, tell me what’s wrong. Ah, there’s the problem,
Mr. Watson. Your expectations are too high!
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Is Jesus Capable To Manage Your
Life?
2008/03/08
Jon Walker
It’s been my experience that whenever there is a change of
leadership, people get nervous. It could be a new boss replacing
another, bringing in a different set of procedures to replace the
ones that are well-worn and familiar.
It could be a change of leadership in the government. Will the
new people in power change things for the better or for worse?
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Polar Bear Theology
2008/03/17
Jon Walker
When the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was a boy, he and his friends
started the White Polar Bear Club. There was only one requirement
for becoming a member – you had to sit on a stool in the corner
and not think about a white polar bear for thirty minutes.
You can imagine the difficulty of meeting this entrance
requirement, particularly if you sat there thinking, I must not
think about a white polar bear; I must not think about a white
polar bear. No matter what I do, I must not think about a white
polar bear.
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In Sync With God’s Spirit
2008/03/14
Jon Walker
Your soul is who you are on the inside. When you become a
believer, God’s Spirit breathes new life into your soul, making
you a new creation in Christ. His Spirit becomes an anchor to
your soul, a steadfast force working within you so that you’re no
longer pushed about by events, circumstances, or even your
feelings - instead your life is controlled by the Spirit of God
within you.
The Holy Spirit helps you mature as a believer, prompting you to
obey and trust God’s guidance. God wants your soul so in sync
with His Spirit that you act as one with Him, serving others on
His behalf.
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A Hedge Of Thorns
2008/03/13
Jon Walker
We run from God; He calls us back. We hide from God; He seeks us
out. We chase false gods; He reminds us He is the One True God,
and He guards us jealously.
In order to illustrate his faithfulness and patience with us, God
chose a prostitute named Gomer. Many men came to see her, but
then one came, not to use her, but to marry her.
He was a prophet from God; a holy man committed to pure and
righteous living. He came saying God wanted him to marry her. You
can imagine the shock, the laughter – and the mixed-up feelings.
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Blind Truth
2008/03/12
Jon Walker
When Jesus healed a man born blind, the Pharisees opened an
investigation to determine exactly what had happened. Yet, it
appears they decided ahead of time what the answer should be, so
when the facts didn’t support their predetermined conclusion,
they just kept searching until they found facts they liked.
The Apostle John shows us a sequence of snapshots related to the
Pharisee’s investigation:
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Jesus Sent, The Blind Man Went
2008/03/11
Jon Walker
And so Jesus came upon a man who’d been blind since birth. The
man was begging on the streets of Jerusalem, just to survive
until the next day. Although people were all around him, he sat
in isolation. No one could truly understand his fears and his
frustrations; People passed by, some even spoke to him, some even
gave him money, but no one could really understand his situation.
Just then, a man knelt next to him and, perhaps, said quietly,
“If you do exactly what I tell you to do, you’ll be able to see.
I will heal you.”
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Jesus Heals A Man Born Blind
2008/03/10
Jon Walker
It was a frustrating situation, and I was looking for some | | | | | | |