Text: Exodus 10:27-11:8
Synopsis: The first nine plagues sent against Pharaoh and Egypt were the river turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain of beasts, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. It was an almost comical situation up to this point - though annoying, none of the plagues was life-threatening. However, after Pharaoh grew tired of the game everything turned deadly serious. Pharaoh chose to discontinue the contact with Moses, resulting in the devastating plague of the deaths of the firstborn children.
Some “play church” today, much like Pharaoh did with Moses, for a time. It is dangerous, however, to reach a place where you no longer want to see or hear the preached Word from the man of God.
Click here to listen.
Text: I Kings 17:1-16
Synopsis: Even though the widow of Zarephath and her son faced certain death from starvation during a severe drought, she obeyed the voice of God in supplying food and water to Elijah, the prophet of God. Because of her faith, Elijah promised her that the cooking oil she had left would not run dry until the drought ended.
Often God challenges our faith, even when we feel that we have reached the end of our rope. It’s then that He asks us to let go and trust Him. No matter what spiritual drought we may be enduring, we have His assurance that the oil of the Holy Ghost will not fail us until the rains return to our life.
Click here to listen.
Text: Matthew Luke 1:5-17
Synopsis: In spite of the fact that God had not spoken through a prophet for 400 years, Zacharias continued to fulfill his priestly duties. His faith and devotion was not based upon the miraculous or an audible word from God. He was rewarded by a visit from an angel and the prophecy that his son would be the forerunner of the Messiah. From his experience, we can learn that we should continue faithfully in the field God has called us to while we await specific direction for our lives.
Click here to listen.
Text: Matthew 26:36-45
Synopsis: The disciples of Jesus could not tarry with Him one hour in prayer. At its core, their problem was simply that they did not see the need. We live in rushed and hectic world – but do we need Jesus enough to slow down and wait for Him? Do we need Him enough to spend time with Him?
Click here to listen.
The fifth chapter of the book of Isaiah tells the story of a man who planted a vineyard on a very fertile hillside. He took care to fence it in to protect it from pests, cleared away any stones, and planted the best seedlings. In other words, he did everything within his power to ensure that the vineyard would produce a healthy harvest. In the end, however, rather than produce the best grapes, the vineyard produced “wild” (common) grapes. In other words, they were ordinary; there was nothing special about them. In short, they were not an adequate return on his investment. He gave them the best he had and they returned mediocrity to him.
The end of the story is that the dresser of the vineyard decided to abandon his work. He determined to take away the protective hedge and wall and allow the ground to go untended. He even went so far as to prophesy a drought!
How much are we returning on the investment God has made in us? What fruit are we producing, worthy of the sacrifice He made to save our souls?