Lifespring! Media: Quality Christian And Family Entertainment Since 2004

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Aaron Burden on Unsplash Today's Bible Translation Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 29 NKJV, Ch. 30 ESV, Ch. 31 NCV, Ch. 32 ERV Support Please remember that this is a listener supported show. Your support of any amount is needed and very much appreciated. Find out how by clicking here. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission, and you will earn our gratitude.

Yes! We’re back! It’s been just over three months since our last episode, so I thank you for hanging in there while Pastor Bennett and his wonderful wife relocated. Pastor B will tell you a little about what has been going on during that time, and then he’ll have a short lesson today from John 6.

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: The Creative Exhange on Unsplash Thoughts Melchizedek is a bit of a mystery man. As it said in chapter 7, we don’t know anything about his genealogy. Verse three tells us “There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life.” Well that’s kind of strange, especially for those times when genealogies were kept in great detail, because it was important to know what tribe of Israel a person was from.  We are told that his name means “king of righteousness” and “king of peace.” Now we’re beginning to see that Melchizedek prefigured, or foreshadowed Jesus, because these are titles that He holds. We are told that the priesthood of Melchizedek was perpetual, it never ended. Also, the author goes into great detail as to why he (Melchizedek) was greater than Abraham, and therefore greater than Levi. This is important when we remember who the primary audience of this book is…the Hebrew people, or Jews. To them, the Law was paramount

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Paul Bulai on Unsplash Thoughts The book of Acts is about the dawning days of the Christian church. How it began. It’s about the empowerment of the seemingly defeated followers of Jesus after His crucifixion and resurrection.  Jesus knew that his disciples would need encouragement and courage and ability from God to be able to take the message of the Gospel to the world, so just before He ascended to Heaven, He told them stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. Put yourself in their place. Yes, they had seen and spoken with the resurrected Christ over a period of forty days after his ascension. But they had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. What was Jesus talking about? How would this happen, and how would they know? They gathered in an upper room of a house in Jerusalem and spent their time praying. The remaining eleven disciples (remember that Judas Iscariot had been one of the twelve, but he betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide), Jesus’ mother, s

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ivana Cajina on Unsplash Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, but that does not take away from its value. It is, after all, the Word of God.  We don’t really know who this Obadiah fellow was, though. Some think that he is the Obadiah that was a servant in Ahab’s household as in 1 Kings 18:3. If this is he, then he was the man who hid and fed the prophets spoken about in that chapter. Others think that this Obadiah was a man who lived some time later, at around the same time as Hosea, Joel and Amos. And still others believe that he lived around the time that the Edomites destroyed Jerusalem. Regardless of when he lived, he was given the vision we heard about concerning Edom and the Day of the Lord. Today's Bible Translation Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 1 NASB Support Please remember that this is a listener supported show. Your support of any amount is needed and very much appreciated. Find out how by clicking here. W

Thoughts Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.Proverbs 27:6 NIV Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.Proverbs 27:9 NIV As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.Proverbs 27:17 NIV A Good Friend Is More Precious Than A Rare Jewel I like that Solomon spent some time giving counsel to his son about the importance of good friends. Like a rare jewel, truly good friends are hard to find. But when you find them, they are much more valuable than jewels. More than bringing fellowship and good times, they can help you through the difficult times. They can help to make you a better person. And sometimes, God can use them to speak His words into your life. I consider myself truly blessed, because I have two such friends in my life. One of them has been a part if my life since I was about 10 years old, the other I met when we were in junior high school. There is no one alive today that I ha

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Painting: Leonardo DaVinci These three chapters a part of what is known as the Egyptian Hallel because they were sung as a part of the annual Passover celebration that Jews observed. Psalms 113 and 114 were sung before the Passover meal, and 115-118 were sung after the meal. When was Jesus crucified? Just before Passover. What did He do the night before His crucifixion? He celebrated the Passover meal with the disciples. Therefore, it is most likely that He sang these Psalms with His disciples on His last night with them. Both Matthew and Mark made mention in their gospels that "...they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives...", which is where he prayed to the Father, asking, "If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”, after which Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. As we read these psalms, listen carefully, and imagine what He must have thought and felt as He sang, knowing that He would soon

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ben White on Unsplash The Temple Is Completed The Temple that King David first thought to build, but which God said he could not build because he had been a man of war, his son Solomon has now completed, as had been promised by God. So there is a great time of sacrificing and dedication, lasting for seven days. Can you imagine what a great time this was? How joyous the people must have been!  God's Response To Solomon's Prayer And then God appears to Solomon for a second time in response to the great prayer of dedication that Solomon offered in chapter six. And God said, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I wil

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jack Sharp on Unsplash Thoughts In Previous Chapters In Numbers 22-24 Balak tried to get Balaam to curse God's people because was afraid that they were a threat to him because they were so numerous. He wanted to drive them from his land. Balak was sure that if Balaam would curse them, he would be able to defeat them.  But God told Balaam that these were His people, and he should not curse them. God would not allow it. God protected His chosen people from outside threats. Lesson One But here in chapter 25, what happens? Israel brings a curse on themselves from God because of their own behavior. They begin to commit sexual sin with the women of Moab, apparently in the service of their god of fertility, Baal-Peor. I have often heard the argument that prostitution is a victimless crime, especially if both parties are willing participants. Of course that's hogwash. But I'm not here to discuss prostitution and the damage it causes. What I do want to say is that Go

Thoughts Steve and Tim | Design: Steve Webb | Photo: LeeAnn Webb We do not know the author of the book of Hebrews, but we do know to whom it was written: Christian Jews, and for their benefit (as well as ours), most of chapter one is dedicated to establishing who Jesus is in light of the Old Testament. Chapter 2 begins with this sentence: Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.Hebrews 2:1 NET Whenever I study the Bible and come across the word "therefore", I ask myself, "What's the therefore there for?" The word "therefore" is a link between two thoughts. It's like saying "Because of what I just said, now I'm going to say this." So in this case, the therefore refers to the message of chapter one, namely the truth of who Jesus is. Chapter two, verse one could say: "Since Jesus is God, we need to really pay close attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." Surfin' USA I grew up here in southern California, and I

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Kilyan Sockalingum on Unsplash Thoughts In chapter 19 we read about the crucifixion of Jesus. In chapter 20 we read about His resurrection. In chapter 21 we read about some of the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection and before His ascension.  One Word Needless to say, every event spoken of in these three chapters is worthy of further comment, but there is just one word in these three chapters that gets me every time. One word. Can you guess what that word is? Mary. Here she is, standing at the opening of the tomb that had held Jesus' broken body, utterly broken hearted that someone has apparently taken him away, and all she wants is for this person who is apparently a gardener to tell her where they have taken him. She is weeping, and nearly inconsolable. All she can think of is finding her Lord. How do I know this? Here's how. In nearly every mention of a person coming in contact with an angel, we are told that the person is terrified. So many ti

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash Thoughts In chapter five, verse four, God tells Israel, “Seek me so you can live!” When we sincerely pursue a relationship with God, we will find Him and have eternal life. In the book of Jeremiah, God said, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you.”  God is not hiding. He wants us to know Him, to trust Him, to love Him. But we must seek him wholeheartedly as He said in Jeremiah. If we hold on to our old ways, He is not pleased. Further on in chapter five, He chastises the Israelites for their phony attempts to serve him while they remain in their sin. In verse 21 He tells them, “I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies!” And dropping down to verse 27 He says, “…I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus.” Church attendance doesn’t fool God. We can fool those around

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Armando Ascorve Morales on Unsplash Proverbs chapters 25-29 were proverbs of Solomon that were collected under the supervision of King Hezekiah of Judah, about 270 years after Solomon died. 21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,and the Lord will reward you.Proverbs 25:21-22 NIV Good? Bad? Verse 21 is self-explanitory. But what does verse 22 mean? Commentators over the years do not agree whether heaping coals on the head is a good thing or a bad thing, from the viewpoint of the enemy. It could be referring to a burning conviction that happens when we do something good for the enemy. Or perhaps the thought is of lending a burning coal to him to help light a fire for himself. The motivation, nonetheless is that we make a friend of an enemy, and we will receive a reward from the Lord. Adam Clarke wrote in one of his commentaries, “Not to consume,

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ben White on Unsplash Thoughts Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.Psalms 111:1 NKJV Notice the psalmist says, "I will praise the Lord...". He does not say, "I feel like praising the Lord...". It is an act of will, not an emotion.  Face it, sometimes we do not feel like praising the Lord. Maybe we have had a difficult week, or we've been on the outs with our spouse, or money ran out before the month did. Or maybe we are just in a dry spell with the Lord.  Does any of that change who God is? Of course not. No matter what happens in our own life, God is still God. He is still worthy of praise, and when we decide that we will praise the Lord with our whole heart, 99 times out of 100, our emotions will be lifted up as we lift up the name of the Lord. I know, because I have experienced it myself, and have talked to others who agree. When you are feeling down, or afraid, or lonely, or li

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb A New King Solomon now begins his reign as king. It seems that his first order of business was to strengthen his hold on the kingdom. In 1 Kings, chapter 2, we read that shortly before his father David died, he gave Solomon instructions on what he should do to accomplish this. And it looks like Solomon wasted no time. Also, we're told in 2 Chronicles 1 that God was with him and highly exalted him. God seems to be pleased with how Solomon began his reign. Then he brought all Israel together to make a very special sacrifice of 1,000 burnt offerings to God. This seems to have been to show that he would seek God as the leader of the nation. God's Offer to Solomon That night God came to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask. What should I give you?" Of course, the implication is that He would have given Solomon anything that he asked for, isn't it? Can you imagine? Anything! Wow. Wouldn't it be great if God made that kind of offer to you? What would you ask for? 

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ansgar Scheffold on Unsplash Capricious? If this were Sesame Street, I would say that chapter 22 was brought to you by the letter "B". Balaam, Balak, Bamoth-Baal, Beor.  So what did you think about the situation with Balaam and God at first denying him permission to go to see Balak, and then telling him it was okay to go, and then being mad that he did go? Were you confused by that? Is God a capricious God? Of course not. But I was confused, too. So I did some digging, and here is what I found. Clearing Up the Confusion Balak sent messengers first to ask Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. God told Balaam not to go since He, God, had blessed them. Then Balak sent even more distinguished messengers, with the additional message that he would confer great honor upon Balaam, in effect Balak was attempting to bribe Balaam. This appears to have been a bit of a temptation to Balaam, even though he said with his lips that even if Balak gave him enough sil

Thoughts Love Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Chris Liverani on Unsplash Paul’s tender love for both Philemon and Onesimus is evident in this short letter, isn’t it? If the message of the Gospel could be boiled down, it’s all about forgiveness. And Paul, who at one time persecuted Christians, even to the point of holding the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death, could speak first-hand about being forgiven. Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision, as he was headed to Damascus on another mission to persecute Christians and asked him, “Saul, why do you persecute me?” I won’t recount the whole story here, but Paul, whose original name was Saul, was convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, and lived the rest of his life serving the God who forgave him. Asking Philemon to forgive Onesimus as Jesus forgave him was at once a “big ask” and completely in character with who Saul became once Jesus got hold of his heart and changed his name to Paul. If we who have been forgiven of so much cannot find it in our he

Thoughts Design and Photo: Steve Webb Jesus Prayed For You Did you know that there is a prayer by Jesus about YOU in the Bible? How exciting is that? Jesus prayed for you before his crucifixion. He knew he was soon going to be betrayed and turned over to be beaten and hung on a cross. He knew that His purpose would soon be fulfilled, and He prayed to the Father about many things. And you and I were on His mind. Hours Before the Crucifixion Jesus' prayer in John 17 is a marvelous look into the mind of our Savior in the hours before the sacrifice that would change the eternities of those who believe in Him. The events of the coming hours will be the fulfillment of His mission…the reason He gave up the glories of Heaven to be born in a manger some 33 years earlier. He prayed to the Father, as a Son. “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You…” There had never been a moment when Father and Son were out of touch with one another. Think of it. Jesus was

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Lucio Patone on Unsplash Amos was what we might call today a good ol’ boy. He was a plain-speaking, simple, country farmer. The name means “burden-bearer”, and he did certainly bear the burden of carrying God’s message. Amos challenged Bethel’s priest, Amaziah, and he bore God’s message reproving the sin of the people and calling them to repentance. His first message was against nearby enemies of Israel, and then he spoke to Israel about their idolatry and stubbornness toward God. After telling them about the judgments God would bring against them, the book ends with the promise of the coming Messiah. Over and over again in chapter four we heard the phrase, “The Lord is speaking.” Throughout their history, God has repeatedly told them what He expects from them in terms of their behavior and the condition of their hearts. But repeatedly, they forsake God to go their own way, only to come under His judgment. After a time, they repent, and God again blesses them. 

Thoughts Proverbs 23 1When you sit down to eat with a ruler, look carefully at what’s in front of you.2Put a knife to your throat if you like to eat too much.Proverbs 23:1-2 NIRV Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Rebecca on Unsplash This proverb was written when many rulers were actually all-powerful tyrants. A clearer translation of verse one would read something like this: When you sit down to eat with an all-powerful tyrant, consider very, very carefully who (not what) you are with. And then the phrase that really caught my attention is in verse two: Put a knife to your throat if you like to eat too much. The expression “put a knife to your throat” is an idiom that means “curb your appetite” or “control yourself”. To be in the presence of all all-powerful tyrant and indulge in one’s appetites could be very, very risky. If the tyrant  thought you were taking too much, it would mean little or nothing to them to order your death. Proverbs 24 11Save those who are being led away to death. Hold