Luke was most likely a gentile (non-Hebrew). Colossians 4:14 tells us that Luke was a doctor and a good friend of Paul. Greetings also from Demas and our dear friend Luke, the doctor. He is only mentioned three times in the New Testament but is accepted as the author of the book of Luke. Paul told Timothy in his letter that Luke was the only one with him while he was in prison in Rome. (2 Timothy 4:11).
Life Lesson: Luke was a good friend to Paul. It's important to have good Christian friends who can encourage you. You can encourage them too.
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His Jewish name was John which means grace of God. His Roman name was Mark. Both names are used in the New Testament but it is the same guy. He is most likely the author of the book of Mark .
In Acts 12:12 when Peter was rescued from prison, He went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter refers to Mark as his son in Christ at the end of his letter (1 Peter 5:13) Mark, who is like a son to me, sends his greetings too. Mark’s cousin was Barnabas. He went with Paul and Barnabas on one of their mission trips but left them part way and returned to Jerusalem. This was the reason that Paul and Barnabas had a falling out. Barnabas wanted to take Mark on another one of their trips and Paul did not because he had deserted them earlier. Even though they had their differences, Mark was a comfort to Paul in prison. Colossians 4:10 says, My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul told Timothy, Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. Life Lessons: Past mistakes don’t disqualify us from serving God. It's helpful to have spiritual mentors who can pray for us and offer wisdom and guidance. CHALLENGE: Do you have a spiritual mentor who you can talk to and ask questions? Perhaps a parent, aunt, youth leader, friend's parent, pastor. Matthew was one of the twelve disciples who accompanied Jesus during his ministry.
Before that he was a tax collector and was probably quite wealthy. His Hebrew name was Levi but Matthew was his Jewish name which means Gift of God. He wrote the book of Matthew and refers to himself as Matthew in it. In the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John he is referred by his be his Hebrew name, Levi. Luke 5:27-29 says, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, “Come with me.” Levi left everything and went with Jesus. In his home Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus. Many tax collectors and other guests were also there. There is not much written about him in the Bible. It is believed that he preached in Palestine then other countries including Ethiopia, Macedonia and Persia after Jesus returned to heaven. Life Lesson: Matthew gave up everything including a well paid job and friends to follow Jesus. What are you prepared to give up for him? Cain was Adam and Eve's first born child. He was the first person to be born in the Bible and the first murderer.
Cain was a farmer and grew crops. When Cain and Abel presented offerings to God, he was jealous because God preferred Abel's offering so he killed him - pretty extreme, right? He was banished for his sin. He moved to the land of Nod, married, had a son, Enoch and built a city named after his son. It was Cain's attitude that was the problem. God can see past our actions to the attitudes that motivate them.When Cain and Abel brought their offerings to God Cain just brought some of the produce from his farm but Abel brought the best of his flock. When we give God our time, effort and money do we give to him first, or do we give what's left? Jairus was a Jewish church leader so he was an important guy. The Jewish church leaders didn't like Jesus but Jairus begged him to heal his daughter - he was desperate. While they were on their way to his house Jesus stopped to heal another woman, one who was considered unclean. God doesn't care if you're important by worldly standards, he loves everyone. He especially loves people that the world doesn't - the poor, the sick, the sinners.
When they got the news that the girl had died Jesus told Jairus, "Don't be afraid, just believe, and she will be healed." You can not be full of fear and faith at the same time. When you are feeling afraid or anxious - give you fears to God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. CHALLENGE: What are you feeling anxious or afraid about that you need to trust God with? Moses is a very interesting character - his story takes up the whole book of Exodus. When he was born the Israelites were living in Egypt because of a famine (see the story of Joseph). The Israelites were increasing in number so Pharaoh commanded that the midwives kill the Israelite baby boys. Moses' mother hid him in a basket and Pharaoh's daughter found him and raised him as her son. When he was an adult Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite so he fled to another country. God appeared to him in a burning bush and sent him to Egypt to rescue the Israelites. Moses was very reluctant but God said "I will be with you."
When Moses and his brother, Aaron, confronted Pharaoh and demanded that he let the Israelites go, he refused so God afflicted Egypt with ten plagues - river was turned to blood, frogs, lice, flies, disease that affected farm animals, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn. Pharaoh was one stubborn dude but finally he relented and the Israelites left. Then Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them. The Israelites were trapped by the Red Sea but God told Moses to hold his staff over the water and the sea parted so that they could safely cross over. The sea then closed over the Egyptian army. Long story short, the Israelites were disobedient so they wandered around the desert for 40 years. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. So what does this mean for us? God called Moses but he didn't think he was qualified and came up with all kinds of excuses. Sometimes God tells us to do something and we don't think we're the right person for the job and come up with all sorts of excuses. But God promised to be with Moses and he promises to be with us too. Life Lesson: God chooses the weak and humble and enables them with his strength and wisdom. Jonah, also known as the fish guy, was a prophet. God told him to preach to the people in Ninevah because they were wicked. Jonah got on a boat headed in the opposite direction instead. There was a big storm (because God was angry with Jonah) so they threw him overboard. God sent a big fish to swallow him so he didn't drown. After three days the fish puked him up on the beach. Now I don't know what kind of fish it was, or if it was a whale (though technically they are mammals, not fish) - that's not important.
That's not where the story ends though. Jonah did go and preach in Ninevah and the people repented and followed God. Jonah was so mad he chucked a tantrum and was angry because God showed them mercy and forgave them. He reminds me of the prodigal son's older brother. He was mad because his dad welcomed back his brother after he had wasted his inheritance. The moral of the story:
Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron. We are first introduced to her in Exodus 2:4 when Moses' mother hid him in a basket because Pharaoh was trying to kill all the Israelite baby boys. Miriam watched the basket to see what would happen.
Our second encounter with Miriam is in Exodus 15:20-21 when the Israelites were celebrating escaping from the Egyptians. Verse 21 refers to Miriam as a prophetess. She is the first woman in the Bible to be given this title. Unfortunately, Miriam and her brother, Aaron, became proud and were jealous of Moses. When they complained about him God heard them and struck Miriam down with a skin disease. She had to stay outside the camp for 7 days until she was clean again. What can we learn from Miriam? Be humble. John 11:5 says, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." He was clearly friends with them. Lazarus was ill so Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. However, he didn't come straight away and Lazarus died. Verse 35 is the shortest verse in the Bible but it is so full of meaning. It says, "Jesus wept." I love this demonstration of Jesus' humanity and compassion. When he commanded them to open the tomb Martha said, "But, Lord, it has been four days since Lazarus died. There will be a bad smell." They did open the tomb and Jesus told Lazarus to come out, which he did. The life lesson is that it is never too late for a miracle.
Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were taken from captive from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar along with Daniel. They were given new names by their captors - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The Bible tells us that they were young, physically fit, good looking and intelligent. God gave the men wisdom and knowledge and the King put them in charge of Babylon.
King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge statue and commanded everyone to bow down to it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down because they believed in God. They told the King, “Your Majesty, we don’t need to defend ourselves. The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. But even if he doesn’t, we still won’t worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18). Long story, short - they were thrown into a fiery furnace. Even though the guards who threw them in died from the heat, the three young men were not harmed. While they were in the furnace, the King saw a fourth person with them (either Jesus or an angel). King Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise their God for sending an angel to rescue his servants! They trusted their God and refused to obey my commands. Yes, they chose to die rather than to worship or serve any god except their own" (Daniel 3:28). |
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