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Our Best Thought
22
May
Missing the Point (Mark 12:28-34)
This teacher of the law understood that the purpose of the law is to produce a life of love, which is loving God and loving man. He knew that if people spent all their effort meticulously practicing all the sacrifices and offerings but do not love God and men, they have missed the point.
30
Apr
Kingdom Invasion (Mark 4:26-29, 30-32)
Unlike the war in Ukraine where the aggressor invades without permission and destroys the country completely, God’s Kingdom comes only to those who invite him and slowly sanctifies them into Christlikeness.
16
Apr
Jesus the Ultimate Sacrifice (John 19:1-3)
Christ shared our humanity, and yet maintained his divinity.
In Isaiah 9:6, we are told, “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us”. And in the Gospels we are given an account of his birth. “A child has been born to us”, signified the start of Jesus’s humanity, “a son has been given to us” signified his divinity.
09
Apr
Mercy and Restoration (Hosea. 2:21-23)
The word “answer” was used five times in these three verses. The purpose of the original design of creation was for fellowship between God and man. That purpose was thwarted in the fall. The consequences of that rebellion have affected all creation. But here it speaks of a change in circumstances – a time when God will graciously answer the prayers of the people.
02
Apr
Fear God and Hate Sin! (Lam. 4:22, Hab. 1:4, Jer. 38:18, 2 Chro. 36:15-16, Eze. 11:12-13)
This week’s readings from the Bible reading plans reopened my eyes about disobedience and the consequence of sin. The repercussions of sin go beyond the individual level, reaching entire communities, nations and, I’m afraid to say, even for the generations to come.
As I unpacked each day’s readings, the big idea for me emerges—which is for us to fear God and hate sin. Sin changes and affects not only our individual well-being, communities and nations but also our future generations as well but most of all, our relationship and fellowship with God.
19
Mar
Pray for Our World (Eze. 22:30-31, Jer. 5:1)
In Ezekiel 22, God was angry with the Jews for their wickedness. From the princes to the priest to the officials to the prophets and to all the people of the land; all have sinned. They have “all become dross” (v. 19). They have incurred the wrath of God and thus His judgement on the nation will come.
12
Mar
Loving Jesus Above All Things (Matt. 26:6-13)
Posted by Tan Hong Looi • Mar 12, 2022
Our Best Thought is a weekly devotional thoughtfully penned by leaders in DUMC arising from...
26
Feb
Be Ready for Christ’s Return (Matt. 24:12-14)
Jesus listed a lot of things that were going to happen, and we can witness that some have already happened in our present time. There were things for them to observe and understand as the time of His return draws closer.
But it is not the exact time that Jesus wanted the disciples to understand. Rather, it was their response of being ready when He comes.
There were two areas that Jesus said His disciples were to be watchful of: things that would happen around them, and things that would happen within them.
07
Feb
Hide Me Behind Your Cross (Matt. 23:1-7)
In this passage, Jesus warns the crowds and His disciples against religious hypocrisy.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were primarily religious leaders for everyday life. Jesus told the crowds and His disciples to carefully obey their teaching about the Scripture itself.
But He also told them not to do what they do, because those same men did not practice what they preached (v.3), they are pretending, the same meaning of the Greek term, hipokrites. (Matthew 23:13).
05
Feb
Compassion Compels Change (Matthew 15:32-39)
Compassion compelled Jesus to do something about the situation. In the previous chapter, we have the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand at Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee, where the crowd were mostly Jews.
Here, however, the crowd comprised Jews and Gentiles (Mark 7: 31), and gives the location of the event as having occurred in “the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.” Jesus was now in Gentile territory and yet He, a Jew, brought healing and deliverance to them all without regard of creed and colour.