Tag: Bible questions.

September 22, 2025

September 22nd, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 10

Highlight Verse:

““Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Much of my childhood was spent seeking acknowledgment from my dad.

That didn’t come often.

After my parents’ divorce, it was even more scarce.

Then I got to know my Heavenly Father and verses like this clicked into place.

Knowing that God knows who I am down to the last hair on my head brings joy to my heart.

How could I not acknowledge Him to others.

That doesn’t mean I preach to strangers.

I prefer to bring my relationship with God up naturally.

The stickers on my water bottle at work can sometimes bring up conversations. Other times, a simple “whatcha up to this weekend” conversation opens the subject of church or creation if I’m heading to the mountains.

Regardless of the method, I am not ashamed of the Gospel and not afraid to bring it up in a non-threatening loving and respectful way.

What is your favorite way to share the Gospel?
Where do you struggle the most with sharing?
September 21, 2025

September 21st, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 112-115

Highlight Verse:

“Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭113‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have a simple challenge for you today.

Read or listen to Psalms 112-115 through.

While you read, concentrate on praising God –
• For all that He has provided for you.
• For all He has forgiven you for.
• For all that He is.

Then share what you praised Him for.
September 20, 2025

September 20th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Matthew 6:19-34

Highlight Verse:

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This weekend there is a “Pirate Fest” in a nearby park.

We don’t really have the time nor inclination to attend it, but it sounds fun.

Instead, we watched “The Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Some of you might love that movie, some might hate it, some, like me, think it’s fun but strange.

I think we can all agree that Jack Sparrow… sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow has his treasure in the wrong place.

Unlike most pirates, it isn’t in gold. It is in freedom from anyone commanding him.

As believers, our treasure should be in loving God and loving others.

That is a treasure always worth pursuing with wealth that will last forever.

No one can rob us of that treasure.

Where does your treasure lie?
How do you pursue it?
September 19, 2025

September 19th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 45-47

Highlight Verse:

“Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, for I am with you,” says the Lord. “I will completely destroy the nations to which I have exiled you, but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭46‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jeremiah is known for making people afraid.

It’s refreshing to hear him say to not be afraid.

Here’s the question I have to ask of the Bible for this verse, “Is the punishment spoken of here covered by the sacrifice of Jesus?”

I would say yes with a caveat.

The eternal circumstances of sin are covered by Jesus’ sacrifice for those who accept it.

That doesn’t mean that believers will not have to deal with the earthly consequences of their actions.

For example, if you break the law, you have to pay the penalties. Likewise, if you don’t control your spending, you could be in trouble with your creditors.

But fear not, God will bring you through.

Along the way, you may learn a little discipline to avoid the same problems.

What have you learned through God’s discipline?
How has God helped you through those times?
September 18, 2025

September 18th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Philippians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve recently seen several videos of Christians criticizing Christians.

They’ve mostly been fundamentalists criticizing seeker sensitive churches and Christian radio.

But over the years I’ve heard seeker sensitive churches criticize fundamentalists, Pentecostals criticize seeker sensitive churches, mainline churches criticizing Pentecostals, Evangelicals criticizing mainline churches, and so on.

Who is right and who is wrong?

All of us.

We are human.

Humans make mistakes.

We get selfish, we get self righteous, we take political and doctrinal sides, and we get critical.

And we let that get in the way of the Gospel.

What would happen if we concentrated on the Great Commission of bringing the Gospel to the whole world.

Yes, we can discuss our differences, but let’s do that while we work together.

Unless someone is preaching against the Gospel of salvation by the grace of Jesus alone, we should work together.

Paul did it – and the world changed.

Billy Graham did it – and the Gospel flourished.

We can do it – and watch revival sweep across the world.

What is your favorite way to spread the Gospel?
What stands in the way of sharing the Gospel for you?
September 17, 2025

September 17th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”).”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Every now and then, I run into something in the Bible that is not only new to me but that I don’t have any clue about.

Today’s incident of that doesn’t have any bearing on my theology, but I’m curious what was behind it.

Why did David name that place “Baal-perazin?

Baal literally means possessor or “Master.)

David usually uses “El” or “YHWH” to describe God.

Why this change?

I honestly don’t know.

Commentaries are oddly vague about it.

I do have a couple of theories:
• Since this was former Philistine territory, David sticks with a local name.
• Because it was named as a result of battle, David downplayed God’s role.
• David was distracted by war and lost a little respect for God.

I could run with any of these and make a theological lesson from them.

In my opinion, that would be wrong.

There isn’t enough Biblical evidence to fully support any of these ideas.

Even if there was, I would be pulling them out of context.

While I admit I have occasionally pulled verses out of context, I try to only do that if the Bible as a whole supports the lesson. (If I mess up and try to bring lessons that are not supported by Scripture, please point it out to me).

So, what is today’s lesson?

It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”

In fact, it’s better to say that than to lead people to wrong conclusions.

What is your take on the whole “Baal-Perazim” naming?
What are other scriptures that you haven’t figured out?
September 16, 2025

September 16th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 10-11

Highlight Verse:

“(Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This puzzled me.

Why would the Egyptian people and Pharaoh’s officials look favorably on Moses and the people of Israel?

I would have expected them to blame Moses and Israel for the plagues.

This verse tells me they knew better.

The plagues were a result of God’s wrath against Pharaoh’s stubbornness.

The people of Egypt saw how the Israelites had favor with God and wanted to be on their good side.

I believed that’s why they gave so generously.

So why do so many people today see Christians in a negative light?

The Israelites continued to work despite Pharaoh’s cruelty and were blessed by God for their efforts.

Besides that, they had a solid faith that didn’t change with the passing of each Pharaoh.

The Egyptian belief system revolved around appeasing many gods including the self-proclaimed God Pharaoh.

Today we hold on to a solid faith in the one true God.

We have joy that comes from that faith.

But we have a history of criticizing the shortfalls of those still bound by sin.

Instead of reaching out with the love of God, we rant on social media and or stay to ourselves, not even knowing our neighbors.

I believe it is also true that our society has given the evil one the unprecedented right to indoctrinate people against Christianity.

So, what can we do about it?

I believe we are at the beginning of a great world-wide revival.

If we continue the trend of pressing into God and reaching out to others with His love, we may yet see a turn around on the scale of Exodus.

If we stay within our little Christian clubs while we let the world influence us into complacency or reactionary anger,

that flame will fizzle out.

I for one, intend to reach out in love with the Author of all Love.

How can you press in to make your faith more solid?
What has God called you to do to reach out to others with His Love?
September 14, 2025

September 14th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 109-111

Highlight Verse:

“How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭111‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I ponder the deeds of the Lord, my mind goes first to the beauty of creation.

Here is Colorado, we need only look to the west to see the majestic Rocky Mountains. Elsewhere, the ocean with its waves and beautifully carved coasts and blazing sunsets and sunrises boggle the mind with their beauty.

The immense variety of plants and animals throughout the world is beyond human imagination.

But to me, the most amazing deeds of the Lord are found in how He created us, loved us, and sacrificed for us.

That level of creativity and love are found in no one but God Himself.

What do you think of when you ponder the deeds of God?
Why?
September 13, 2025

September 13th, 2025

NOTE to those outside the United States, today’s post is a reaction to current events in the US.

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Proverbs 24

Highlight Verses:

“Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Tyler was brought up in a typical conservative Utah family.

Then he went to college.

He rebelled against his family values and followed the radical teachings of Antifa, thinking he was rebelling against a fascist system.

Antifa’s number one enemy – Christ.

Specifically, Christians who believe in the Bible and living by the values taught within it are automatically labeled fascists.

Tyler believed so passionately in that cause that he turned to violence.

With careful planning and sadistic determination, he murdered Christian apologist Charlie Kirk.

What makes the situation twice as sad is the elated reaction of those who celebrate the death.

I don’t want to turn this into a political rant.

I want to know what the Bible teaches about it.

Today’s passage points right to one root cause. Young Tyler clung to violent teachings of evil people.

It resulted in an extreme escalation of violence.

I pray that there will be other results.

• That the Gospel will reach the many who are drawn to investigate this situation.
• That young people will see the evil inherent in those who vilify Christ and Christians.
• That people will react against violence and bring reconciliation in our country.

I admit my first reaction is anger. I pray that anger will turn to action to advance the Gospel!

What was your first reaction to this murder?
What are you praying will be the ultimate result from this?
September 12, 2025

September 12th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 42-44

Highlight Verse:

“Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The remnant of people in Judah sought God’s guidance through the most reliable man of God in the land at that time – Jeremiah.

They vowed they would listen and do whatever God told them to do –

Until God’s plans differed from their own.

God’s instructions brought to them through Jeremiah told them to stay in the land when they were sure the right thing was to flee to Egypt.

Their solution, accuse Jeremiah of lying and doing their own thing.

When seeking God’s will for your life today’s reading has a couple of suggestions that might prove helpful.
• Seek a reliable source of God’s opinion – people who know the Bible well and the Bible itself are a good place to start.
• When the Bible disagrees with your opinion – change your opinion.

As much as I’d like to say that I always make good decisions, I can point to a few I made without consulting God’s Word. They didn’t work out so well.

What decisions have you made after thoroughly seeking God’s will? How did they turn out?
How did things turn out when you didn’t consult God first?

Tag: Bible questions.

Then I got to know my Heavenly Father and verses like this clicked into place.

How could I not acknowledge Him to others.

Regardless of the method, I am not ashamed of the Gospel and not afraid to bring it up in a non-threatening loving and respectful way.

I think we can all agree that Jack Sparrow… sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow has his treasure in the wrong place.

As believers, our treasure should be in loving God and loving others.

No one can rob us of that treasure.

It’s refreshing to hear him say to not be afraid.

That doesn’t mean that believers will not have to deal with the earthly consequences of their actions.

Along the way, you may learn a little discipline to avoid the same problems.

I’ve recently seen several videos of Christians criticizing Christians.

Who is right and who is wrong?

All of us.

Yes, we can discuss our differences, but let’s do that while we work together.

We can do it – and watch revival sweep across the world.

Every now and then, I run into something in the Bible that is not only new to me but that I don’t have any clue about.

I honestly don’t know.

It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”

Why would the Egyptian people and Pharaoh’s officials look favorably on Moses and the people of Israel?

If we continue the trend of pressing into God and reaching out to others with His love, we may yet see a turn around on the scale of Exodus.

that flame will fizzle out.

When I ponder the deeds of the Lord, my mind goes first to the beauty of creation.

But to me, the most amazing deeds of the Lord are found in how He created us, loved us, and sacrificed for us.

I pray that there will be other results.

Until God’s plans differed from their own.

Their solution, accuse Jeremiah of lying and doing their own thing.