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John 2 records the first of Jesus’ signs, which occurred in Cana of Galilee at a wedding feast when the wine ran out. Jesus’ mother, Mary, came to Him for the solution. After His protest, Mary displayed incredible faith in Him, saying to the servants in verse 5, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” There is no better advice for those servants, and there is no better advice for every person for their entire life. Whatever Jesus says, do it. The implication is that whatever Jesus

After Jesus advised a Pharisee and his dinner guests about humility, one of the guests responded in Luke 14:15, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” The man’s proclamation was true, but the question of who would eat bread in the kingdom of God remained a mystery Jesus helped to reveal through a parable. The parable is found in Luke 14:16-24, and Jesus used it to promote critical thinking and a question every person must answer: Will I eat bread in t

In James 2, James confronted Christians with the truth about their unjust ways. They were in the habit of giving a warm welcome to visitors who appeared very rich, and of kicking to the side visitors who appeared impoverished. They had forgotten that a person’s earthly status does not change God’s desire to save them, nor does it diminish their value in His sight. Today, many religious organizations have gotten very good at giving a warm welcome to everyone, which is good, bu

After converting many to Christ with the gospel in Thessalonica, Paul and his companions had to leave because of the Jews who were jealously persecuting believers (Acts 17:1-10). Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians shortly thereafter, having heard about their faithfulness and their labor in the cause of Christ (1 Thess. 1:2-3). Paul wrote to encourage them to continue faithfully growing in Christ, viewing their progress so positively that he told them to continue excell

At least three separate locations in Scripture record accounts of people tempted by greed. In each of them, those who succumb to greediness for earthly treasures arrive at disastrous results. Sometimes the greed shows itself in a person’s unwillingness to share what they own; other times it is a desire for what they hope to attain. But in every case, greedy living leads to spiritual downfall. In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus answered a greed-driven interruption with a parable about a

Hebrews 2:9-18 presents Jesus as the One who came to humanity’s aid. He did that through great risk to Himself, being required to put on flesh and become like every other human being. He was tempted, He suffered, and He died. And He did all those things to provide what humankind needed: salvation. Hebrews 2:16 describes what Jesus did for humankind as giving help , and a closer look at the word translated "help" illustrates its meaning. In various passages, this word desc