Tag: love

October 25, 2023

October 25th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And here’s a prime example of someone breaking almost all the commandments pertaining to loving your neighbor.

• Absalom certainly wasn’t honoring his father.
• He committed adultery with David’s concubines.
• He coveted what his father had so badly that…
• He deceived the people of Israel to turn against his father, ultimately…
• Stealing the throne from his father.

Which leads me to the question, how did no one see this coming?

Surely there had to be signs.

But then, how many times has life blind-sided me.

We hope for the best and are shocked when the worst happens.

I don’t want to be that person who trusts no one because of past hurt.

But I also want to have discernment to recognize problems as they approach.

I believe the answer lies in those two commandments Jesus highlighted – love God and love people.

If we do that, when the bad comes, there will be those who love us back and will help us through.

Ultimately, God will always help us through every hard time.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a betrayal?
Did you see it coming?
How did you make it through?
October 21, 2023

October 21st, 2023
Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Romans 5:1-11

Highlight Verse:

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Like last week, I want to highlight a phrase that many believe came from the Bible but didn’t.

I’ll start out with a correction from last week. The phrase “Cleanliness is next to godliness” did not come from Poor Richard’s Almanac but from a John Wesley sermon. (Thanks to an article from Aaron Earls from Lifeway Research for that info).

One saying that did come from Poor Richard’s Almanac was “God helps those who help themselves.”

Today’s highlight verse pretty much shoots that down. We are completely helpless when it come to salvation.

The bottom line is we need to depend completely on God.

But there is a little side note to that. God does bless our efforts.

A quick look at the lives of Joseph, Ruth, David, Paul and several other people in the Bible can confirm that.

Two key things to remember are:
- They were all acting in faith.
- They were helping others, not themselves.
They turned their faith into action and God blessed the results.

Have you been relying on your own deeds or on God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrifice for salvation?
How does your faith spur you into action?
October 13, 2023

October 13th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 1

Highlight Verse:

“How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lamentations is exactly what its name implies.

It contains 5 poetic laments over the fall of Jerusalem.

It could have been considered to be among the books of poetry except for two things.

1 – It was positioned among the books of the Prophets.

2 – It was most likely written by the prophet Jeremiah.

This chapter is the first of three acrostic poems. That is to say, each of their 22 verses begin with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet.

This verse sets the scene. The author expresses deep sorrow over the fall of Jerusalem.

I believe that the tone of this chapter and book, for that matter, reflect how deeply God loves his people.

Do you have any idea how deeply God Loves and cares for His people?
What does it tell you about God that He feels so deeply?
October 8, 2023

October 8th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 120-124

Highlight Verse:

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.””
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭122‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This series of Psalms consists of songs that people sang while they were on the way to worship the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem.

In other words, they would worship on their way to worship!

That made me wonder, “How would it affect us if we worshipped on the way to church?”

I remember a car ride years ago. We had an hour ride ahead of us and we were already bickering at each other. One of us suggested that we just stay quiet and listen to worship music.

By the end of the hour, we were stuck in a bad traffic jam, but we were singing to the music and in much better frame of mind.

Music can have a calming effect. Worship music and help us connect with God. If we want a deeper relationship with God, it makes sense to do anything you can to better connect with Him.

So, if you’re reading this before church, try worshipping on the way to worship.

Let us know how it turns out.
October 6, 2023

October 6th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 51-52

Highlight Verse:

“The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭51‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Where I went to college, there was a student newspaper called “The Jeremiad.” They claimed that name because the said they only reported bad news.

While the vast majority of Jeremiah was bad news, it does have its bright spots.

Today we leave the book with a decidedly not so bright spot.

But then again, when we take to heart the foolishness of humanity, we can recognize our need for God’s intervention.

My ancestors were violent tribes in Central America, Spanish conquistadors, Viking raiders and Gaelic pagans. Even my own father and grandfather were abusive atheists.

While there were good qualities in them as well, I can fully understand that the human race is foolish.

After all, I’m part of that human race and I know that apart from the grace and mercy of Jesus, I could be every bit as foolish.

But God!

As we go into the weekend, lets celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He sent his Son to make it possible for us to experience that grace and mercy that allow us fellowship with God.

Even back in Jeremiah’s day, God was setting the wheels in motion to make that happen.

History turned around at the cross and we now have life in Jesus.

Can you relate to the idea of the foolishness of mankind?
Do you know the One who crushed that foolishness and evil at the cross?
Have you accepted His new life of Grace and Mercy?
October 3, 2023

October 3rd, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 15

Highlight Verse:

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him!”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love how the Bible sometimes resembles a musical.

Some events are so memorable and exciting that they inspire songs on the spot. While they probably lacked the choreography of a Broadway musical, I’m sure that celebrations like this one included spontaneous song and dance.

Why can’t life be like that now?

Seriously, why not?

The times I’ve seen spontaneous song, it has always brought joy. If a few people would share their celebrations with song in the middle of everyday life, there would be quite a bit more joy in this world.

So, let’s make a joyful noise and bring some smiles back into this world.

Have you witnessed spontaneous music break out near you?
Have you brought that music yourself?
Share your stories!
September 19, 2023

September 19th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 12

Highlight Verses:

“Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I always thought that Passover was the most important Jewish festival.

After all, it is closely associated with Easter. In fact, that sacrifice was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that our lives may be spared.

In fact, most scholars would call Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement the most important holiday.

Like Easter, it is all about the forgiveness of one’s sins.

Unlike Easter, one’s sins needed to be forgiven every year through sacrifice.

Jesus already made that sacrifice to pay the penalty for all we have done wrong.

Once and for all!

What is your favorite holiday?
Do you know first hand about the Day of Atonement?
September 18, 2023

September 18th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 10

Highlight Verse:

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I remember this verse being spoken about during a young adult camp message series entitled “The Upside-Down Gospel.”

While that was nearly 40 years ago, the message still rings true.

The good news of Jesus is radically different from what the world would teach us.

“Look out for number one.”
“God helps those who help themselves.”
“Name it and claim it.”

All those work on the surface. Some people have applied the last one to living a life of faith.

The problem is, they are all focused on self when Jesus calls us to focus on others. The irony is in the fact that when we focus on others, our own lives become far richer and satisfying than if we were self-focused.

Living for Jesus is all upside-down and inside-out. And I can’t imagine it any other way.

Does it go against the grain for you to be focused on others rather than yourself?
Do you have stories of when you focused on others, and it became a huge blessing to you?
Would you share those stories to encourage others here?
September 12, 2023

September 12th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 10-11

Highlight Verse:

“Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As we would say when I lived in the south, “well ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black.”

Pharaoh, the man who kept a whole nation as slaves and whose predecessor ordered the Hebrew baby boys to be throw into the Nile, calls Moses’ plan evil.

But then, the human race has a long history of doing that. When one’s values don’t agree with someone else’s values, you just call them evil because your own are the best, right?

With all these conflicting values, how do you know which ones are right?

I prefer to stick to the values of the One who created us. An easy place to find them is in the Ten Commandments.

If that’s too complicated for you, let me sum up how Jesus summed up the Law in Matthew 22:34-40 –

Love God and love people.

All the rest of the Law was based on those two simple commands.

And, in case you’re wondering, enslaving an entire nation is not a great way to show that you love God and people.

What are ways that you can love God better?
What about loving people better?
August 20, 2023

August 20th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 103-104

Highlight Verse:

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A thousand years before Jesus, David already had a good understanding of the redemptive work of God.

In this single verse, David recognizes that we mess up and that God is able to remove our guilt from us.

As far as east is from the west is an expression that presupposes that east and west never meet. Therefore our guilt is so far gone, we’ll never see it again.

This verse is in the middle of a Psalm of praise in which David lists many amazing attributes of God, any one of which is worthy of praise.

Understand the amazing gifts of God starting with Jesus’ sacrifice that paid the price for all we’ve done wrong, past, present, and future. Then you will have plenty of incentive to praise Him.

Does dwelling on the attributes of God, especially His forgiveness, make you want to bring Him praises?
Have you ever found yourself taking His grace for granted? Did it result in you praising less?

Tag: love

And here’s a prime example of someone breaking almost all the commandments pertaining to loving your neighbor.

Which leads me to the question, how did no one see this coming?

I believe the answer lies in those two commandments Jesus highlighted – love God and love people.

One saying that did come from Poor Richard’s Almanac was “God helps those who help themselves.”

The bottom line is we need to depend completely on God.

They turned their faith into action and God blessed the results.

Lamentations is exactly what its name implies.

I believe that the tone of this chapter and book, for that matter, reflect how deeply God loves his people.

In other words, they would worship on their way to worship!

So, if you’re reading this before church, try worshipping on the way to worship.

Today we leave the book with a decidedly not so bright spot.

But God!

I love how the Bible sometimes resembles a musical.

Why can’t life be like that now?

So, let’s make a joyful noise and bring some smiles back into this world.

I always thought that Passover was the most important Jewish festival.

Jesus already made that sacrifice to pay the penalty for all we have done wrong.

The good news of Jesus is radically different from what the world would teach us.

Living for Jesus is all upside-down and inside-out. And I can’t imagine it any other way.

As we would say when I lived in the south, “well ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black.”

With all these conflicting values, how do you know which ones are right?

Love God and love people.

A thousand years before Jesus, David already had a good understanding of the redemptive work of God.