Tag Archives: Blame

Shipwreck and Rome

256 – Shipwreck & Rome

Acts 28:1-31

Continued from the previous story 

After fourteen days in a fierce storm, Paul’s ship struck a sandbar just off the island of Malta. Everyone got to shore and the local people came out and started helping them. They built a fire because of the rain and cold.
 
Paul helped by gathering wood. As he was putting some on the fire, a poisonous snake bit him on the hand. Paul dropped the wood but the snake hung from his hand. The local people said, “Ah, he is a terrible murderer! He escaped dying at sea, but now the gods are bringing justice to him.” 

Paul shook the snake into the fire, and everyone waited for him to swell up and drop over dead. After some time, they finally realized he wasn’t going to die. Then they said, “He’s a god!” 

The governor of the island opened up his home and made provisions for those who were shipwrecked. Paul learned that the governor’s father was sick in bed. He went and placed his hand on the man’s head. Instantly he was healed. News of this spread throughout the island, and people started bringing others to Paul so he could heal them. 

They stayed on Malta until the winter months were over. Julius then booked passage for them on a cargo ship that was going to Rome. As they prepared to leave, the people of the island brought them everything they needed for the trip. 

When they arrived in Rome, Paul was taken to a house where he stayed until his trial before Caesar. There was always a soldier next to him, but he was free to have friends come and visit. The Christians in Rome graciously received him and encouraged him. 

He sent a letter to the Jewish leaders in the city. He told them about what had happened in Jerusalem and why he was in Rome. He invited them to come and visit him. They met and talked about God’s Kingdom and Jesus. Their discussion lasted all day, until late in the afternoon. Some of them believed the message but others didn’t. 

As they were about to leave, Paul said, “The prophet was right when he said that ‘you would listen but not hear, you would look but not see.’ Your stubbornness has closed your ears and covered your eyes. You can be sure of this—the Gentiles will see and hear, and God will forgive their sins.” 

Paul stayed in the house for two years waiting for the trial. During that time he received many guests and preached Christ to them all. No one tried to stop him.

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Onesimus – Philemon

257 – Onesimus – Philemon

Philemon 1:1-25

Onesimus was a slave who ran away from his master Philemon. He went to Rome and eventually met Paul who led him to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Onesimus stayed with the apostle and helped him in the ministry. Eventually they knew it was time for the “runaway slave” to return to his master. Paul was a personal friend with Philemon, so he wrote a letter to help the two men reconcile their relationship. He said… 

Philemon—my dear friend—greetings to you, your family, and the church that meets in your home. I pray for you on a regular basis. I thank God for the love you have for the Lord Jesus Christ and for fellow believers. Those who meet you are encouraged in their faith.

Dear brother, you know me. I don’t normally hesitate in telling you what is right and wrong. I’m usually quick in reminding you of your duties in Christ. But I’m not going to do that this time. Instead, I am going to beg.

Picture this in your mind. I’m an old man who is in prison for the cause of Jesus Christ. In my weakness, God sent me a helper, Onesimus—a man who caused you pain and grief. But God sent him to me and I was able to introduce him to Jesus. He yielded his life to Christ and then became invaluable as a helper to me.

In a way, it was like you sent him here to help me because you couldn’t come yourself. I don’t know how I can carry on without him; but he and I both know he should go back to you. He was helping me in your stead, but we didn’t have your permission.

Listen, he was a worthless slave when he ran away from you. Now he’s coming back as a valuable brother in Christ, a co-worker in the ministry and a dear friend of mine. Receive him back in love.

Oh, concerning those things he stole from you —put those on my account. Here, I will pick up the quill and write this in my own handwriting. “I, Paul, will repay it.” I won’t remind you of the fact that you actually owe me your very life.

Please receive him as if you were receiving me. You’ll bring joy to my life when I hear how you’ve accepted Onesimus back into your life and home.

But what am I talking about? I know you’ll do this and even more.

By the way, prepare your guest room for me. I know you’ve been praying that I’d be set free and come back to visit you. I think the Lord is going to answer your prayers.

Greet all my good friends who are there. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Paul.

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The Good Samaritan

207 – Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-42

There was a man who was an expert of the law of Moses. He asked Jesus, “How can a person earn the right to go to heaven?”

Jesus said, “Tell me what is written in the law.”

He said, “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Ah,” said Jesus. “Go and do that, and you’ll live.”

The man realized how impossible that was. “Uh, well, exactly who is my neighbor?”

Jesus said…

“A man was traveling down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers grabbed him and beat him until he was almost dead. They then took his money and clothes, and left him on the side of the road.

“The man desperately needed help, and soon a priest came along. He saw the man, but moved to the other side of the road and hurried on his way. After that, a Levite passed by, but he also avoided the situation and ignored the man.

“A third man traveled down the road, but unfortunately he was a Samaritan, a group of people hated by the Jews. Still, he had pity on the Jewish man. He stopped and treated his wounds. He placed him on his donkey and took him to an inn. There he made him comfortable and treated his wounds again.

“The next day, the Samaritan gave the innkeeper money and told him to take care of the wounded man. He said, ‘If it costs more, I’ll pay you when I come back.’

“So,” said Jesus, “three people saw the man lying on the side of the road. Which one was a neighbor to him?”

The answer was simple, “The one who showed mercy.”

“Yes,” said Jesus, “go and follow his example.”

After this, Jesus went to a village. He had friends that lived there, and they invited him and his disciples into their home for a meal.

While they were talking, one of the sisters named Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to everything he said. Martha, her sister, was busy preparing the meal for their guest. In her frustration, she went to Jesus. “Lord, have you noticed that my sister has left all the work for me to do? Please, tell her to come help me.”

The Lord said, “Oh Martha, Martha. You have too many worries. You have forgotten there is only one thing that is absolutely necessary. Mary has chosen that one thing, and it won’t be taken away from her.”

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Leaving Laban

25 – Leaving Laban

Genesis 31:4–55

Jacob wanted to have a private conversation with his two wives, so they met out in the field. He said to them, “I worked hard for your father, even though he changed our deal ten times. The Lord protected me, and every time Laban changed our agreement, God changed how the lambs were born. Now your father is angry with me. So the Angel of God has told me to return to the land of my fathers.” 
Both women agreed with him. They said, “Do what God has told you to do. Our father sold us to you and then spent the money. You haven’t gotten anything from him that doesn’t already belong to us and our children.”  

So without telling Laban, Jacob took all that he had, and started driving his herds toward Canaan. Before they left, Rachel stole her father’s family idol. 

Three days later, Laban heard that Jacob had left. He immediately took a group of men and chased after Jacob. It took seven days to catch up with him. The night before, God appeared to Laban and said, “Watch out! Don’t do anything to Jacob, good or bad.” 

The next day, Laban met Jacob and said, “Why did you do this to me? You left like a thief in the night, and took my daughters and grandchildren like they were prisoners. If you had told me, I would’ve put on a grand party and sent you off with a air.” 

“Now you’ve disgraced me, and if I wanted to, I could destroy you right here. But last night, the God of your fathers told me not to do anything to you. 

“I suppose I can understand your being homesick and wanting to go home. But why did you steal my family idol?” 

Jacob said, “I didn’t steal your idol. Look for yourself. Go ahead. Search our tents. If you find it, I’ll kill the person who took it.” He didn’t know that Rachel had taken it. 

Laban searched the tents belonging to Jacob, Leah, and the two maidservants. He then went into Rachel’s tent. She was sitting on her camel seat, where she had put the idol. She said, “Father, please forgive me for not standing. I am having my monthly period.” Laban looked throughout her tent and didn’t find his idol. 

At this point, Jacob became angry. He said, “You’ve chased me here like I was a criminal. You’ve searched everything I have. Have you found anything that belongs to you? Bring it out and put it in front of your men. 

“No, you haven’t found anything! I worked for you for twenty years. I endured the extreme heat in the day, and the frost at night. I worked without much sleep, so you could prosper. I endured these hardships, and you still mistreated me through it all. 

“Then you made me bear all the loss for anything that went wrong. I had to pay you if someone stole a sheep. If an animal killed a lamb, suddenly it was my lamb.” 

“You changed our agreement ten times. I would be standing here penniless if God hadn’t made things right. Now he’s protecting me from you.” 

Laban said, “Everything you have belongs to me. Those are my daughters! Those are my grandsons! Those are my flocks! But what can I do now? Let’s make a firm agreement that can’t be changed. Everyone here will be a witness to it.” 

So all the men took stones and piled them in a mound. Jacob and Laban agreed that neither man would ever go to the other side of the mound. Laban said, “These rocks are an agreement between us. You’re not to mistreat my daughters and take any other wives.” 

Jacob then made a sacrifice to God and afterwards everyone sat down to a meal. The next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren, and blessed them. He then returned to his home.

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Feeding 4,000

200 – Feeding 4,000

Matthew 15:29-16:16 Mark 8:1-21 8:27-30

Jesus left the region of Tyre and Sidon and went to the Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee. As he taught the people, a great crowd brought those with various physical problems. They brought the lame, the blind, the crippled, and those with many diseases. Jesus healed them all, and the crowd was amazed.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I’m concerned for the crowd. They’ve been with us for three days, and their food has run out. I don’t want to send them away without feeding them because they’ll collapse with hunger as they go.” 

The disciples said, “Lord, we don’t have enough food to feed this large crowd.”

“How much do you have?”

“We have seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.”

“Tell the crowd to sit down.”

He took the bread and fish and blessed it. He then broke it into pieces and gave it to his disciples. They turned and gave it to the crowd. 4,000 people were there. Everyone ate until they were full. The disciples then collected the leftovers and found they had seven baskets full.

Afterwards, they sent the crowd home. Jesus and his disciples got in the boat and went to the Jewish side of the lake.

The Jewish leaders were there, and started arguing with him. They wanted him to give them signs from heaven. He refused and got back into the boat.

As they were going back to the Gentile side of the lake, the disciples realized they forgot to bring enough food for the trip. They only had one small loaf of bread.

Jesus said to them, “Watch out for the yeast of the religious leaders.” The disciples assumed he was scolding them for forgetting the bread.

He said, “Your faith is still so small! Why would you think I’m concerned about the bread situation? You were there. You saw how 5,000 people were fed with just five loaves of bread and two fish. How many baskets did we collect afterwards?”

“Twelve.”

You saw how 4,000 people were fed with just seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. How many baskets did we collect afterwards?”

“Seven.”

“So listen carefully and understand what I’m saying. Watch out for the yeast of religious leaders.” Finally the men understood what he was talking about.

Once they got to the other side, Jesus took them to Caesarea Philippi. There, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

“Some say you’re John the Baptist. Others say you’re Elijah or Jeremiah.”

“Who do you say I am?”

Peter said, “You’re the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said, “Peter, you’re blessed! You didn’t learn this from human sources, but the Father has revealed it to you.”

He then told all of his disciples “For now, don’t tell anyone I am the Messiah.”

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Forgiven and Grateful

191 – Forgiven and Grateful

Luke 7:36-50

A Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus into his house for a meal. People ate their meals while leaning on a cushion next to the table, with their feet behind them.

While they were eating, a woman came who was known to be a great sinner. She stood behind Jesus and started to cry. She then knelt down and washed his feet with her tears. She let down her hair and used it to dry his feet. She then kissed them and anointed them with expensive oil. 

Simon thought to himself, “Well, this proves that Jesus isn’t a prophet. If he were, he’d know what kind of woman this is and he wouldn’t let her touch him.”

Jesus knew what he was thinking. He said, “Simon, I have a question for you. Two men owed a debt to the same banker. One owed $2500, while the other owed $25,000. Both were unable to pay it back, which meant they would be sold into slavery. Instead, the banker decided to forgive their debts and set them free. Which of these men will be the most grateful and the loyal to the banker?”

Simon was quick to answer. “Of course, the one who owed $25,000.”

Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. I came into your house and you didn’t provide me water to wash my feet. Look at this woman. She didn’t say a word, but simply washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.”

“You didn’t welcome me with a kiss. But this woman hasn’t stopped kissing my feet.”

“You didn’t offer me oil to freshen up. Look, she has anointed my feet with a generous amount of expensive oil.”

“Why is she doing this? It’s because her sins are many, and she’s grateful to be forgiven. Those who feel they’ve been good all their lives don’t experience such deep gratitude.”

He turned to the woman. “Your sins are forgiven.” This shocked those sitting around the table, but Jesus continued on. “Go in peace. Your faith has saved you.”

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Esther Saves Her People

176 – Esther Saves Her People

Esther 5:9 – 10:3

Continued from the previous story

The king and Haman attended Queen Esther’s banquet. Afterwards the king said, “Now tell me your request so I can give it to you.”

“Oh king, if it’s true you want to grant my request, please bring Haman and come to another banquet tomorrow. I’ll tell you my request at that time.” 

Haman was proud as he left the court that day. He had been invited to the queen’s banquet two days in a row! Suddenly his joy turned to anger as he noticed Mordecai once again not bowing before him. He was with friends that evening and told them how this Jew had ruined his joy.

They said, “Build a 75-foot gallows. Go to the king early in the morning and ask him to order Mordecai’s death. Hang him on the gallows right away so you can enjoy the queen’s banquet.” Haman sent for a servant and ordered the gallows to be built.

The king couldn’t sleep that night. So he had someone come to his bedroom and read official records. The servant read how Mordecai had saved the king’s life by revealing a plot to kill him. The king said, “How was this man rewarded?”

The servant looked back at the records, then said, “He wasn’t, my king.”

“Nothing was done to reward this man?! Go into the court and see if anyone is there.”

The servant found Haman waiting to see the king. The king said, “Bring him in.” Before Haman could talk, the king said, “What should I do for a man I want to honor in a special way?”

Haman immediately thought of himself. He said, “Oh, my king. You should honor this man by putting your royal robe and crown on him. Place him on your horse and have your most noble official lead him through the streets yelling, ‘This is what the king does for a man he wants to honor!’”

The king was pleased. “Excellent. Go and find Mordecai and do everything you’ve said. Be careful not to leave anything out.”

Haman stood there in shock, but he had to fulfill everything he had suggested to the king. He put the royal robe and crown on Mordecai, placed him on the royal horse, and led him through the city yelling, “This is what the king does for a man he wants to honor.”

When it was all over, Haman went home in humiliation, but his summons to the queen’s banquet was waiting for him. So he had to rush to get there.

After they had eaten, the king asked Esther, “Tell me what you want so I can give it to you.”

“Oh king, if it pleases you to grant my request, spare my life and the lives of my people. A man has plotted to have my entire race destroyed.”

The king was shocked, “Who is this man and where is he?”

Esther pointed at Haman. “Our enemy is this wicked man.”

Haman was terrified. He couldn’t even speak. The king looked at him and became angry. He got up and walked into the garden so he could think.

Haman ran over and fell down next to Esther to beg for his life. The king walked back into the room and saw Haman lying next to the queen. He said, “Are you going to rape the queen with me standing right here?”

As soon as he said this, servants rushed over and put a hood over Haman’s head. One of them turned to the king. “Haman has built a gallows to hang the man who saved your life.”

This angered the king even more. He pointed to Haman, “Hang him on it!”

Haman was immediately taken out and hanged on the gallows he had built. After this, the king replaced him with Mordecai.

So the Jewish people were saved from the disaster Haman had planned for them, and Mordecai became the highest-ranking official in the government.

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Esther Becomes Queen

175 – Esther Becomes Queen

Esther 1:1 – 5:8

One day the queen of Persia embarrassed the king in front of the lords of the court. They all agreed the king should replace her. So an order went out saying all the beautiful virgins were to come to the palace. From them, the king would choose a new queen.

Esther was a beautiful young woman who had been raised by her older cousin Mordecai. She went to the palace because of her beauty and virtue. But … her cousin told her not to tell anyone that she was Jewish.

In the course of time, she was selected to be the new queen. Soon after this, two events happened about the same time. The first was that Mordecai heard a plot to kill the king. He reported it, and the plot was stopped. His good deed was recorded in the official records.

The second event was that a man named Haman was made the highest-ranking official in the government. From then on, people bowed when he walked by—everyone except Mordecai.

When Haman saw this, he became angry and wanted Mordecai killed. But he wanted more than that—he wanted to totally destroy the Jews.

So he went to the king and said, “There are people in the empire who are different than everyone else. They don’t obey your laws because they have their own. It’s not good to let them live. Allow me to serve you by organizing their destruction. It would be my honor to personally pay for the cost of doing this.”

The king was pleased at Haman’s willingness to serve the kingdom, so he gave him the authority to destroy the Jewish people. Haman set a date and then sent out a proclamation.

It said all the Jews were to be killed on that date. This would include the men, women and children. Their possessions were to be given to those who did the killing.

Once the proclamation was translated into many languages, it was sent out to all the nations in the empire. Fear and panic gripped all the Jews of the land.

Esther was in the palace and didn’t know about this decree. Soon she heard that Mordecai was mourning in a public place. She sent a servant to ask him what was wrong. Mordecai told the servant everything and gave him a copy of the decree. He said, “Tell the queen she must talk to the king and beg him to have mercy upon her people.”

She sent a message back to him. “No one is allowed to go before the king without an invitation. Those who do are put to death unless he points the golden scepter toward them. It’s been 30 days since he has last sent for me.

Mordecai sent a message back to her. “Don’t assume you’ll escape, just because you live in the palace. Listen, if you don’t help, your people will be delivered by some other means. Still, you will die! I believe you were brought to the kingdom for such a time as this.”

She sent back a note. “Tell our people to fast for three days. They’re not to eat or drink anything. My servants and I will do the same. Then I’ll go and stand before the king, even though it is against the law. If I die, I die.”

After three days, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court so the king could see her from his throne. When he looked up, he was pleased to see her and immediately pointed the golden scepter towards her. She walked up and touched the top of it.

He said, “Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.”

She said, “If it pleases you, I want you and Haman to come to a banquet I have prepared.”

“Done!” said the king. “Guard, run get Haman and bring him here. We’re going to Queen Esther’s banquet.”

Continued in the next story

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Den of Lions

171 – Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

When Darius became king, he appointed an official over each of his 120 provinces. He then selected three administrators to supervise the 120 officials.

Daniel was one of the three administrators, and he was the most capable. The king was about to give him authority over the entire kingdom.

The officials and the other two administrators didn’t want this to happen. They decided to make Daniel look bad to the king. They searched for a flaw in his life or some kind of corruption in what he did for the government. They couldn’t find anything. Finally they said, “There’s only one way we can do this. We must find something in the laws of his God.” 

Finally they found it, so they created a plan. They went to the king and said, “Oh King Darius, live forever. The officials and administrators have agreed on a way we can honor you. With your permission, we want everyone to worship you for 30 days. We’ll craft a law that says no one can worship any other god during that time. We want you to sign it as a law of the Medes and Persians that can’t be changed. If anyone disobeys this law, they’ll be thrown into a den of lions.” Darius was pleased with this honor, so he signed the law.

Daniel heard about this after it was done. Still he followed his normal routine of worship. Three times a day, he went into his house and opened the upper windows that faced Jerusalem. There, he knelt down and prayed, giving thanks to God. It was exactly what the men knew he would do.

They went to the king and said, “Is it true that you signed a law that said for 30 days no one may worship any other god besides you? And didn’t it say that anyone who violated this would be thrown into a den of lions?”

He said, “Of course. I made it a law of the Medes and Persians, which can’t be changed.” “Oh king, we’re sad to tell you that Daniel, Jewish exile, is breaking that law. He bows down and worships his God three times a day.”

Darius was shocked! He knew he had to find a way to rescue Daniel. He worked on it all day. Finally the men came and said, “You know that the law of the Medes and Persians can’t be changed.”

So the king gave the order to go get Daniel. The king talked to him just before he was thrown into the den. “Oh, may the God you serve rescue you from these lions.”

Daniel was lowered into the den, and then a stone was placed over the opening. The king put his seal on it so that no one could interfere with this judgment. He went back to his palace and cancelled the evening entertainment. He refused to eat, and he couldn’t sleep all night.

When it was finally morning, he rushed back to the den of lions. Once the stone was removed, he yelled, “Oh Daniel, servant of the living God. Was your God able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel yelled back, “My king, God sent his angel, who shut the mouths of these lions. I haven’t been hurt in any way. God knows I’m innocent. Your Majesty, I haven’t wronged you in any way.”

The king gave the order to have Daniel pulled out of the den. Darius then told the guards. “Go get those men who plotted against Daniel. Get their wives and children. Throw them all into the den of lions.”

All the men and their families were brought and pushed down into the den of lions. The lions were waiting at the bottom and tore them apart before they reached the floor.

King Darius sent a decree throughout his kingdom. It said, “Everyone is to be afraid of Daniel’s God because he’s the living God. His kingdom will last forever. He’s able to rescue those who serve him.”

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Well of Mud

163 – Well of Mud

2 Chronicles 36:15-21 2 Kings 25:3-21 Jeremiah 32:1-33:26 38:1-40:6 52:1-34

Stories 159 – 164 happened during the life and ministry of Jeremiah, the prophet.

The Lord gave Jeremiah a message for the people. He said, “The choice is yours. You can have life or death. If you stay in Jerusalem, you’ll suffer hunger, disease, and death. If you surrender to the Babylonian army, you’ll live. I’ve given this city to them, and they’ll totally destroy it.”

When the officials of Judah heard this, they went to the king and said, “This man must die. He’s a traitor. He’s telling people to abandon us.” 

So Zedekiah allowed them to do what they wanted with Jeremiah. They put ropes around him and let him down into an empty well. It didn’t have water in it, but instead the bottom was nothing but mud. Soon the prophet had sunk down into the mud.

Another official ran to the king and said, “This is wrong! The prophet will die in that well. He has no food or water.”

The king gave permission for the man to pull Jeremiah out of the well. So he got 30 other men to help him. They threw old rags down the well and told the prophet to put these under his arms to protect him from the ropes. They then pulled him out of the well and took him back to the palace prison.

The Babylonians kept the city under siege for two and a half years. Finally they broke through the walls and took the city. When Zedekiah heard this, he got out of Jerusalem during the night and tried to escape.

The Babylonians chased after the king and soon caught him. They brought him back to Nebuchadnezzar. He took Zedekiah and made him watch as they killed his sons in front of him. They then gouged out his eyes, put him in chains, and led him away to Babylon.

The Babylonians totally destroyed the city so it could never again resist them. They destroyed the Temple, burned all the houses, and broke down the walls. The city was totally demolished. The Babylon army took the rest of the people away to Babylon, leaving only a few to tend the land.

Nebuchadnezzar heard about Jeremiah, so he told his captain, “Find this man, and make sure he isn’t hurt. He’s to be cared for and given whatever he wants.”

The captain went and found the prophet. He was in chains along with the others who were being sent into exile. The captain took the chains off Jeremiah and said, “You’re free to go. If you come to Babylon with us, we’ll take care of you and meet your needs for the rest of your life. But if you want, you can stay here in Judah. The choice is yours.”

Jeremiah said he would stay in Judah, so they allowed him and Baruch to go back to their homes. The Lord also protected the official that had helped the prophet get out of the well.

The Lord said to Jeremiah, “The day will come when I’ll raise up a righteous Branch from the line of David, and He’ll bring justice and righteousness to the land. He’ll be called, ‘The Lord our Righteousness.’ ”

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