A Blind Man Healed
As Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world, He encounters a blind man named Bartimaeus, who was desperately seeking Jesus. And because he was desperately seeking Jesus, His life changed forever. The story of Bartimaeus — found in three of the gospels (Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43) — is an example for us today. Bartimaeus was persistent: When he learned that Jesus was walking by, he began to cry out. Many tried to silence him, but that
The Book of Habakkuk
All the prophet Habakkuk sees around him is destruction, violence, strife, and contention. The righteous is surrounded by the wicked. It leads Habakkuk to ask questions (1:2-4): “What is going on here? God, how long are you going to continue to let this go on? Where are you?” To Habakkuk, it feels like God is not listening. Does God know what’s going on? And if He does, does He even care? Is He indifferent? As we continue reading in the book of Habakkuk, we realize that God d
Lessons from King Josiah
Josiah took the throne at the age of 8 during a time that Judah was a wicked and rebellious nation. In fact, Josiah took the throne because his father, Amon, was assassinated by his own servants. In a desperate time for good leadership, this young king was determined to lead his people back to following God. Josiah reigned for 31 years before his death at the age of 39. There were certain benchmarks in Josiah’s life as he ruled an entire nation: ages 8, 16, 20, 26 and 39. Let
