Jason Ebeling

Hat Trick

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada is one bad dude. One of David's mighty men, he is tasked with doing David's dirty work and in just this chapter alone, he kills Adonijah, Joab and Shimei. Yet he's not a…

1 Kings 2:25 (ESV), 1 Kings 2:34 (ESV), 1 Kings 2:46 (ESV)

You're Not Simply Entitled to Anything

When I read this I see the same kind of attitude that I see today in a lot of younger people and that's an attitude of entitlement. Joshua is dividing up the land and these guys get a portion, but complain…

Joshua 17:14 (ESV), Joshua 17:15 (ESV), Joshua 17:16 (ESV), Joshua 17:17 (ESV), Joshua 17:18 (ESV)

Is His Way Your Way?

I've never seen this before, but the blind man has faith in Jesus, asks to receive his sight and Jesus restores it. Jesus then adds, "go your way." [ESV]. But get this...as soon as this blind guy (Bartimaeus)…

Mark 10:52 (ESV)

That's Just What You Do

So Jesus is out, there's a crowd around him (again) and he does what he always does - he teaches them. Here's the question: when we're out and around a crowd, what do we usually do? Do you blend in…

Mark 10:1 (ESV)

The Problem is YOU

This is the problem with the faith of so many today. We say we believe in God. We believe that Jesus has conquered death. We believe Jesus was a miracle worker, but few believe he still IS a miracle worker.…

Mark 9:23 (ESV), Mark 9:24 (ESV)

When All Hope is Gone

How easy it is to look at our circumstances and think that it's hopeless, and why not?  Paul and the entire ship's crew had been caught in a storm, driven off course, beaten and battered by the wind and…

Acts 27:20 (ESV), Acts 27:25 (ESV)

Yeah, me too!

Knowing who I am and how I mess up, makes me want to get in line and beg for God to pardon me. Intellectually, I know he already has, but practically, it's hard to understand how he could. If I'm being…

Psalm 25:11 (ESV)

Redemption or Death

For all the "gray" areas and questions people (including myself) have about life, there are still some things that are simply black or white. For the donkey here, God said to redeem the firstborn with…

Exodus 13:13 (ESV)

What God does is based on what God did

Isn't funny that our perspective is so easily shifted to something that appears "more interesting" than old news? We easily tire of the things we already know, whether it's popular movies and songs that…

Luke 10:20 (ESV)

Opponents - Handle with Care

There have been more than a few times that I've been frustrated by someone who "just doesn't get it" and I've been tempted to let them know just how wrong or dumb they are. This is especially true when…

2 Timothy 2:25 (ESV)

Vote Out Parishioners Not Pastors

I've seen and heard too many stories where divisive people work to force a pastor out. I'm not saying there are not times when it would be necessary to remove a pastor from his leadership position, but…

Titus 3:10 (ESV), Titus 3:11 (ESV)

Why Do You Serve

This particular verse can be a challenging one for any pastor or church leader who is committed to the mission of the church. Why? First, let's look at what it says: "For to this end we toil and strive,…

Are You Outta Your Mind?

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.6 For to set the mind on…

Romans 8:5 (ESV), Romans 8:6 (ESV), Romans 8:7 (ESV), Romans 8:8 (ESV)

It's All Yours, One Way Or Another

These verses can be wither scary or hopeful, but I'm not sure they can be both. The choice is yours. God will respond accordingly to the things we do and the choices we make. If we make patient and…

Romans 2:6 (ESV), Romans 2:7 (ESV), Romans 2:8 (ESV)

Touching Jesus

We often hear about how Jesus has "touched" someone's life or their heart.  How Jesus reached down and changed us.  And that happens.  But not here and not this time. In this instance, Jesus arrives and…

Matthew 14:35 (ESV), Matthew 14:36 (ESV)

What Are You Looking At?

As I'm reading through Matthew, I keep noticing that the Pharisees always have their eye on Jesus.  They're watching him and his disciples like a hawk, looking for him to mess up or do something they…

Matthew 12:2 (ESV)

Man Up!

Funny that in the midst of the "love" chapter is this verse and the tail end that says, "When I became a man, I gave up childish ways" [ESV]. Yet, maybe it's just me, but I don't see that much, particularly…

1 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV)

That's Not What I Want!!

When it comes to spiritual gifts, opinions range across the board from "Let's just not talk about it" to "They're all we talk about." There's no denying the existence of spiritual gifts nor their necessity…

1 Corinthians 12:1 (ESV), 1 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV), 1 Corinthians 12:11 (ESV)

Brother, You're Not Welcome Here

Have you ever heard of a deacon who's having an affair with the choir director? A pastor who's sleeping with his secretary? A Sunday school teacher or small group leader who's also a "closet" alcoholic?…

1 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV)

Be Consistent

"If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?" That was a great question for Paul to ask Peter, and it's a question we need to consider…

Galatians 2:14 (ESV)

Who Really Got What He Wanted?

Pilate himself wanted to be accepted and satisfy the crowd. The crowd wanted Jesus crucified. Jesus wanted to set the captives free and Barabbas wanted to get out of prison. Who really got what they wanted?…

Mark 15:15 (ESV)

More Questions than Answers

I've heard more than a few people say of themselves, "I wish I'd never been born!" but it's almost like Jesus is saying the same thing here about Judas since it would have been better if he hadn't been…

Mark 14:21 (ESV)

Walking Ahead

Jesus is "walking ahead of them" on the road to Jerusalem and explains to them all that is going to happen. In this case here, we don't even get a response to what He told them. They just didn't understand…

Mark 10:32 (ESV), Mark 10:33 (ESV), Mark 10:34 (ESV)

Ah, Nice House....

Do you know who "lives" in tombs? Dead people. Or I guess you could say nobody. Nobody actually lives life in and among the tombs. This guys that Jesus encounters was spiritually dead. He was bound,…

Mark 5:3 (ESV)

You Can't Handle The Truth

There's a scene in a movie (A Few Good Men) where one man is asking for the truth and another is shouting, "You can't handle the truth!" and the only difference here is that while the Pharisees aren't…

Mark 3:1 (ESV), Mark 3:2 (ESV), Mark 3:3 (ESV), Mark 3:4 (ESV), Mark 3:5 (ESV), Mark 3:6 (ESV)