“Then a demon-oppressed
man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the
man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, ‘Can this be
the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is
only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.’
Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, ‘Every
kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided
against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided
against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out
demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be
your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a
strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?
Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against
me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of
Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.’”
(Matthew 12:22-32 ESV) [1]
Thursday, October 24, 2024
A House Divided
Monday, October 21, 2024
God is Our Strength
"When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
(Psalm 73:21-26 ESV) [1]
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Believe in God's Son
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. So we have these three witnesses— the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.
And this is what God has
testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”
(1John 5:1-12 NLT) [1]
“If you openly declare that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made
right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are
saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be
disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have
the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For ‘Everyone
who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’” (Romans 1:9-13 NLT) [2]