Tag: struggle

February 2, 2025

February 2nd, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 13-16

Highlight Verse:

“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why is it that people often think that following Jesus is boring.

Even among Christians, sin is considered to be “fun”.

But what is fun about damaged relationships from sexual sin, weakened bodies from drug and alcohol abuse, or injury or death from violence or driving impaired?

Just as importantly, there is great joy and pleasure from life in a loving marriage and a caring family. And there is great fulfillment, satisfaction, and joy in helping others.

Even the very act of singing praise and worship to God bring pleasure.

So the next time you get FOMO (fear of missing out) when your buddies invite you to the bar or that attractive person flirts with you,

remember there is so much more joy and pleasure in sticking to the directions God has given you.

What do you do to protect yourself from temptation?
What gives you the most pleasure in following Jesus? (For me it is teaching youth).
January 29, 2025

January 29th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 13-15

Highlight Verse:
(Caleb speaking)

“So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.””
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A week before I got married, my best man thought it’d would be a great idea to go white water rafting for the bachelor party.

My friends and I had a choice whether to do the beginner run or the intermediate. The guides told us the intermediate would be a lot more work but a lot more fun. So, of course, we chose it.

It was fun.

A lot of fun.

Until that one section where they told us this was the one section where we didn’t want to fall out.

To make a long story short, by our wedding day, my bruises were large and black.

But I have a great story to tell.

If you were to ask Caleb why he chose an area where he would have to defeat giants if think he would say it was because he could, at least with God’s help.

What makes us guys choose the tougher path?

He might also say that anything worth having is worth fighting for.

Caleb and his clan would treasure their land.

If you are facing great difficulty, remember that you don’t fight alone. If it is the right goal, God will help you win the battle.

And you will treasure that victory.

Are you facing a seemingly insurmountable goal?
Have you checked in with God to see if it is something for which He will fight?
Do you trust God to fight for you?
January 22, 2025

January 22nd, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Becoming allies with the Gibeonites was a very bad mistake.

Despite all the problems with that alliance, there was a silver lining.

That alliance inspired fear in their enemies.

That fear caused several of the enemies to combine and attack the Gibeonites.

Because the Israelites were honor-bound to defend the Gibeonites, they came to their defense and soundly defeated five allied kings in one campaign instead of five.

Does that justify Israel’s foolish alliance.

No.

Does it mean that there are no negative consequences for that poor decision.

No. Plenty of bad came from it.

But God can bring good out of any and every situation, even when we are to blame for the error.

Have you ever messed up but had good come out of the situation anyway?
Was the good side effect easy or hard to see?
January 20, 2025

January 20th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – John 4

Highlight Verse:

“Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.”
‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I always figured that Jesus waited outside the Samaritan town purposely so that He could have that conversation with the Samaritan woman and word would spread about Him in that village, not to mention the countless sermons that would be preached about this story.

But He waited there because…

He was tired!

Of course He was God. But He was also human.

His body needed rest and water.

I’m not saying He didn’t care about the Samaritan woman or the people from her town.

He cared enough to bring the Gospel to her in spite of His exhaustion.

He sought her help for His physical need for water.

And He supplied truth for her spiritual needs.

There are many times in this life when we are exhausted and need to rest.

Even in those times, we should always keep our eyes open for opportunities to meet the spiritual needs of those around us.

Have you ever been in a place when someone was helping you, and you we able to bring them spiritual help?
How did you handle that situation?
January 18, 2025

January 18th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Philippians 3:12-14

Highlight Verse:

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This has not been a week for focusing. We’ve had things scheduled every night this week.

Partly for that reason, I am borrowing today’s idea from last week’s sermon at church.

(Credit to Orchard Church and Pastor Doug Dameron).

Pastor Doug asked us to prayerfully consider one word to focus on this year.

And, no, I haven’t picked a word yet, but I’ll have some time today to pray and ask God for this year’s focus.

For the moment, let me encourage you to have a good conversation with God.

Let Him guide you to one word to focus on for the rest of the year.

When you find that word, post it in the comments that we may all pray for your success.
January 15, 2025

January 15th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this?”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

I can’t stand whining.

Apparently, God doesn’t like it either.

To me, verses 10 through 15 read something like, “Quit your whining and do something about it. Find out what went wrong and fix it.”

As I don’t want to do a deep dive into the cultural context here, I won’t comment on the punishment to the one who brought about Israel’s defeat.

Instead, I refer you to almost every leadership training I’ve taken. One common lesson was – if you want to complain about a problem, you better not say anything about it until you have a solution to the problem in mind.

Yes, I know that sometimes people just need to blow off some steam.

But if you want to lead, you need to back up verbal leadership with positive action.

Are you in the middle of a whine worthy situation?
Have you thought of solutions to that situation?
Have you voiced those solutions?
January 11, 2025

January 11th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Isaiah 40:26-31

Highlight Verse:

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This time of year, it’s dark when I leave for work. By the time I get home it’s getting dark again.

The older I get, the more the cold Colorado weather makes me ache.

If you haven’t guessed by now, winter is not my favorite season.

I love the longer days and warmer temperatures of spring and summer and the colors of fall.

In winter, I want to push the fast forward button.

Today’s verse in most translations begins with “they that wait upon the Lord.”

While the NLT might more accurately convey the meaning of the text,

I love the imagery of waiting as trusting.

So, instead of hibernating until spring, I’ll trust God to see me through the winter.

And if you see an eagle fly by, you might want to take a look and see if I’m up there with it.

Are you affected by the seasons?
How do you get through the tougher seasons?
What does soaring like eagles look like for you?
January 9, 2025

January 9th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 2

Highlight Verse:

“You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I drive my company van at work, I try to stay very close to the speed limit.

It’s very easy to be judgmental of those who fly around me.

But the truth is, my van has a unit that sends reports about my driving to my boss once a week.

My biggest motivation is to not be called out at work for speeding too much.

Even driving our personal vehicles, the biggest reason I watch my speed is to not get a ticket.

What if I obeyed the speed limit because I care about those around me and respect those who set the limits?

That may not be a perfect comparison, but what if we avoided sin not because we’re afraid to get caught

but because we realize how sin hurts others, and we respect and love the God who gave us the Commandments.

That would put our focus on how we could best live to please God rather than how others fall short.

What is your take?
What motivates you to avoid sin?
January 8, 2025

January 8th, 2025
Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 4-6

Highlight Verses:

“We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.””
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Three things stood out to me as I read about this stone memorial.
- It took effort. Those stones were heavy, and they had to haul the from the middle of the riverbed.
- It was lasting. Those stones were there for generations. Their significance went far beyond the lives of those who carried them.
- It was public. Their presence was seen by all.
- The most impactful events in our lives are those that we put a lot of effort into. The more effort, the more influence on our lives and our memories we’ll see.
- Our efforts in the right circumstances can long outlive us, especially if we make efforts to preserve their memories.
- For the greatest impact, at least some of the major events in our lives should be lived in full view of all.
I think the major events in our lives should carry the same characteristics.

Have you been impacted by the major events in your or other people lives?
Can you share an example of that kind of impact from yours or others lives?
December 29, 2024

December 29th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 41-42

Highlight Verse:

“When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!”
‭‭Job‬ ‭42‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you notice that?

It was when Job prayed for his friends that the Lord restored his fortunes.

Would he have done it if Job hadn’t prayed for his friends?

That’s an impossible question as it was in Job’s very nature to care about others so it was unthinkable that he wouldn’t have prayed for them.

The more relevant question to us today is,

would you or I have prayed for those same people if we were in Job’s position?

Jesus told us to pray for our enemies. How much more should we pray for our friends after they repent from acting like enemies?

We are commanded to not just forgive but lift up and support those who need it regardless of how they have treated us.

What are your thoughts on this?
Do you think God will bless you according to how you treat others?

Tag: struggle

Why is it that people often think that following Jesus is boring.

Just as importantly, there is great joy and pleasure from life in a loving marriage and a caring family. And there is great fulfillment, satisfaction, and joy in helping others.

remember there is so much more joy and pleasure in sticking to the directions God has given you.

A lot of fun.

If you were to ask Caleb why he chose an area where he would have to defeat giants if think he would say it was because he could, at least with God’s help.

If you are facing great difficulty, remember that you don’t fight alone. If it is the right goal, God will help you win the battle.

Despite all the problems with that alliance, there was a silver lining.

No.

But God can bring good out of any and every situation, even when we are to blame for the error.

He was tired!

He cared enough to bring the Gospel to her in spite of His exhaustion.

Even in those times, we should always keep our eyes open for opportunities to meet the spiritual needs of those around us.

Pastor Doug asked us to prayerfully consider one word to focus on this year.

Let Him guide you to one word to focus on for the rest of the year.

I can’t stand whining.

To me, verses 10 through 15 read something like, “Quit your whining and do something about it. Find out what went wrong and fix it.”

But if you want to lead, you need to back up verbal leadership with positive action.

If you haven’t guessed by now, winter is not my favorite season.

I love the imagery of waiting as trusting.

So, instead of hibernating until spring, I’ll trust God to see me through the winter.

It’s very easy to be judgmental of those who fly around me.

What if I obeyed the speed limit because I care about those around me and respect those who set the limits?

but because we realize how sin hurts others, and we respect and love the God who gave us the Commandments.

Three things stood out to me as I read about this stone memorial.

I think the major events in our lives should carry the same characteristics.

It was when Job prayed for his friends that the Lord restored his fortunes.

would you or I have prayed for those same people if we were in Job’s position?

We are commanded to not just forgive but lift up and support those who need it regardless of how they have treated us.