Reflective Bible Study

Last week, we began our annual two-part finale by focusing on insights from the first half of our third year chronologically podcasting through events within Jesus life and ministry.

Before picking back up where we left off last week, let me give you a sneak peek at what is coming up for our podcasts in the next year or two. As you know if you have been listening for more than a few episodes, the past three years have been focused on moving chronologically through Jesus’ life, using the framework and timeline found within the Walking with Jesus Reflective Bible Study package.

However, instead of slowly moving through four years worth of material, and taking 4 long years to make it through Jesus’ life, I thought it would make sense and be more beneficial to spend four years moving through Jesus’ life with each year leading up to Jesus’ time on the cross.

Looking at our four-year plan, we have just finished our third year moving through the gospels in this way, and next year, we will wrap up this journey moving through Jesus’ life. The exciting part about next year is that the whole year will be focused on looking at events and details that these previous three years did not contain. While there are way more details for us to focus on than even four years would have time for, moving through the gospels in this way has been powerful, at least for me.

Looking past the fourth chronological year, I thought it would be neat to focus an entire year looking extra closely at Jesus’ crucifixion week. All four of the gospels devote a significant amount of space and detail to this portion of Jesus’ life, and I’m sure we would learn a lot moving through the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion together.

Thinking this far in advance is all very preliminary, and I have a whole year ahead of podcasting to think and plan for this. However, before that can happen, we need to pick back up where we left off last week and continue looking at insights from this past year of moving through the gospels together. Last week, we focused in on the first half of our episodes, and now let’s pick back up looking at insights, starting with episode 27.

In episode 27, we learned in an event focusing on Jesus visiting a Pharisee’s home that Jesus reserved His harshest words for those who kept others from seeing God’s love. Jesus’ challenge to all spiritual leaders, and really everyone who has been given a leadership role, is that they are given this role to help others. The religious leaders in the first century chose to bully and intimidate the people they were supposed to help.

Moving forward and into episode 28, when some people come to Jesus with a question about why some people died the way they did, we learned that a person’s death does not determine how good or bad their life was, but while a person is alive, repentance and turning towards God is crucial.

Jumping ahead to episode 32, where the religious leaders begin actively plotting for Jesus’ death, John taught us that regardless of whether someone, or a group of people, has aligned themselves for or against God, God is still able to use them for His purposes.

Episode 33, which looked at a parable Jesus spoke to some people who were self-righteous, taught us that while self-sufficiency might win points for us with culture, living a self-sufficient spiritual life leads to destruction, and in episode 34, we learned that focusing on someone else’s spiritual walk over our own will never lead us anywhere positive.

Jumping up to episode 37, which focused on the early part of crucifixion week and Jesus cursing a fig tree, we learned that when we live a life that is continually growing towards God, trusting Him with everything, and forgiving others without condition, we are being fruitful at the highest level possible, because these characteristics reflect God’s love towards us.

Episode 39 includes another one of those big, challenging insights as well. When looking at a question Jesus is asked about which commandment is the greatest, we learned that love is only as valuable as it is visible and helpful to others. Love that is hidden does not have any value in the big picture.

Moving ahead to episode 41, we looked at Jesus’ challenging parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. In this parable and episode, we discovered that it is wise for us to plan for a time when we will fall asleep spiritually. Spiritually falling asleep is inevitable. But what ultimately matters is our planning on the front end, and the choices we make after we have been woken up. Never leave your post, because only when you are living for Jesus will He give you the Holy Spirit and let your life shine for others to see.

In episode 43, as we read about Jesus’ “new command to love each other”, we learned that the true test of whether we are Jesus’ disciples is if we will be loving towards others who call themselves followers of Jesus, but who look, live, believe, and/or act differently than we do. If we love like Jesus loved, we will look past our differences and towards how Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross unites us.

Episode 44 taught us in Jesus’ words to His followers on the night of His arrest that the more openly we live for Jesus, the more opposition from the world we will face – and that when opposition comes into our lives, we are not alone because God has promised to give us His Holy Spirit. Also in episode 44, Jesus taught us that if the world opposed Him for living within God’s plan for His life, it will oppose us for living God’s plan for our lives as well.

In episode 45, while Jesus is praying in Gethsemane, we learn that when we face temptation, the best place for us to surrender is into doing God’s will. While this is easier to say than it is to do, our prayers should always be prefaced with God’s will being done.

Episodes 46 and 47 both drew our attention onto the shaky foundation that the religious leaders built their case against Jesus on, and on how Satan was likely behind the mock worship that the Roman soldiers gave as they were torturing Him prior to the cross. But in both these cases, we learned that Jesus chose the time He came into this world, and He chose to face the worst abuse imaginable to help us see how much He loves each of us.

This last insight is the perfect one for us to end this third chronological year of podcasting through Jesus’ life by focusing on. As we have come to the end of another episode, and the end of another year podcasting about Jesus’ life, here are some challenges for you to remember as we remember Christmas and look forward to a new year:

Seek God first and foremost as we balance the spiritual and the commercial demands of this season. Remember that without Christmas, there would be no Easter, and without Easter, Christmas would be worthless. Choose to take some time this coming year to focus on what God truly gave when giving His Son into the world, and let the amazingness of God’s love fill your heart this season as well as this coming year.

Also, be sure to always continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself, so that you are intentionally growing closer to God and strengthening your relationship with Him each and every day.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Last week we began our annual two-part finale by focusing on insights from the first half of this year podcasting through our first chronological year looking at Jesus’ life and ministry. In our last episode, we finished off by looking at insights from episode 25, which focused in on Jesus redeeming a woman caught in adultery. For this episode, we’ll pick up where we left off and continue forward moving up to and through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

However, before we dive into these insights, if you are a new listener, or have recently found these podcasts, let me share briefly about where we are on this journey we are on in these podcasts. A little over a year ago, as we were wrapping up a powerful year of podcasting through Jesus’ miracles, I thought it would be neat to take four years and look at Jesus’ life in a chronological way. However, instead of slowly moving through every event in His life and taking four or more years, the plan would be to pick out events in Jesus’ life and work through Jesus’ life four times, each time looking at a different set of events, and each year would conclude looking at Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Moving forward to today, we are just finishing up the first year of this four-year plan and I don’t know about you, but I have found this trip through these gospel stories fascinating. Personally, I cannot wait to dive into Jesus’ life again looking at a different set of events, a different set of teaching, and a different set of miracles.

However, if I’m not careful, we’ll dive into our first event for next year and miss reviewing and remembering some of the greatest insights from this past year. So without any further delay, let’s pick back up where we left off last week, and focus in on the last half of this year podcasting through the gospels.

Starting with episode 26, which focused us on what happened following Jesus’ followers returning from a successful missionary trip, we were reminded with the truth that for thousands of years, the devil has tried to abuse people out of heaven, but God is bigger, God is stronger, God is smarter. He won’t let Satan’s abuse separate or steal away those He loves from being connected with Him.

In the next episode, number 27, we looked at Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray, and if I’m not mistaken, this was using Jesus’ model prayer that is found in Luke’s gospel, rather than Matthews. In this episode looking at prayer, we were challenged with the detail that everything in Jesus’ example prayer is completely focused on God – even the part where Jesus tells us to be forgiving towards others. We can learn from this teaching that Jesus wants us to see God the Father as our Heavenly Father: specifically as Someone big enough to tackle any problem we face, but also personal enough for us to share life with.

Moving forward to episode 28, we spend a little bit of time looking at Jesus’ parable about the rich man building bigger barns rather than being generous with his surplus crop. This parable and episode challenged us with the truth that any time an object, a project, or a balance sheet becomes a part of our identity, greed is working its way into our lives. This parable is not about God blessing or punishing rich people; it is about showing us a different perspective about ourselves that He can then redirect us towards having a new perspective on our lives.

I promise I won’t cover every episode in this finale, even though some might find that desirable, but before jumping forward, episode 29 was extra powerful when we looked at Jesus healing a man who was born blind. In this episode, we were reminded that throughout the Bible, as well as history, God has often used people’s lives as a witness to lead people to Him. This formerly blind man is an example of this: His life before meeting Jesus was filled with blindness, and after His encounter with Jesus, He had a completely new perspective. In our world today, both the church world and the secular world, there are groups of people who claim they can see even though they are blind. Acknowledging one’s blindness allows God to work in one’s heart, while claiming sight stops God from moving.

Jumping forward to episode 32, we looked at Jesus teaching about faith and not being a stumbling block to others. In this episode, we were challenged with the realization that Just like the wind, only by seeing what faith moves can we truly know how strong it is. Jesus has called and challenged us to be humble, to place others ahead of ourselves, and to look to God for the strength to press forward with Him.

Jumping forward again to episode 36, we began zeroing in on Jesus’ final week leading up to His crucifixion. Prior to Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, we looked in this episode at a special supper that takes place right before this grand entrance into Jerusalem. In this episode, we were reminded that having a relationship with Jesus is more important than helping those who are in need. While both are significant and important in the big picture, if we could only choose one, a relationship with Jesus would ultimately be more important. Jesus calls each of us to focus on growing closer to God and to make Him our highest priority, even higher than the noble act of helping the poor. Having a saving relationship with Jesus is that important!

Moving forward to episode 38, we looked at some religious leaders challenging Jesus about where He received His authority. The details and themes of this episode challenged us to understand that Jesus came to build God up, and that isn’t done by using God as a platform. Throughout His entire ministry, Jesus avoided drawing the attention onto Himself at the expense of God receiving glory. If Jesus erred on any side, it was that He gave too much credit to God, while not accepting any praise onto Himself. Jesus took the opposite position the chief priests and leaders took: He came to build God up, not use God to build Himself up like the other leaders at the time were doing.

Skipping forward to episode 40, we come to the episode where we looked at Jesus challenging His followers to avoid some specific labels for themselves and each other. In this episode, Jesus challenges His followers to view God as our Teacher, our Father, and our Leader, and in a skillful way, Jesus shares these three roles in a way that connects each role with a member of the Godhead. God’s model for His people is to view themselves as a group of spiritual brothers and sisters who hold God as our true Father, true Leader, and true Teacher.

Moving forward to the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, we come to some significant insights within episode 44, that looked at Jesus promising His followers the Holy Spirit and challenging us as followers how we can show love towards God. In this episode, we discovered that the Source behind Jesus’ words and commands is God the Father. We also uncovered the theme and truth that we love who we obey. If we love the Father, then we will obey what the Father has commanded. In this case, Jesus is simply an Ambassador, speaking on behalf of the One who sent Him.

In the very next episode, which is episode number 45 and which also covered teaching Jesus shared with His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, we were comforted with the truth that even though trouble, abandonment, rejection, hurt, or pain come, Jesus is bigger than these feelings because Jesus has overcome the world that includes all these symptoms of sin.

Jesus recognized that even when everyone He thought was a friend, follower, or disciple had run away, He was never truly alone, because God the Father and His Spirit would be with Him. Even while hanging on the cross, even if Jesus didn’t feel God’s presence, He still knew God was there.

As followers of Jesus, we too can claim this promise that being alone is never truly alone, because God the Father and His Spirit are with us.

Speaking of the cross, moving forward to episode 48, which looked at part of the time Jesus was hanging on the cross, we were reminded that before being nailed to the cross Jesus had the option of, and the temptation to, avoid it entirely; after being nailed to the cross, Jesus faced the temptation to come down off of it. However, in spite of this temptation Jesus chose to stay on the cross because His mission was more important than showing off His ability. Jesus fulfilled His mission on the cross because it is the way for His followers to receive salvation.

Moving forward to just a few weeks ago, we come to episode 49, which covered the guards reporting Jesus’ resurrection to the religious leaders. In this episode, we learned and were reminded that wherever lies are present, the truth will come to light eventually – and when it does, it is up to us to examine the evidence and choose the truth. In the case of Jesus’ death and resurrection, our eternity depends on it!

To wrap up this first chronological year of podcasting, our last episode before these finales, which was episode number 50, focused in on Thomas doubting then believing in Jesus’ resurrection. In this passage and episode we focused in on the promise that Jesus’ greatest blessing in this passage is for those who believe without having seen. Thomas could have been one of the first people to be gathered under this banner of “really blessed individuals”, but he stands as an example of many of us who are skeptical first, and only believe after we have been given proof.

Every blessing from God is given for our benefit. Every blessing is sent to help us learn, grow, and/or help others on life’s path.

As we come to the close of our first chronological year podcasting through the gospels and events within Jesus’ life, let’s remember just how much Jesus has blessed each of us, and look forward to His return and our eternal lives with Him forever!

To start off our special two-part finale for our third chronological year podcasting through events from Jesus’ life, let me wish you a Merry Christmas. While Christmas is a special time when most people spend with family and friends, let’s remember together that the most significant reason for this season isn’t the gifts we give each other, but instead it is the gift God gave to each of us when Jesus came to this earth. Without God’s gift to us through Jesus, we would have no hope, and on a significantly smaller scale, no podcasts for us to review.

Because of this and because I always have trouble deciding which podcasts to narrow our list down to, let’s jump in and review insights we learned during the first half of our third chronological year moving through the gospels.

Starting with the very first episode this year, we learned when Luke was introducing us to Zechariah and Elizabeth that while it may have felt as though God was ignoring Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayers for a son, God was waiting for the perfect time to send them an answer. Also, while we often think of Zechariah’s muteness as a punishment, this miracle also happens to be the perfect sign God could give to convince an elderly priest that God means what He says.

In our second episode this year, we learned from Joseph’s dream about Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus’ birth that the phrase “God with us” doesn’t simply describe Jesus’ mission on earth, it describes God’s desire to be with us, His love for us, and His mission to redeem us!

Jumping up to episode 4, we learned from John the Baptist’s example that we are the strongest when we live united with Jesus in the public and private areas of life.

In episode 5, during Jesus’ late night conversation with Nicodemus, we focused in on the idea that belief in Jesus is connected with living like Jesus. When we combine faith in Jesus and live a life that is surrendered to Jesus, we are living a life that avoids the judgment.

Looking a little closer at the following episode, which was episode number 6, we read about how Jesus challenged those present on the idea that “seeing is believing”. The official who wanted Jesus to come heal his son trusted Jesus’ words and he became an example for all of us that we should “believe in Jesus before seeing or experiencing miracles”. This official believed in Jesus, and only then did he receive the miracle he desired.

Episode 7 brings us to one of the biggest insights and challenges that I think was uncovered in our entire year of podcasting. Setting the stage for this challenging insight in a passage that shared how Jesus took time away from people to pray, we learned that prayer and Holy-Spirit-inspired action were two of Jesus’ foundational beliefs. This led me to state in that episode, as well as here, that if prayer was as important to us as it was to Jesus, we would be praying as much as Jesus prayed!

Jumping forward to episode 9, we learn in an event where Jesus healed a man one Sabbath at a synagogue that Jesus came to help those who needed help and He came to give us a view of God’s law that allows us to be a blessing to others.

In the next episode, which is number 10, which focused in on a challenging section of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, we come to another insight, which is that God wants us to love like He loves, care like He cares, and model generosity like He is generous. And, we should do this not only towards those in our social circle of friends, but to everyone else as well – enemies included.

I promise that we won’t cover every episode, but before skipping forward, we learned in episode 11, which also looked at a section from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, that “the safest place for our treasure, our hearts, our eyes, our light, our service, and our lives is with Jesus in heaven”. And in episode 12, which focused on a parable Jesus shared during this same sermon, we learned that “if we choose to call Jesus ‘Lord’, we should be intentionally serving and obeying Him.”

In episode 15, while talking about the parable of the wheat and the weeds, we learned that God’s people are destined to let their lives reflect and display Jesus.

Episode 16, which focused on Jesus healing a man possessed by a legion of impure spirits, taught us that Jesus was willing to cross the lake to help one individual who could not travel to see Him, and He is more than willing to do the same for us. Jesus isn’t interested in forcing Himself on anyone, but He is happy to come when invited.

Touching on episode 17, which looked at one time Jesus returned home to Nazareth, we were challenged with the idea that probably the biggest test of our faith is what we choose to do, and move forward doing, during the times when we don’t have a clear direction or answer from God.

In episode 18, while reading about Jesus feeding the 5,000, we learn that when God receives an unselfish gift, there is no limit to how He can use it and multiply it to bless others.

Episode 20 contained a big challenge for those living in the first century, and it was a challenge that just happens to be as applicable today as it was in the first century. In this episode, Jesus challenged those present, as well as all of His followers throughout history, to not look for signs in order to build a foundation for our faith and trust in God. Instead, we should build our trust and faith in Him on what He has promised us and only after placing our faith on His promises should we begin looking for evidence and signs around us.

Moving forward to episode 22, looking at the time when Peter has to go fishing for money to pay the temple tax, we learn that the nature of salvation is simple: We mess up and God provides a solution.

In episode 24, which looked at one time Jesus preached to the crowd in the temple, we learned that the state of our attitudes and hearts may keep us from finding Jesus when we seek Him and His message for our lives.

In episode 25, at the half way mark of our year in the gospels, in a passage focusing on a message Jesus preached in the temple, we discovered that only after we have begun to obey Jesus’ words will the Christian life truly be Christ-like. Only by living a life that is obedient to the Bible will a person fully learn and know why the Bible’s way is superior. Some things simply cannot be learned from looking at them from the outside.

Episode 26, which focused us on the Good Samaritan, taught us that being a neighbor in God’s eyes is based on how we act towards someone else, and not simply on who we happen to live next to.

This is a good breaking point because the illustration of the Good Samaritan is one that is always a good one for us to remember as we challenge ourselves to live like Jesus. As we conclude part one of this year-end finale, let’s finish off with some challenges and things we can learn from Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan as we enter and move through this Christmas season:

As we take time to spend with family during this Christmas holiday season, remember to always seek God first and foremost, and through the parable of the Good Samaritan, we learn and are challenged to include our neighbors who are less fortunate than we are. Some of our neighbors might need serious help, while others may simply need a friend during this holiday. Let’s remember our neighbors during our Christmas festivities.

Also, while it seems easy to think of Jesus entering the world during this time of year when celebrating His birth, remember that the reason He came was to give the greatest gift ever. This gift was Himself, and without it, there would be no reason to celebrate at this time – or really at any time – of the year. Be sure you are keeping up with your regular personal prayer and Bible study time, because intentional growth only is able to happen with regular, intentional focus and intentional steps forward.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

To start off our special two-part finale for our first year chronologically moving through the gospels looking at events from Jesus’ life, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. While the Christmas season can often times be too commercialized, as followers of Jesus, we know and remember that this is a great time of the year to remember how Jesus, the light of the world, stepped into history. As many of us in the northern hemisphere face the point in each year where we have the least amount of daylight, we can remember that when things appeared to be the darkest, Jesus stepped into history to shine God’s light and His love into the world.

With that said, we just finished an amazing year looking at events from Jesus’ life and ministry, and as is our custom, we reserve the last two episodes each year to focus in on themes and insights that we discovered throughout the past year. As is always the case, I had a difficult time narrowing down the list of insights to a manageable length, and like every year, I wish I could include more while also not extending the length of these finale-podcasts too significantly.

However, without any further delay, let’s dive into what we discovered during the first half of this year of podcasting.

Starting off in episode 1, we looked at how Luke introduces us to his gospel message and we used this as a launching point to talk about some of the best ways to read and study the Bible. In this episode, we were challenged with the truth that in order to gain the greatest benefit from reading and studying the gospels, we should humble ourselves and prayerfully ask God for the Holy Spirit to help guide our study towards His truth. Also, never let non-biblical writings, no matter how spiritual they may be, take the place of prayerfully studying the Bible for yourself. God wants a personal relationship with you, and this relationship comes from leaning into God and His Word, trusting in His promises, and looking to Jesus for our salvation!

Moving forward to the very next episode, which is episode number 2, we looked at Mary visiting Elizabeth while Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. In this episode and the conversation between these two women, we learned that God is present whether we feel Him or His Spirit or whether we don’t. Whether or not you feel God or His Spirit, renew your trust and your confidence in God’s promises, remember that His Word never fails, and never forget that He cares about the wellbeing of all His creation. God looks at life from a different perspective than we do, and this perspective says, “I want to spend eternity with you.”

Jumping ahead to episode 5, which focused us on Jesus’ miracle at the wedding in Cana, we discovered that Jesus is okay with us believing in Him because of His miracles, but He never wants us to stop there. Jesus’ miracles were given to be signs to help us take notice, and to prompt us to move closer to Him as we see how He displays God’s love and God’s character to our world. Jesus’ miracles were God-given signs for us to take notice, but they should never form the foundation of our faith. Jesus does not want us to build the foundation of our belief in Him on His miracles. Looking at Mary’s example in this event taught us that Mary had faith in Jesus through the relationship she had with Him – a relationship that was built over having spent years with Him.

Jumping ahead a couple more episodes brings us to episode number 7, which focused us on Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be disciples. In this episode, we were challenged with the truth that while we could sit on the sidelines and watch others live lives of faith, only by living a faith-filled life ourselves will we ever truly discover for ourselves whether God’s way is best! If all of us together truly followed Jesus, modeling our lives after His, using His methods, and loving those He loved, I am positive our world would never be the same.

Moving forward to episode 9, we looked at a time when Jesus responded to some Pharisees who were challenging Him about who He was. In this passage, we learned that whenever anyone tried to give Jesus glory, He directs the glory to the Father. Jesus was 100+% focused on helping others and forwarding the glory onto God the Father. This event also challenged us that since we are disciples of Jesus, as disciples of Jesus, which is another way of saying that we model or imitate our lives after His, we are challenged to point all glory and praise upwards to God similar to how Jesus did. While we might not be able to perform miracles like Jesus did, we still are called to acknowledge God for how He has blessed us.

Jumping forward to episode 11, when looking at one of the times Jesus taught on the topic of prayer, Jesus helped us understand that our public relationship with God does not matter as much as our private relationship with Him. While a public and private relationship are important, Jesus tells us that those who only have a public relationship with God have already received their reward, because their relationship with God is not for God’s benefit, but simply for show.

In the next episode, which is episode number 12, Jesus continued teaching but shifted His topic onto avoiding judging others. In this passage, teaching, and event, we were reminded that God has given us way more than we deserve. We also learned that the truth Jesus teaches can also be extended and applied to our relationship with God: If we judge, He judges; if we condemn, He condemns; if we forgive, He forgives; and if we give generously, He gives generously. The type of relationship we have with God is fully within our choosing.

Jumping forward a few episodes to episode number 15, we looked at Jesus teaching what may be His most famous parable, which is the one focused on a farmer sowing seed and some various types of soil that the seed fell on. In this episode, we discovered that in God’s eyes, being fruitful is more important than how fruitful you are. We also concluded this episode by pointing out that instead of worrying if we are one of the less-than-ideal types of soil, perhaps we should instead focus on being like the farmer and spreading God’s word and His message to those in our lives. If we chose to see ourselves as the farmer, not replacing Jesus but instead partnering with Him and His Holy Spirit, we might find ourselves to be more fruitful that we would realize or give ourselves credit for.

A couple of episodes later, in episode 17, we then looked at Jesus resurrecting Jairus’ daughter after being delayed. In this passage and episode, which had a bunch of insights, we were reminded that Jesus is the “Life-giver”, and when given the opportunity to give life, He does so. While we might not experience the miracle of having our lives restored in the same way this girl experienced, Jesus does promise to restore our lives at the end of history when He returns.

This passage and miracle help give us hope that death is not the end. The life Jesus gives is stronger than death. This means that if we ever face sleep-death like this girl did, we know that Jesus will be the first face we see when He wakes us up, and following Jesus waking us up, nothing resembling death will ever be able to take His life from us!

In the next episode, episode number 18, we spent some time looking at Jesus’ challenge to His disciples as He sent them out in pairs to witness in nearby towns. When bringing the themes of this teaching into our world today, we were reminded of the truth that our world today has tried to push God to the sidelines and out of focus. As followers of Jesus, this means that sometimes our faith will prompt us to be ridiculed and made fun of, while other times we may be physically hurt. Regardless of what your experience has been, trust that God is in control and that He has a plan for your life that involves you being saved for eternity. With whatever happens in this life, trust that when we stick with God and with Jesus, we will receive eternal life that will outlast this sin-filled world.

Moving forward to episode 22, we looked at an event where Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy after His disciples were not able to. In this event, we discovered that Our belief is powerful, and unbelief has the power to sabotage the belief we do have. Prayer is the key. While Jesus’ words are directly tied to this situation, I also believe that they are tied to the subject of belief: Belief without prayer is weak. Prayer without belief is futile. However, belief when combined with prayer is limitless.

To wrap up this first part of our two-part finale, let’s remember an insight we discovered in episode 25, which focused us in on Jesus redeeming the woman caught in adultery. In this episode, we were reminded that there are so many places in life where we stumble that it is virtually impossible to never sin again, but in the places where we are conscious of the choice, Jesus challenges us with the truth that choosing sin is never positive from God’s perspective.

Also, remember that God wants you to have the best life possible, and the only things that He calls sin are things that cheapen the vision that He has for you. God ultimately wants you in heaven with Him, and He was willing to go to whatever length necessary to help you see His love for you!

Jesus came to this planet to redeem you from sin, because He loves you and because He wants you with Him in heaven. As we move through this Christmas season, let’s together remember that the biggest reason we celebrate is because of what Jesus came and did for each of us!