Author: David Short

Mark 10:24-25

And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Personal Challenge

We only have one avenue by which we can enter into the kingdom of Heaven. That is Jesus Christ. We so often let other things get in the way of this truth and begin to count on them as our way into Heaven. It may be our earthly wealth that we have acquired, whether money or that which we have invested our money in. It might be the knowledge that we have pursued or possibly the position that knowledge provided for us. Nonetheless these are all things of this world and will always come between us and God if we do not keep our eyes on Jesus. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Kings 22:5

Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Ask the Lord today.”

Personal Challenge

One of the characteristics of the saints in the Old Testament that are presented as true followers of God is what we see in this verse. They stop what they are doing and ask God if this is what He wants them to do. We need God to be directing our steps. We need Him to be our guide. Here is Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, refusing to make an important decision without reaching out to God first. Glory be to God!

Mark 9:49-50

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Personal Challenge

We have all encountered those times, whether in our own lives or through our relationships with others, where the question of why God allows suffering in our lives. This is a universal question and for some, a stumbling block. We must always remember that we still live in a fallen, broken world. Pain and suffering still exists here. The question is really how do we use the pain and suffering in our lives to glorify God? There are so many images of how we must go through trials to be refined. The sharpening of a knife means being ground against a stone. The refinement of precious metals means going through fire to burn off the chaff. God truly does want the best for us, and from us. He uses the trials of this fallen world to make us better and more like His Son. It is up to us to yield to the Master’s hand. Glory be to God!

1 Kings 18:17-18 (3 Kingdoms 18:17-18)

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Are you the one who is troubling Israel?” Elijah answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but rather you and the house of your father, in that you forsook the Lord your God and followed after the Baals.

Personal Challenge

Isn’t this pretty much how we are all in our lives. We do things that create consequences that we do not like. Then we immediately look to someone else to blame for our troubles. Just like Flip Wilson of old, we proclaim, “The devil made me do it.” There are always consequences for our choices. Good choices produce good consequences. Bad choices produce bad consequences. We most stop looking for others, especially God, to blame for the troubles that we are experiencing because of our own choices. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Mark 9:33-35

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Personal challenge

Oh, how often we have conversations and dialogues amongst ourselves where we pontificate on how much we know about God and His ways. Sometimes we do this in groups, face to face. Sometimes virtually in blogs, podcasts, and other means. We express the wisdom that we have acquired by our own means and hold it up as if they were words spoken by God Himself. Then Jesus comes along and asks us, “What were you discussing or disputing?” In His presence we realize that our opinions and expressions of self-gained knowledge mean nothing in the eyes of God and we go silent. Maybe it would have been much more wiser and prudent to have stayed silent all along. Jesus reminds us, even chastises us that it is better to strive to be last in line than fight for being first. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Kings 8:22-24 (3 Kingdoms 8:22-24)

You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth, and fulfilled it with Your hand, as today. Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, so long as your people guard and keep their ways to walk before Me, as you walked before Me.’ So now, O Lord God of Israel, let the word be confirmed You spoke to Your servant David my father.

Encouraging Words

One of the encouraging results of reading through the old testament is seeing how many times God makes a promise to His people and how He always follows through with fulfilling His promises. Even when the people would not hold up to their end of the bargain, God always does. This is a characteristic of God that we can hold on to. Glory be to God.

Mark 9:23-24

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Personal Challenge

There are two very important lessons in these two verses. The first is what happens in our lives. If we believe, truly believe, that Jesus is the incarnate and resurrected Son of God and that He can do anything and everything, without any doubts, then we will see that all things are possible in our lives. What kind of things? Healing. Changing of people’s hearts. Resurrections from spiritual death. Things that both Jesus and His apostles did. The second lessons is the honesty of the father proclaiming that He believed in Jesus but that he needed Jesus to help him to believe more. That is something that we can all claim in our walk with Jesus. Glory be to God!

2 Samuel 24:24 (2 Kingdoms 24:24)

Then the king said to Orna, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with something that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Personal Challenge

This is a very interesting passage in the Old Testament with a very valuable lesson for us to learn. Israel had been going through a time of plaque due to the the sins of the people and King David. David was commanded to build an altar and give a sacrifice to God to show remorse for their behavior. He went to the threshing floor owned by Orna as the place to build the altar and do the sacrifice. Orna offered the threshing floor and all the things needed to David for free. David rejected the offer and insisted that he must pay for the items. He indicated that he must not give a sacrifice that doesn’t cost him anything. The lesson for us here is that we too must be paying a price to our Lord. None of this earns our salvation. Only God can give that to us through His Son. It is our service out of gratitude for this salvation that we offer to God. If it is not given out of a loving heart and costing us a price, then it is not a sacrifice. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!