Month: January 2025

Our Scripture for today is Isaiah 7:14:

“The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”

These words prophesy the birth of Jesus. Mary was a virgin, yet she would have a son. One cannot summarize Mary’s life in a few words, but here are things you may not know about Mary, the mother of Jesus:

1. Mary’s Hebrew name was Miriam, which means “beloved” or “exalted one.”
2. When Mary became the mother of Jesus, she was likely a young teenager, perhaps only 14–16 years old. This was a typical age for marriage in her culture, and she must have been extraordinary for God to choose her at such a young age.
3. Mary was a great student of the Bible, even as a young person. Her song of praise, recorded in Luke 1:46-55, reflects her deep knowledge of Scripture and trust in God’s promises.
4. One of the most unimaginable moments in Mary’s life was standing near the cross as Jesus was crucified (see John 19:25-27)
   
   Mary’s true character shines in her words to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). In other words, she was saying, “Let the Lord’s will be done. I don’t matter.”

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is Acts 8:3.

“Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”

This man, Saul, is the one whom we know as Paul, the Apostle. We first meet Saul only two verses earlier when he consents to the death of the first Christian martyr. But verse three shows us the character of his life at that time. He persecuted and tried to destroy the church. He dragged Christian men and women off to prison. Little could we have guessed that the end of his anti-Christian journey was about to come. He left to go to nearby cities to persecute Christians. In Acts 9, Jesus meets him on the trip, and his life is changed. He goes from Saul, the persecutor, to Paul, the Apostle.

Here are five great truths about him:

1. Paul became the great missionary to the Gentile people, even though he was a Jew.

2. Paul was a Roman citizen. On one occasion, he allowed himself to be beaten so that the soldiers might leave Christians alone. (See Acts 16).

3. Paul was a great scholar who trained under Gamaliel, one of the Jews’ most respected teachers.

4. Paul was a tentmaker by trade. He supported his ministry by making tents as his day job. 

5. Paul wrote more books of the New Testament than anyone else. He wrote at least 13 and maybe 14. Many of his books were written while he was in prison.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Meeting John the Baptist

Our text for today is Matthew 11:11.

In this verse Jesus tells us his opinion of John. “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist.”

That ought to tell you why we should want to meet John in heaven. Jesus said he is the greatest of all the prophets.

Enough said! But here are five more facts about John.

1. His name is John. 

His name is not ‘The Baptist.” He is called John the Baptist because he was one who baptized. He had the high honor of baptizing Jesus.

2. He was a prophet.

We don’t usually don’t think of John as a prophet. We say, Elijah, Elisha, and Isaiah. Jesus called him a prophet and even more. In Matthew 11:9, Jesus asked, “What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”

3. John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins, likely through their mothers. In Luke 1:36, the angel Gabriel tells Mary about Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy:

“Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.”

Most Bible scholars hold that this means they were cousins.

4. John told his followers that Jesus was greater than him. See John 3:30.

5. John recognized Jesus before he was born! When Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visited Elizabeth, John leaped in his mother’s womb, filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41).

I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is Colossians 4:14. 

“Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.”

Why should we make a big deal about Luke? At first glance, we might focus on the fact that he wrote a book of the Bible—but there are 40 to 50 different writers in the Bible. So why highlight Luke? There are other compelling reasons. In today’s reflection, we’ll take a closer look at this remarkable man.

Why are we focusing on him?  

Luke wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else, even Paul. While Paul authored more individual books, his writings were shorter. In fact, Paul’s work makes up about 23% of the New Testament, but the combined length of Luke’s writings in the Gospel of Luke and Acts amounts to about 27%. That’s significant!

What else did Luke do?  

Paul describes Luke as a physician. In addition to being a doctor, Luke was also a historian, as evidenced by his detailed accounts in Luke and Acts. Moreover, he accompanied Paul on many of his journeys, as seen in the book of Acts.

What else is of special interest? 

Luke was likely not Jewish. He is widely believed to be the only Gentile author of the New Testament. 

Luke was also not an apostle. Unlike Matthew or John, he was not an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry. Instead, he relied on careful research and the testimonies of those who were there, crafting a faithful record of events.

Imagine meeting him on our first day in heaven! What a joy it will be to speak with the man whose work has taught us so much about Jesus and the early church.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.