Those who follow God’s Word, will metaphorically be like a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither and who bears fruit in season. The vitality, the life, and the water are within the believers, transforming them into spiritually vital people.

This is an accurate description of what always happens when truth, the good news about Jesus is preached. When the gospel is truly preached, it brings antagonism or belief.

You first obey it, then you begin to understand it. You learn best by doing, All aspects of life are that way.

Those who turned away just did not believe. Salvation is not a question of intelligence. It’s a question of faith. One does not have to understand all of it in order to believe it.

Jesus Christ came into the world in lowly form, like the barley loaf which was for the poorer people. Christ’s audience has no desire for his flavor. What He gives provides for the deepest wants of umanity, and is every man’s fare because He will be any man’s satisfaction

Rather than blame others for the difficulties we face, we should first consider what part of the problem lies within our own borders, as our Lord directs.

The Gospel of Luke delivers up more parables than any of the other three gospels, and in Luke, Chapter 7:36-48 we see an encounter with Jesus and two individuals I call seekers; embedded within this encounter is a short but powerful parable, used then and now to offer us life, true life in Christ. In simplest form, it is about two seekers, one man and one woman.

Many people see religion as “do the following things, obey the following rules, submit yourself to the following seat of discipline, do the following works” and then you’ll know God or you’ll be enlightened, or you’ll be on an inside track to the heavenly.

The work God requires is believing in Him. This is not a belief in the abstract, an existential trust without a coherent object. They must believe in the One God has sent, Jesus

Our focus is never to be fixed upon the situation, but on Jesus Himself, in the midst of our situation.