Tag: redemption

August 16, 2024

August 16th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 2

Highlight Verse:

“Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you, “I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!” That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I cannot say when you are in the right church listening to the right preacher for you.

But I can say when it’s the wrong one.

If your church entertains you but you don’t learn there, you might be going to the wrong church.

If the preaching never challenges you, you might be going to the wrong church.

If sin is taught as something that does no harm, you might be going to the wrong church.

If you are going there just to look at all the pretty ladies or handsome guys, well, okay, that’s on you not your church. But you get the point.

We all want to hear teaching that entertains us.

But if it doesn’t challenge us to grow in some aspect of our faith, there’s something seriously missing.

Does the teaching at your church challenge you?
Are you actively seeking to be challenged?
August 15, 2024

August 15th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 3

Highlight Verse:

““Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I must admit that part of me wants to be a prepper.

We already have a good amount of food and provisions for heat and refrigeration should there be a disaster.

If I had plenty of money, I would be tempted to prepare far more.

But I don’t worry about it.

This verse and others like it assure me that I will be protected in one way or another through any hard time.

Notice the verse does not say that we’ll be able to avoid the time of testing; just that God will protect us through it.

While there’s nothing wrong with being prepared for anything,

we should always trust God to see us through every time.

Are you currently in a time of testing?
Do you believe God will see you through it?
August 14, 2024

August 14th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Chronicles 28-30

Highlight Verse:

“In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭29‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Hezekiah had a bad dad.

His dad did away with any vestige of worship to the Lord.

Not everyone takes after their parents.

Hezekiah’s faith in the Lord was so strong that he didn’t waste any time. As soon as he was able, he restored the Hebrew faith to Israel.

When I first came to faith as a teenager, there was a little rebellion involved.

My dad was an atheist and my mom was indifferent at that time.

So I jumped in with both feet.

It has been well worth it.

Are you a rebel Christian or are you following in the faith of your family?
Like Hezekiah, are you diving right in to restoring every bit of worship that you can?
August 5, 2024

August 5th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 8

Highlight Verse:

““Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you’ve said won’t happen to me!””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭8‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In just over a week, it will have been 47 years since I committed my life to Jesus.

In those early days, my heart was for Jesus but my understanding was very limited.

I messed up a lot.

I’m still good at planting my foot firmly in my mouth.

I can relate to Simon.

Peter let him know in no uncertain terms that he had some stinkin’ thinkin’.

We need to listen to those Peters in our lives that yank us back to better thinking.

Sometimes we need to be the Peter in someone else’s life.

How have people corrected you in your life?
How did you respond to their correction?
Have you been that person who brings correction?
July 25, 2024

July 25th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Jude

Highlight Verses:

“And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.”
‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have long heard it said that we must love the sinner but hate the sin.

More and more hear people claim that you cannot love someone if you don’t accept their differences even if those differences can be considered sinful.

To that I would say, how can you love someone without extending a hand to rescue them when they are drowning.

When a person’s identity becomes so rapped up in their sin, they are drowning.

Every person is a beautiful creation of God and deserves to be loved.

Sometimes that means accepting them with all their sins so that they can learn to trust you to help them escape that sin.

But accepting them does not have to mean accepting their sin as good.

How do you show love to someone whose identity is wrapped up in their sin?
Have you ever had someone help you escape from your sin? How did they do it?
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?
July 9, 2024

July 9th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 21-22

Highlight Verse:

“Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭21‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The symbol of the snake on a pole is more than just a symbol of the medical profession (Though that’s another whole subject that we could explore).

It is one of many precursors to the Messiah, the one who can heal all those who turn to Him.

The symbolism doesn’t stop there.

The snake is a symbol of the tempter. Satan came as a serpent to fool Adam and Eve. He returns in this story to curse those who grumbled against Moses and God.

The snake empaled on a pole represents Satan’s defeat by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

We are all “bitten” by the curse of sin, but healing comes when we simply have enough faith to turn to Jesus to receive our healing from sin and its consequences.

Have you defeated the curse by turning to Jesus for healing?
Have you spread the word that healing is available that easily?
June 20, 2024

June 20th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 John 3

Highlight Verse:

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬

I’ve spoken before about the love of the Father for us.

The question is, does the Father love those who don’t recognize Him as their Father?

The obvious answer to me would be that He loves them so much that

it breaks His heart that they don’t recognize Him.

If we are truly God’s children,

it should break our hearts too.

How can we express God’s heart to people so that they can see the love and grace of the Father?
(My answer would be to pray first, love second, talk third.)
How would you put that into action?
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?
June 14, 2024

June 14th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Joel 3

Highlight Verse:

“Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Joel wrote to the Israelites to warn them to repent before the coming plagues.

While there was and is debate as to the meaning of the different locusts, the message remained the same – repent before it is too late.

We may be beyond the plagues that Joel predicted but, the message remains the same:

Life will be hard. Your days may be limited. You need to repent before it’s too late.

In fact, they say there is only one sure thing in life and that is death (well, taxes too).

I believe that today’s verse is still appropriate for today. Thousands upon thousands stand ready to decide.

The real question is, will we help influence them to decide for Jesus or against?

A quick true story –

I knew a family who went to church many years ago. On one particular Sunday, the mom forced the kids to get ready and get in the car.

When they arrived at the church, the teenage son decided that he was not going in. He sat in the car through Sunday school and church.

When church got out, the mom told the other kids to ignore their older brother because he refused to go to church.

The boy never went to church again. In fact, he had a rather sad life that ended just 30 years later in large part due to substance abuse.

Eventually most of his siblings stopped going to church as well.

I will keep that story anonymous so as not to embarrass any member of that family who might get wind of this post. That said, the story is true.

That mom, who thought she was doing a service to God was actually driving one of God’s children away.

Thousands upon thousands stand ready to make decisions.

How will you and I influence those decisions by what we say and do?

Tag: redemption

But I can say when it’s the wrong one.

We all want to hear teaching that entertains us.

But if it doesn’t challenge us to grow in some aspect of our faith, there’s something seriously missing.

I must admit that part of me wants to be a prepper.

But I don’t worry about it.

we should always trust God to see us through every time.

Hezekiah had a bad dad.

Not everyone takes after their parents.

When I first came to faith as a teenager, there was a little rebellion involved.

I messed up a lot.

I can relate to Simon.

We need to listen to those Peters in our lives that yank us back to better thinking.

I have long heard it said that we must love the sinner but hate the sin.

To that I would say, how can you love someone without extending a hand to rescue them when they are drowning.

Every person is a beautiful creation of God and deserves to be loved.

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.

It is one of many precursors to the Messiah, the one who can heal all those who turn to Him.

The question is, does the Father love those who don’t recognize Him as their Father?

it breaks His heart that they don’t recognize Him.

it should break our hearts too.

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.

Life will be hard. Your days may be limited. You need to repent before it’s too late.

The real question is, will we help influence them to decide for Jesus or against?

That mom, who thought she was doing a service to God was actually driving one of God’s children away.