Read This: John 1:35-51 When something matters to me — a book I’m reading or a meaningful experience — I usually tell a friend about it. That’s how we influence each other. We share what’s important to us. In today’s passage, two young men* are following John the Baptist, who is teaching them about the Messiah. Then, […]

Read This: John 1:29-34 When someone is in the spotlight, take note of what they say. Spotlights reveal the heart. In our previous passage, John the Baptist is in the spotlight. All the people, from regular citizens to Roman soldiers, are listening to him. Even the nation’s leaders are there, trying to learn what all […]

Read This: John 1:19-28 While Jesus was being tempted by the Devil, John the Baptist faced challenges of his own. The religious leaders showed up to confront him on his activities. Anyone drawing crowds (“all the country” and “all the people of Jerusalem”) was sure to attract the attention of the Romans. Plus, John was baptizing […]

Since I’m learning to follow Jesus, I’m interested in learning from His experience with temptation. Here are a few things I noticed: 1.) The word temptation in these passages means to try, examine, or assay. It’s testing to see what’s inside. Picture holding a magnet over metal filings. They jump to the magnet. Testing is like holding […]

Read This: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13 Today’s passage begins like a horror movie. A man, alone in a desolate place, encounters the most evil creature who ever lived. Satan. Yet, it wasn’t anything like that. The man in the story is the Creator of the universe. He even created this creature, and has complete […]