Tag: faith

July 16, 2023

July 15th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 86-88

Highlight Verse:

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I will confess tonight that the hour is late and my brain is a bit foggy after a very long day.

Like David, I am completely dependent on the Lord tonight.

David recognizes that he has much to learn from God and that the only way to have a pure heart is to seek that pure heart from God.

He is 100% dependent on God and he knows it.

It is so easy to rest on our accomplishments while God is knocking at our door trying to take us to the next level.

The next level is not achieved by the heights of our accomplishments but rather the depths of our dependence on God.

In what ways are you completely dependent or God?
What areas do we fall short of relying completely on God.
July 13, 2023

July 13th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 6

Highlight Verse:

“For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s face it, I’m a procrastinator. Just tonight I eyed the dead light fixture above my work area in the garage and decided it was too hot to drag the ladder out to troubleshoot it.

The other lights in the garage work just fine.

Some things are a little more important.

How many times do we tell ourselves, I’ll deal with that behavior when I’m older? We get FOMO (fear of missing out) and think we need to have fun now while we can.

What we sometimes don’t realize is that shallow temporary “fun” robs us of deeper joy.

In fact, I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that fun enjoyed in right relationship with God is far more fun than those things that just feel good.

Then add to that, joy!

Take a look at verse 10. Then go back and read verses 3-10 again. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

We have it so much easier than Paul and his group, yet he had joy despite pain.

In Paul’s words, “We have everything.” (End of verse 10).

Why would we put that off? Now is the day.

Have you procrastinated putting your whole trust in Jesus?
Are there other things in your life that are keeping you from joy?
July 9, 2023

July 9th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 83-85

Highlight Verse:

“What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There’s a reason I chose to read the poetry books on Sundays. So much good praise!

I’m blessed to go to a church that has a really good worship band that does an amazing job of bringing the congregation to the throne of God.

But that’s not the point of this verse.

When this Psalm was written, the faithful came to worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem. This Psalm celebrated those pilgrimages.

But today, God comes to us.

We are His temple.

Therefore we are those who can live in the house of the Lord, always singing His praises.

It’s good to gather with other believers to worship but we would do well to remember that we have the privilege of singing God’s praises every moment of every day.

You might ask, “Wouldn’t other people look at me funny if I did that all the time?”

Of course you shouldn’t ignore those around you just so you can sing constantly. But haven’t you met that person who is constantly whistling, or humming, or quietly singing as they go about their days. Sure, it might be annoying at times, but –

Don’t you want that kind of joy?

I assure you that, for those people, it started with a decision.

“I choose joy.”

It might not come naturally, but if you choose it constantly, it will come!

Do you want to be one of those people who are constantly singing praise?
Are you one of those people? If so, how did you get there?
July 7, 2023

July 7th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 13-15

Highlight Verses:

“Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.’” Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why would the false prophets lie about everything going to be okay?

Perhaps it was the King and other leaders wanting to avoid despair.

Perhaps they listened to the people who wanted to believe that everything would be okay.

Perhaps Satan himself gave the false prophets the words to say.

How did Jeremiah know they were lying?

Because he knew what the voice of God sounded like.

He had spent much time listening to God. He was well aware of the false voices. He relayed only messages from the one and only true God.

How well do you know the voice of God?
Can you tell when someone is trying to imitate God’s voice?
July 6, 2023

July 6th, 2023

Thursday – letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 5

Highlight Verse:

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Okay, let’s see a show of hands – of those who know me, how many thought I was going to highlight verse 13.

I thought so.

Yes, 2 Corinthians 5:13 is still my favorite verse but the one that caught my eye today was verse 17. (Besides, I covered v. 13 on April Fools Day).

Today’s highlight verse begs the question “Why would I wait till I die to come alive?” (as quoted from the Switchfoot song, Afterlife )

When I was growing up, faith was an insurance policy guaranteeing eternal life. I have long since come to realize that my

new life began the day I said yes to Jesus!

Every day I try to live it to the fullest doing what I can to bring positive change to those around me.

Some days are better than others but one thing rings true through it all. This ain’t some dead religion I’m living out.

I’m alive through the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Have you come alive yet?
Do you want that life?
July 3, 2023

July 3rd, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 11-12

Highlight Verse:

“So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The people who had made the error were the Sadducees who didn’t believe in an afterlife.

Jesus used Scripture to prove that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been raised to eternal life. With that, He showed that we too would be raised to eternal life.

It should be noted that the language here made it clear that Jesus was speaking of physical resurrection.

While we won’t be here on this Earth and we will have different bodies from the imperfect ones we have now, it’s clear that

we will have bodies.

It won’t be an eternal life of floating around the ether in spiritual form. We will have physical form with senses and voices.

While there won’t be marriage in heaven, it is spoken of as a wedding feast so I’d say there’s a good chance there will be food.

There are more hints and descriptions of heaven that have been interpreted in a wide variety of ways.

I think we can rest assured that it will be paradise.

That’s the word Jesus himself used to describe it from the cross.

What are you looking forward to in heaven?
What do you think it is going to be like?
June 30, 2023

June 30th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Highlight Verse:

“When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve always loved thunderstorms.

When I was a teenager in Virginia, we lived near the top of a hill. On Summer afternoons, I would sit on the porch and watch the lightning across the valley.

One afternoon when the storm got a little too fierce, I went inside and watched from a window. A lamp glowed beside me.

Until lightning struck the house.

The breaker tripped and the light bulb burned out.

Moments later, as I was still staring at the lamp, lightning struck again. It arced across the circuit breaker and across the blown lightbulb with a bluish glow.

Each time the boom was immediate and deafening.

I was thrilled by the display of God’s power.

Everyday there are an average 3 million lightning strikes around the globe.

I saw a few hundred of them on my drive home today.

And each one reminded me of the awesome power of God.

I know that you can explain lightning with physics and meteorology. But God created the physical laws that cause the lightning.

We also know that he can stop a storm with just a word.

So, as they say, “If that don’t light your fire, you got wet wood.” (You shouldn’t have left it out in that storm).

What most reminds you of God’s power?
Can you relate to Jeremiah in this verse?
June 26, 2023

June 26th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 10

Highlight Verses:

“When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭47‬-‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love Bartimaeus’ attitude.

There was no way he was going to let people get between him and Jesus.

It’s worth noting that this was one of Jesus’s quickest healings. He didn’t make Bartimaeus do anything beyond what he had already done. He just told Bart that his faith had healed him and, instantly, he could see.

After he was healed, he immediately followed Jesus.

When we are facing a hardship, whether physical problems, impossible financial situations, or desperate emotional situations, it seems easy to call desperately to Jesus.

Sometimes He answers our cries immediately. Sometimes we don’t hear a response.

I dare say we often don’t hear a response because we don’t want to hear the type of response He gives us.

Jesus saw Bartimaeus’ heart and knew he would drop everything to follow.

May we have that level of desperation for Jesus.

Have you had times in your life when you were desperate for Jesus?
Did you call out to Him for help?
We’re you willing to follow Him whatever his response?
June 25, 2023

June 25th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 78-79

Highlight Verse:

“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I grew up in the age of Sunday schools with folding metal chairs and flannelgraphs.

When I was old enough, I went to a youth group that was focused more on keeping kids out of trouble than raising them up for ministry.

But then there was camp.

Confirmation camp when I was 13 opened my eyes to a whole new species of people. These people had a genuine love for God and each other. They were not afraid to live out loud for Jesus.

A few years later, I went back there for C.I.L.T. (Campers In Leadership Training) which taught me that

anyone could be in ministry.

I’ve been in ministry of one sort or another ever since.

I’ve focused on nextgen (children and youth) ministry since something like 85% of Christians today came to faith before the age of 18.

Keep in mind that Samuel was called by God at a very young age.

So was David.

And Mary.

And Timothy.

Notice a pattern here?

Tomorrow’s leaders are in our nextgen ministries today.

It is critical that we reach them with a faith that is honest and alive.

Have you considered getting involved in nextgen ministry?
What gifts and talents do you have that can be used to reach the next generation?
June 23, 2023

June 23rd, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,” says the Lord.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love science.

In college, I started as a physics major. Granted, I couldn’t hack the math so I changed majors, but what I learned in freshman Physics for Physics Majors has helped me tremendously in my career of fixing machines.

Another favorite class was astronomy. I remember having a very honest professor. When someone asked him if he believed in the Big Bang Theory, he gave a very telling answer.

He informed us that the study of science must exclude the existence of God in order to be consistent. Thus, with no Creator, the Big Bang Theory was the only viable explanation.

That’s what today’s verse reminded me of. If science is based on the lie that there is no God, then every assumption and theory based on that is also false. When you look at science with a mind believing in a Creator, the possibilities are endless.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

That makes honest science exciting!

What scientific possibilities do you see open up when you believe that God exists?
How do you think the world began?

Tag: faith

Like David, I am completely dependent on the Lord tonight.

The next level is not achieved by the heights of our accomplishments but rather the depths of our dependence on God.

Some things are a little more important.

Then add to that, joy!

Why would we put that off? Now is the day.

We are His temple.

Don’t you want that kind of joy?

“I choose joy.”

Because he knew what the voice of God sounded like.

new life began the day I said yes to Jesus!

I’m alive through the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

we will have bodies.

I think we can rest assured that it will be paradise.

I’ve always loved thunderstorms.

And each one reminded me of the awesome power of God.

I love Bartimaeus’ attitude.

May we have that level of desperation for Jesus.

anyone could be in ministry.

It is critical that we reach them with a faith that is honest and alive.

I love science.

That makes honest science exciting!