Jesus travels through towns teaching, healing, and proclaiming the kingdom. Moved by compassion for the crowds, He tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. He then appoints the twelve and sends them out with authority over unclean spirits and disease to freely proclaim the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus didn’t call the most respected person in town—He called Matthew, a tax collector. In Matthew 9:9-13, we discover a Savior who meets people where they are and extends mercy instead of condemnation. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who abides with believers as the Spirit of truth, guiding and dwelling within those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Romans 5:1-5…“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand;” vss. 1-2a Probably the biggest blessing of faith for a follower of Jesus is peace. Of course that doesn’t mean that we will never worry or be anxious! Even the most faithful folks will have plenty of concerns in the course of a lifetime. No one is perfectly calm…
Psalm 100…“For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 5 There are some religious folks in our time who are claiming that God hates evil and rejoices in the annihilation of our enemies. They base their tirades on passages from the Hebrew scriptures that describe the invasion of Canaan by the Hebrew tribes, where God is said to have ordered the deaths of all inhabitants, including women and children. Those…
Exodus 19:5-8a…“The people all answered as one: ‘Everything that the LORD has spoken we will do.’” vs. 8a Moses had reported to the gathered crowd of Israelites the words that the Lord had given him on the mountain. They would indeed be God’s treasured possession and a holy nation but there was a condition: they would need to obey God’s voice and keep God’s covenant. And the people are supremely confident, answering as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken…
I came for the Healing of Memories workshop for veterans, and I almost didn’t come because of the trauma I wrestle with, but your staff, the workshop leaders and the quiet and safe campus held me there and I’ve found a new sense of peace and healing.
A retreat for religious leaders who have experienced emotional, psychological and spiritual distress in their personal or professional lives — facilitated by the Institute for Healing of Memories — is coming June 3-6, 2024.