“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus & the Roman Soldier’s ServantWhen Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” – Matthew 8:5-7 (NLT)“The Light Is Comfortable in Dark Places” I want you to catch a statement by Jesus in this story that may have slipped by you. “I will...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus & the Roman Soldier’s ServantWhen Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” – Matthew 8:5-7 (NLT)“Not Because You Are Good, But Because God Is” One of my favorite old cartoons is a frame of Dennis the Menace and his friend Joey wal...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus & the Roman Soldier’s ServantWhen Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” – Matthew 8:5-6 (NLT)“The Power of a Crisis” Most people have an innate belief in God, even if they don’t know anything about Him. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God “has planted eternity in the...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus On Worry“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” – Matthew 6:27 (NLT)“The Worthlessness of Worry” At a conference last year at the University of Navarra in Spain, Dr Marian Rojas was making a presentation on stress and anxiety. In that presentation, she stated that when we experience a state of alert caused by anxiety or fear, cortisol, also known as th...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus On Worry“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” – Matthew 6:26 (NLT)“Enjoy the Adventure!” One of my favorite action/adventure movie series is Indiana Jones. If you’ve been living in a cave and never seen them, Indiana Jones is an archeologist wh...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus On Worry“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” – Matthew 6:25-26 (NLT)“First World Problems” Do you know what most of us worry about? “First World” problems. Our laptops stop working (like Wanda’s did today). Our dishwasher ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” – Matthew 6:22-23 (NLT)“Aim High in Steering” “Aim High in Steering.” Those were the words of ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Money, Possessions, and Security“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” – Matthew 6:21 (NLT)“Sometimes It Doesn’t Add Up” I love the old story about a wife who had been on the phone with one of her girlfriends. Her friend wanted to see if they could meet for coffee and catch up on the latest gossip. The wife told her friend she nee...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. – John 19:25-27 (NLT)“Don’t Forget...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Money, Possessions, and Security“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:20 (NLT)“The Economy of Heaven” As we were walking into a restaurant yesterday, I noticed a group of teenage girls huddled together. They were talking rapidly in hushed voices, interrupting each other. I imagined t...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Money, Possessions, and Security“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. – Matthew 6:19 (NLT)“When Treasures Become Trash” In 1984, I bought my dream car. I spotted it on the showroom floor of a car dealership when I took a friend there so he could apply for a job. It was a black Cama...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” – Matthew 6:13 (NLT)“Stay Away From The Buffets” There was a great old story about a preacher’s wife who bought an overly expensive dress one day. When she came home and showed her husband, he said, “Yes dear, it’s very pretty, but why did you buy it? It’s more than we can afford!” “I kno...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors” – Matthew 6:12 (NIV)“No More Debts” One of the discoveries I’ve made in life is that there are some things that you simply cannot buy. That’s why I think it’s interesting that the word Jesus uses here in our verse today is the word “debts.” He’s making the point that we “owe” God. And we do. Big ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“Give us today our daily bread.” – Matthew 6:11 (NIV)“Your Daily Bread” In today’s verse, Jesus takes us back to the wilderness. It reminds us of the journey from Egypt to Canaan. As they wandered for those forty years, God provided bread for them each day called “manna.” But the bread God gave was only good for one day, except on the day before the Sabbath wh...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10 (NLT)“Surrendering Your ‘What,’ ‘How,’ and ‘When’” If “your Kingdom come” is the most difficult prayer to pray, then “your will be done” has to be the second most difficult. Maybe that’s why Jesus included them together. This prayer becomes an important part of our spiritual walk with God when...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“May your Kingdom come soon.” – Matthew 6:10 (NLT)“YOUR Kingdom Come!” This part of the Lord’s Prayer may be the most difficult part for us to pray. That is if we understand what it is that we’re praying. This is the recognition of God as King. This is where we’re acknowledging God’s authority over all things. This is where we proclaim that we want God to take...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus on Prayer“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.” – Matthew 6:9 (NLT)“Our Father” A friend of mine told me one time that he got a chance to meet the great evangelist, Billy Graham. He was part of a pre-crusade team that was helping to promote Graham’s upcoming event in his city. As he stood in line to shake the great preacher’s hand, he thought of all the th...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus On Prayer“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven…” – Matthew 6:9 (NLT)“Our Father” “Our Father.” Sometimes when we see references like this, we blow right by it. For us, it’s a familiar reference. That’s because we’ve been calling God, “Father” ever since Jesus gave us The Lord’s Prayer. But it wasn’t that way when Jesus shared this with His Disciples. Remember, God was ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus On Prayer“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! – Matthew 6:7-8 (NLT)“You Don’t Need a ‘Prayer Voice’” One day in my early years in ministry, my wife and I were talking. Someh...