And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3: 18, NRSV Dear Lord, please make Your Word plain to us as we study, for Christ's sake; Amen Have you ever longed to be more Christlike?  I have.  Do you long for the day when anyone who comes in contact with you, will find it easy to fall in love with the God you serve?  I...

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD:  I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8: 10, NKJV Thank You Lord, for Your law within. Please help us to live it out to Your honor and glory.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen One definition of internalize is:  "to adopt the beliefs, values, and attitudes of others either consciously or unconsciously."  That is one word I think of whenever I...

For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.  With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you; says the LORD, your Redeemer. Isaiah 54: 7, 8 Dear Lord, I pray that You will be our teacher as we study Your holy Word.  For Christ's sake; Amen Have you ever felt as if God had abandoned you?  Do you ever feel forgotten, or deserted, by God?  Have you ever felt as if your prayers did not go any further than...

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. John 18: 36a, NKJV Dear God, as we continue studying your last words, we pray that you will continue to teach us all that is contained therein.  Amen "...He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your Son!'  Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' "  (John 19: 26, 27). My grandmother had a saying, "the same way a man lives, the same way he dies."  To a great extent, that is true.  It certainly was true in the case of Jesus.  He lived to take care of the needs of others and...

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. John 18: 36a, NKJV Heavenly Father, please bless us as we look at some of the last words spoken by Jesus just before dying.  May Your love touch our hearts, for Christ's sake.  Amen Today we will begin to look at Jesus' seven last statements.  We will try to discover what these words may have meant to believers in a first-century Mediterranean world, and what they might be saying to us today.  I am not sure about the sequence of these statements, but, thank God, the message is not dependent upon the sequence!  We will be studying...

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7: 14, NKJV Gracious God, what a wonderful promise of healing and restoration You have given us. Please help us to understand it, as fully as our minds can receive it; for Christ's sake.  Amen This verse is one of my all-time favorites!  Let us look at it together. When the first temple, often referred to as "Solomon's temple" was dedicated, the temple...

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples, that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. John 20: 18, NKJV Dear Lord, please help us to catch a glimpse of You, as we enter the study of Your Word, for Christ's sake.  Amen Yesterday, we looked at Mary Magdalene and the other Marys, as they made their way to the tomb of Jesus to face the "very large stone," that covered the door of the tomb.  Today, the gospel according to John, focuses this incident from a different angle.  It looks at Mary alone;  the other women...

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. Matthew 28: 1, 2, NKJV Heavenly Father, there are so many wonderful lessons to be learned from Your Word.  Please teach us we pray, in Jesus' name; Amen Today we continue to look for hidden gems in the story of the crucifixion.  Our eyes turn toward...

Behold I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him , and he with Me. Revelation 3: 20, NKJV Dear Lord, we pray that Your Holy Spirit will come very close, and interpret to the fullest, the message You have for us today.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen Today I would like us to look at this beautiful promise in the light of an incident that took place after Christ's resurrection.  There is a well known painting of Jesus.  I do not know the...

Then, as they , were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee..." Luke 24: 5, 6, NKJV  Dear Lord, our hearts rejoice as we enter the study of Your Word and realize that we serve a risen Savior!  In His name we pray; Amen It is Sunday, the first day of the week.  Jerusalem is still buzzing under the effect of everything that has happened in the past...