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John The Baptist: An Introduction By Matthew

Matthew 3:1-6

Last year, I began a study through the book of Matthew. After a few posts, I put that study on hold until I finished my run through Psalm 119. So this year, I’ll be picking that study up where we left off. Matthew 3 begins with an introduction of John the Baptist, and his involvement in preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry.

Matthew 3:1-6

In Matthew 2, we read about Joseph taking the baby Jesus to Egypt and then returning. In Matthew 3, we see the ministry of John the Baptist, preaching a message of repentance. With the change to a new chapter, Matthew skips over a period of nearly thirty years. Only in Luke do we see any details of this period, with the description of Jesus visiting the temple at age 12 (Luke 2:41-51).

As you read through Matthew 3, take a look over at the parallel passages in Mark 1:1-11, and Luke 3:1-22. These will help you better understand the big picture of what is happening here.

Matthew 3:1 begins with the phrase ““Now in those days…” This is an expression in the Hebrew language that isn’t very time specific. It means “in that age” or “in that era,” much like our own phrase, “the good old days.” Matthew is referring back to a time when John was actively ministering, and the ministry of Jesus was just beginning.

This is our first introduction to John the Baptist. He was a cousin to Jesus, according to Luke 1:36. Their mothers were together for a period of three months just before either of them were born, and you can imagine, with the angelic announcements and special circumstances surrounding both of their births, these two women repeated the stories of their births often. John probably grew up with a solid sense of his mission, as revealed to his parents before he was even born.

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Resource Review: Samaritan Ministries

Christians Helping Christians With Health Care

Health care is one of those issues that sparks a lot of stress and anxiety in people. Insurance is costly. Medical care is costly. When you have a need, how do you afford it? Where can you turn for help? Insurance may not be the best option, so what do you do?

Samaritan Ministries

Several years ago, my wife and I were becoming more and more frustrated with the rising costs of insurance. In order to keep our payments in a reasonable financial range — which was becoming more and more unreasonable — we had to keep increasing the amount of our deductible. We eventually got to the point where our deductible was so high, I was beginning to wonder if the costs of insurance were even worth it.

So we started doing some research. A good friend of our had just joined a ministry oriented, medical share program. I was a bit skeptical, but we sat down with them and discussed their experience with a medical need not long after they joined. It sounded too good to be true, but the more we talked, the more I realized this might be just what we needed to look into.

Not long after this conversation, we discovered that many of the mainstream insurance companies used the premiums that came in — my premiums — in ways that we didn’t approve of. Many of these companies used this money to pay for abortions and to provide for various other medical procedures that we were uncomfortable with. So we decided to step out on faith and give this new option a try.

The ministry we chose to work with was Samaritan Ministries, although there were a few other options we considered. We talked with several people who had had very positive experiences with Samaritan Ministries, so we submitted our application, and in 2010, we jumped into the world of Christian medical sharing.

Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2018)

New Year’s Resolutions are designed to fail. And even though the number of people making them is rising, especially among Millennials, they just aren’t really that good at creating lasting life change. We need a better strategy for making and achieving our goals. Your Best Year Ever strives to help you do just that.

I have been following Michael Hyatt for years. I first found his blog and learned a lot about leadership from it. Then I discovered some of his books, like Free To Focus and Living Forward. Those were both great, by the way. And they pair perfectly with Your Best Year Ever.

Between the three of them, you get a high altitude look at your goals and life plan, you get a mid-range perspective, and you get a close up look at how you accomplish the best things you want to accomplish.

I’m only a few chapters in, but so far, there are some excellent tips and tools to help make goal-setting easier, and the changes we want to make more lasting.

I think it’s a must-read. You can find a copy in various formats on Amazon. Grab one and see how it might help your life.

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Don’t Just Read It … Study The Bible In 2020

How To Gain A Deeper Understanding Of God And His Word

There are three different levels when it comes to reading the Bible, I think, and each has it’s place in our lives. So if Fox News is right, and 2020 is the “Year of the Bible,” then how do we gain the most from it? I think that comes primarily from good study habits.

Study The Bible In 2020

I think that there are three main ways that we should ingest the Bible into our lives, and all three have excellent benefits for us. Some people may break it down a little differently than I do, but I think this is a good, basic overview.

The first way is a simple reading of the Bible. I believe that every verse of Scripture has value for my life, and it’s worthwhile to expose myself to every bit of God’s Word on a regular basis. For many, that can come though a tool like an annual Bible Reading Plan. I use something that helps me read every passage more than once a year, which utilizes ten different sections of the Bible. It’s a bit more ambitious, but I have found it really useful.

The second way to use God’s Word is to study it, not just read it. That’s what this article is about, so more on that in a moment.

The third aspect is Bible memorization. Simply taking God’s Word and committing it to memory so that it can become a part of your mind and your thinking habits. Bible memorization is a discipline that I think we neglect more than we should, and have tried to incorporate it into my daily life for several years now, most recently tackling Psalm 119.

We may accomplish the first, perhaps employ the third occasionally, and completely overlook the second. The result of neglecting Bible study has created a culture of biblical illiteracy, and most of us know far less about God’s Word than we should. But I think that’s reversible, and all it takes are a few key study disciplines incorporated into our lives.

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Coffee Break – 01.13.2020

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

Time for a Coffee Break! On this day in history: In 1854, Anthony Faas of Philadelphia, PA, was granted the first U.S. patent for the accordion. He made improvements to the keyboard and enhanced the sound. In 1906, Hugh Gernsback, of the Electro Importing Company, advertised radio receivers for sale for the price of just $7.50 in Scientific American magazine. In 1928, Ernst F. W. Alexanderson gave the first public demonstration of television. And in 1968, Johnny Cash played for inmates at California’s Folsom Prison. This concert and the live recorded album from it launched him back onto the charts and re-defined his career.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Clean Off Your Desk Day!
But if that is undesirable, it’s also National Rubber Ducky Day. That’s much better!

Next Generation Instant Coffee – I generally dislike (abhor) instant coffee. However, I found this review to be interesting. I may have to give these a try, just to see if there’s anything to this idea. Might be good for a Coffee Break…

Travel Smart: 7 Space-Saving Packing Tips For Men – If you travel a lot, then you need to read these tips. I have utilized several of these in my travels, whether for overnighters or longer trips. They really help!

10 Things You Can Do with Pennies – I hate carrying change. But at the same time, every time I see a penny on the ground, I pick it up. After all, they add up eventually. Here are a few ideas of what you can do with them.

It’s Not You. Phones Are Designed To Be Addicting – Smart phone use is increasing, and more and more people seem to have that blue glow reflecting off of their faces more and more of the time. This video explains why.