Tag: radical call

June 9, 2025

June 9th, 2025
Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 6

Highlight Verse:

“And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What does it take to amaze Jesus?
- Your faithfulness won’t amaze Him.
- Giving way beyond a tithe won’t amaze Him.
- People being healed won’t do it either.
People not believing in the light of His power and grace amazes Him.

He still appreciates all the good things you do.

But He has enough faith in you to expect that not doing those things would be the exception.

So, as strange as it may sound, let’s not amaze Jesus.

What other things that you have seen people do would, in the way we a speaking of today, not be amazing to Jesus?
June 6, 2025

June 6th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 1-3

Highlight Verse:

““I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jeremiah was called before He was conceived.

Let that sink in.

Does that mean that God has a calling for each of us?

I think so.

I believe I have the choice of whether or not to follow that calling. But that doesn’t make the calling less valid.

Jeremiah followed his calling faithfully.

As a result, the people of Israel were given a chance to repent.

Eventually most did, largely because Jeremiah’s prophecies gave them hope for life after the exile.

I pray that when I follow my calling, people will find hope.

And faith.

And love.

What do you know about the calling God has for you?
How closely have you followed that calling?
May 31, 2025

May 31st, 2025
Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 7:37-39

Highlight Verse:

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!”
‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It was the last day of the festival.
- Some people were getting tired and homesick – ready to hit the road for home.
- Some were enjoying the festivities, hanging out with their party people.
- And then there those whose desire to worship God was coming to a peak.
They thirsted for a close relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Jesus called out to them.

He was the only one who could quench that deep thirst.

He still is.

The more we seek Him, the more He will satisfy that thirst.

Have you gone through times when you weren’t very thirsty for Jesus?
What brought on that thirst again?
What can we do to become more thirsty now?

(BTW, today’s verse choice is courtesy of the random selection of my daughter Grace).
May 26, 2025 – Memorial Day

May 26th, 2025

Note – If you are looking for a Memorial Day message, look at yesterday’s post. Today’s reading didn’t really line up with a Memorial Day Post.

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I wonder how awkward that man felt.

Imagine being singled out because of a defect you were probably embarrassed about anyway.

Now you’re in the middle of a conflict between the person you think is the Messiah and the religious leaders.

Awkward doesn’t begin to describe it.

But sometimes we are called to be that person on the spot.

Would you rise up and be put on the spot for Jesus?

I’m very glad this man chose to accept his healing.

May we have that much faith when the time arises.

Have you ever been “put on the spot” for Jesus?
How did that work out?
May 25, 2025

May 25th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 62-65

Highlight Verse:

“My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

David was a poet.

David was a King.

But here, in this Psalm, David was a warrior.

His battles were fought for the Lord alone.

He accepted honor from God alone.

Yet we do well to honor him still as he laid the groundwork for our Messiah to come and bring us spiritual freedom.

This weekend we honor those who gave their lives for us in the US military.

Many, if not most fought for God.

All fought to win and maintain our freedom.

We do well to honor them!

As you enjoy the weekend with your family, traveling or relaxing at home, take some time to honor those who gave everything that we may be a free nation under God.

If there is someone you know of that gave their life in military service for our country, feel free to name them here.

I’ll start with Staff Sargent Howell Thompson, USMC, my great uncle (Grandma Clarey’s brother). Lost over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945 along with 26 other Marines and Navy airmen.
May 17, 2025

May 17th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Psalm 112

Highlight Verse:

“They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭112‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Bad news.

We’ve all had our share.

The expensive repair.
The painful diagnosis.
A friend’s betrayal.
The loss of a loved one.

Sometimes the news is saddening.
Sometimes devastating.

To say it will all work for the better is misleading and hurtful at best.

How can we live out this verse?

Trust that God is sovereign and compassionate before the bad news comes.

Know that terrible news comes to each of us.

The feelings of grief and anger and hopelessness are inevitable.

But so is the faithfulness of God that will outlast every feeling and doubt no matter how strong.

Trust and love Him with all your heart soul mind and strength and He will see you through it.

How have you gotten through bad news in the past?Are you in the midst of bad news now? Let us share in your struggle.
May 16th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 58-60

Highlight Verse:

“All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love the full moon.

I’ve admired the moon over majestic snowy mountains, across shimmering harbors, and filtering down through autumn leaves.

It always inspires me.

But the moon would be nothing but a big dark rock without the sun’s light to reflect.

The light this verse refers to is the glory of God (v. 1 and 2).

We were meant to reflect that light.

So how do we shine the brightest?

Don’t let anything block the light.
• Sin
• Selfishness
• Pride, etc.

And do what you can to magnify it.
• Love
• Charity
• A servant heart, etc.

When we truly shine with God’s light, we will not only dispel the darkness but also attract those who need the light.

How have you seen God’s light reflected well?
What have you seen that blocked that light?
May 12, 2025

May 12th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – John 20-21

Highlight Verse:

“Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.”
‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There’s not a lot of detail before this story. We know that Jesus already appeared to the disciples. Apparently, some time had passed, and the disciples had been waiting.

Peter got impatient.

Maybe they were running out of food or money.

Maybe they were just bored.

But Peter said I’m fishing, and the others followed his lead back to their old profession.

It might have been the wrong thing to do.

They probably should have had more faith and patience.

But Jesus met them where they were, though He had to get their attention through the fish.

He then went out of His way to make sure that Peter felt forgiven from his denials (ch 18) and that knew he was to lead Jesus’ followers.

Sometimes we miss the path that God set before us.

We may not be doing anything bad, but God might have a better path for us.

Rest assured that He will meet us where we are and guide us to where we should be.

We have only to listen and trust.

What course corrections has God made in your life?
What did it take to get your attention?
May 8, 2025

May 8th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Corinthians 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I glance at this verse and wonder if it gives me license to start preaching “hell-fire and brimstone” to those in the church acting sinfully.

Tempting, but I honestly don’t think that’s the point here.

Knowing the heart of God in the context of the New Testament and Paul and the church he is writing to, I see the Father using every means possible to guide His children to the best life possible.

I also see His heart wanting to save people from hell.

It should also be noted that the first readers of this letter would be the leaders of the church. It urges them to lead.

The leaders of the church at Corinth were doing a terrible job of guiding people away from sin. For the sake of those people, the leaders needed to recognize sin and warn them of it.

While the people’s sin would not cause them to directly lose their salvation, when they wander too far down the path of sin, they were in real danger of losing their trust in God, thereby losing salvation.

Quite often people that far off the path pull others down that path with them, prompting Paul’s warning not to associate with them.

The point is, stay as far away as possible from the path that leads to losing faith and encourage other to stay of the path of faith.

Have you seen people pull others with them down a path away from faith? (I have, multiple times).
Have you ever started down that path yourself? What brought you back?
May 7, 2025

May 7th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Ruth 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.””
‭‭Ruth‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We are saved by grace alone, not by works.

The idea of karma and “What goes around comes around” is misleading.

But let’s be honest, the good things we do often have good results.

Thankfulness to and love for God are far better reasons to do good.

But I don’t think it’s harmful to believe that when we are faithful, generous, and diligent, we are likely to reap some reward for that here on earth.

The reward may only be the satisfaction of knowing you did well.

Then again, sometimes we see a more tangible reward. Promotions, raises, respect, and even gifts are often rewarded to those who are faithful, generous, and diligent.

Ruth is a prime example of blessings received from faithfulness.

Those blessings should not be expected but they can be appreciated and gracefully accepted like in Ruth’s story.

Have you seen blessings as a result of faithfulness, generosity, or diligence?
How did you handle it?

Tag: radical call

What does it take to amaze Jesus?

People not believing in the light of His power and grace amazes Him.

But He has enough faith in you to expect that not doing those things would be the exception.

Jeremiah was called before He was conceived.

As a result, the people of Israel were given a chance to repent.

I pray that when I follow my calling, people will find hope.

And faith.

And love.

They thirsted for a close relationship with their Heavenly Father.

He still is.

The more we seek Him, the more He will satisfy that thirst.

Awkward doesn’t begin to describe it.

Would you rise up and be put on the spot for Jesus?

May we have that much faith when the time arises.

But here, in this Psalm, David was a warrior.

We do well to honor them!

Bad news.

How can we live out this verse?

But so is the faithfulness of God that will outlast every feeling and doubt no matter how strong.

I love the full moon.

We were meant to reflect that light.

When we truly shine with God’s light, we will not only dispel the darkness but also attract those who need the light.

Peter got impatient.

But Jesus met them where they were, though He had to get their attention through the fish.

Rest assured that He will meet us where we are and guide us to where we should be.

Tempting, but I honestly don’t think that’s the point here.

The leaders of the church at Corinth were doing a terrible job of guiding people away from sin. For the sake of those people, the leaders needed to recognize sin and warn them of it.

The point is, stay as far away as possible from the path that leads to losing faith and encourage other to stay of the path of faith.

But let’s be honest, the good things we do often have good results.

Thankfulness to and love for God are far better reasons to do good.

Those blessings should not be expected but they can be appreciated and gracefully accepted like in Ruth’s story.