They had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. (Acts 25:19 NIV) When Paul stood trial in Caesarea because the Jews had accused him, Festus, the Roman ruler, found that he had done nothing illegal. Instead he heard from Paul […]
2 Kings 24:3-4 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive. God was not willing […]
1 Koningen 5:2-3Salomo antwoordde met een voorstel over de tempel van de Here die hij wilde bouwen. ‘Mijn vader David,’ zo legde Salomo koning Chiram uit, ‘was niet in staat zoʼn tempel te bouwen wegens de talloze oorlogen die hij moest voeren en omdat hij wachtte tot de Here hem vrede gaf.’ (HTB) Al in […]
2 Samuel 22:7 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. (NLT) Often we portray God according to our own understanding, but David’s song of praise reminds us that we serve a God of relationships. He […]
Acts 1:1-2,24-26 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. (…) Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, […]
Mark 9:22-23 But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Jesus is surprised at the man’s faith. “If you can do anything” does not sound like “you can do anything!” Remember that as a kid you […]
1 Samuel 7:9-10 So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him. Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of […]
Markus 2:11-12“Daarom zeg Ik je: sta op, pak je matras op en ga naar huis.” De man stond onmiddellijk op. Hij pakte zijn matras op en ging naar huis. Iedereen zag het gebeuren. Ze waren stomverbaasd. Ze prezen God en zeiden: “Zoiets hebben we nog nooit gezien!” (BB) Het verhaal van de verlamde man die […]
Judges 11:1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. God used Jephthah despite how his family perceived him and his origins. It doesn’t matter where you come from or how your family looks like, God has a purpose for your life, and you can live in full […]
1 Timothy 1:12-13,16 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in […]