Tag: New beginnings

September 24, 2024

September 28th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God blessed the Israelites because He loved them, and He was faithful to His promises to their ancestors.

That’s why He treated Israel so well.

That’s why He treats us so well.

I may not be an Israelite, but I was adopted into the family of God.

I inherited all the rights and responsibilities of an Israelite.

I have no genetic ties to three of my four children. But the moment I married their mother, they became my children. I love them as much as I love my oldest daughter, who does carry my genes.

If I, a far from perfect man, could love all his children that way, how much more could God love all His children, both Hebrew and Gentile?

Do you truly understand the depth of God’s love for you?
Can you believe He is faithful?
September 27, 2024

September 27th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Habakkuk 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Habakkuk and I go way back. When I was in college, InterVarsity created a huge multimedia production based around Habakkuk. That’s college aged me sporting their T-shirt.

It was a new concept in that time and reached thousands of students with the ageless message of the Bible.

It wouldn’t fly today,

at least not in the same form.

The message of the Gospel remains the same throughout the ages.

The methods of sharing have to change in order to reach each new generation.

Student ministry at our church looks vastly different than it did back in my youth, and that’s good.

Students are responding to Christ as we reach them where they are.

What new ways have you found to spread the Good News of Jesus?
How have you stayed true to the Gospel when sharing in new ways?

NOTE: Yes, I know I took this verse out of context but the general concept still applies both in Habakkuk and today.
September 23, 2024

September 23rd, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 14 (Note: Last week I accidentally did this week’s chapter, so this is last week’s).

Highlight Verses:

“When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. And there they preached the Good News.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You might think it was terrible how much violent opposition Paul and those with him encountered as they spread the Gospel.

Notice, if there wasn’t opposition, they might not have covered as large of an area.

When the opposition grew violent, it forced them to move on. Eventually, they covered the entire region.

When we encounter opposition, it might be time to move on.

Granted, they stayed until the opposition turned violent.

If opposition reaches that level today, that doesn’t necessarily mean failure. It may signal the beginning of a new opportunity.

Have you ever had to deal with violent opposition?
We’re you able to find another opportunity in the midst of the opposition?
September 9, 2024

September 9th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 13

Highlight Verse:

“Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭13‬:‭46‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul and Barnabas failed.

When the Jews rejected them, they could have gone on to the next town or high-tailed it back to Jerusalem.

Instead, they followed God’s true calling for them which was to reach out to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people).

God turned their failure into fruit, the rejection into redemption.

What is your first reaction when people reject you?
In what ways has God turned your failures around in the past?
Do you trust Him to do it in the future?
September 2, 2024

September 2nd, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 12

Highlight Verse –

“Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Church was in the middle of serious persecution.

One would expect them to run and hide.

Maybe some did.

But God didn’t.

The Holy Spirit could not be stopped.

The Holy Spirit cannot be stopped today.

If you welcome Him, God will work in and through you no matter the situation around you.

Do you have stories of how God worked in your impossible situations? Share them.
Are you discouraged by your situation? Let God work on, in, and through you.
August 28, 2024

August 28th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Chronicles 34-36

Highlight Verse:

“During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭34‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Josiah was 8 when his reign began.

He was 16 when when he began to seek God.

When he was 20, He began to live out his faith.

He started strong and he started young.

He showed us a good example of living out faith.

While it is too late for me to start young, I am in a good position to make a positive change in the lives of young people today, helping them to start young.

Where has God called you to make a positive change?
Have you started yet?
August 2, 2024

August 1st, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jonah 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.”
‭‭Jonah‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse struck me as funny.

I know the skeptics out there are saying, “Of course it’s funny. No one could survive 3 days in a fish or whale or any animal.

Other’s might say, “oh, it’s just a metaphor.”

I would say that it really happened and I don’t dwell on how because God is the one that made it happen and He can do anything.

But then, we’re all missing the point.

Jonah was in a place where he could do nothing.

He was left with only 2 choices, give up or turn to God.

He prayed to God from inside the fish.

Have you ever made such bad choices that you were suddenly left with no choice? Maybe facing jail time or bankruptcy?
Did you pray to the Lord Your God (implying that you truly trust Him) to deliver you from the consequences of running away from Him?
How did He bring you through it? (I assume He did since you’re reading this).
July 21, 2024

July 21st, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Song of Solomon 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty? What makes your lover so special that we must promise this?”
‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I must confess, I find Song of Solomon rather awkward to read.

It’s like listening in on a conversation that I really shouldn’t be listening to.

And then there’s these “women of Jerusalem” that are not just listening in but commenting.

Then again…

My middle daughter’s wedding video was just completed. It was beautiful.

That wedding was full of people celebrating the love of two people who obviously belong together.

That’s what the Song of Solomon is.

The women of Jerusalem can celebrate and support the union of this young woman and her shepherd lover.

And the book of Song of Solomon is like a wedding video so that people who came after can celebrate the beauty of that love.

Are there new marriages in social world that you can celebrate and support?
What are you doing to support them?
July 16, 2024

July 16th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 23-24

Highlight Verse:

“Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to one more place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

By that definition, King Balak was certainly insane. Three times he tried to get Balaam to curse Israel and three times he failed.

But then, how often do we do the same thing.

We treat people badly expecting them to change.

We entertain temptation expecting to be able to resist it this time.

We expect to lose weight even though we eat out all the time.

We’ve all got something we are a little “insane” about. Most of us have several things.

Maybe it’s time to actually do something different.

Where is your insane spot?
What can you do differently to regain your sanity?
June 18, 2024

June 17th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Number 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭15‬:‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

No, I’m not advocating bringing back tassels on clothing (though that could be interesting).

But there are things we can put around us to remind us of the right way to live.

Notice that the purpose of the tassels was not to advertise how holy you are but to give you personal reminders to stay on the right path.

For this reason, the “tassels” we wear in public should draw our attention to God rather than drawing attention to ourselves.

My “tassels” range from the music I choose to start my day with (WAY-FM) or this little sign on the wall by my desk.

One of my favorites was a little polished square of steel in my pocket that reminded me to “stand like steel.”

What are your “tassels”?
What reminds you to keep following God and how do they work for you?

Tag: New beginnings

God blessed the Israelites because He loved them, and He was faithful to His promises to their ancestors.

I may not be an Israelite, but I was adopted into the family of God.

If I, a far from perfect man, could love all his children that way, how much more could God love all His children, both Hebrew and Gentile?

It was a new concept in that time and reached thousands of students with the ageless message of the Bible.

It wouldn’t fly today,

The methods of sharing have to change in order to reach each new generation.

Notice, if there wasn’t opposition, they might not have covered as large of an area.

If opposition reaches that level today, that doesn’t necessarily mean failure. It may signal the beginning of a new opportunity.

Paul and Barnabas failed.

God turned their failure into fruit, the rejection into redemption.

But God didn’t.

The Holy Spirit could not be stopped.

The Holy Spirit cannot be stopped today.

He started strong and he started young.

But then, we’re all missing the point.

Jonah was in a place where he could do nothing.

He prayed to God from inside the fish.

I must confess, I find Song of Solomon rather awkward to read.

Then again…

That’s what the Song of Solomon is.

And the book of Song of Solomon is like a wedding video so that people who came after can celebrate the beauty of that love.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

We’ve all got something we are a little “insane” about. Most of us have several things.

Maybe it’s time to actually do something different.

But there are things we can put around us to remind us of the right way to live.

For this reason, the “tassels” we wear in public should draw our attention to God rather than drawing attention to ourselves.