Browsing Tag:

Jesus Draws Near

In Bible Study, Blog, John on
October 17, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Sinner

Have you ever been filled with so much guilt and shame over your sin that you wondered how God could ever forgive you?

I know I have.

Several years ago, I went through a season filled with severe shame over the temptations and sins I was struggling with. I was drowning in guilt and the depression that came with it. I was consumed by my failures and shortcomings, and I would rehearse them over and over in my head, day in and day out until I began to question God’s mercy, God’s love, and God’s forgiveness. How could a righteous, all-powerful God show me mercy? How could a holy, all-knowing God love me? How could a just, sovereign God forgive me, especially when I continued to sin daily?

I’m sure you’ve had one of these seasons. All Christians do at some point during their journey of faith. How can we overcome this shame that threatens to suffocate us, this guilt over past (or present) sin? We can discover this answer in John 8, where Jesus encounters a guilty, shame-filled woman.

Read more
By
/
In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
September 19, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Lost

Zacchaeus was a wee, little man, and a wee, little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.

If you grew up going to Sunday School or attending a Christian school, you’ve probably heard and sung this song before. The happy tune tells the biblical story of Zacchaeus, a strangely short man who wanted to see Jesus so much that he climbed up a tree.

However, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Zacchaeus was man who was lost, ostracized in his own community, desperate for hope and spiritual healing, and Jesus met him right where he was—yes, in a sycamore tree. If we want to know Zacchaeus’s story—the whole story—we must go back to Luke 19.

Read more
By
/
In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
August 21, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Children

We live in a culture that despises children. In 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle vowed to not have more than two children in an effort to fight overpopulation and climate change. This promise was applauded by mainstream media and society, and they were even given an award with a $695 prize for their “enlightened decision.”[1]

Harry and Meghan are not the only couple who has pledged to limit their number of children or to even never have children at all. Those who do get unexpectedly pregnant are often told that the child inside their womb will only ruin their lives and are paid to get rid of it, even if it requires them to cross state lines to do so. Many women who do carry their children to term participate in what has been dubbed “toxic mommy culture,” where they regularly complain about, curse at, and try to get away from their kids (and for some reason, always need a glass of wine to get through the day). And the kids who somehow survived climate hysteria, abortion, and toxic mommy culture are often indoctrinated in radical gender and sexuality ideology in what they read in picture books, what they watch on TV, and what they’re taught in the classroom.

Like I said, our culture no longer appears to value children. To our society, children are only good for what they can do for them or their cause or their agenda. In all honesty, our view of children is not all that different from that of ancient Israel when Jesus walked on this earth.

Read more
By
/
In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
July 16, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Anxious

We live in a fast-paced world. We’re always busy, busy, busy—jumping from one thing to the next, scrambling to get everything done in time. I know I can relate! My days are so full of working, and writing, and reading, and many other things that some days it feels like I barely have two seconds to stop and take a breath.

Because our lives are so anxious, and busy, and chaotic, we often neglect the tasks that we deem not as important, which sometimes, unfortunately, includes reading the Bible and praying. We all know that reading our Bibles and praying to God are important. But life happens. We have research papers due at 11:59, dirty diapers that need to be changed, reports that need to be turned in first thing. We have early mornings and late nights, and there’s so much going on that those dusty little Bibles on our nightstands just slip from our minds.

This forgetfulness can leave us feeling guilty or ashamed, but we need not lose hope. We can actually be encouraged because the truth is Jesus does not condemn us for forgetting these important daily disciplines. In fact, He does the complete opposite. He draws near to us.

Read more
By
/
In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
June 20, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Hopeless

For many, many years, anxiety has been my nemesis. It looks and feels different from day to day. Sometimes I get this panicky, jittery feeling in my chest or I have difficulty breathing normally. Sometimes I develop stomach aches or become very scatter-brained when I try to think through what needs to get done for the day. Sometimes I’m much more emotional about something than I might normally be. There are some days when I barely feel any anxiety at all, but they are other days when I am absolutely miserable and wish it could all just go away.

I’ve struggled with anxiety for a long time, and I’ve prayed over and over again that the Lord would take it away from me. But He never has. I know there must be a reason that God has allowed me to wrestle with these feelings and symptoms for so long. I know He is no cruel dictator and that He loves me greatly, far greater than anyone else ever could. However, at times, I just feel hopeless, like there’s no hope of ever being free and at peace.

Perhaps you feel the same way—hopeless, like you have no chance of finding any peace or relief from whatever is your greatest struggle. But these people—those who have lost all hope—are exactly the kind of people Jesus draws near to. And we can see this clearly in Jesus’ encounter with a hopeless woman in Luke 8.

Read more
By
/
1 Comment