Tag: trust

November 11, 2024

November 11th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 22

Highlight Verse:

“The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭22‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What made the crowds so violently angry with Paul?

He just told them that he would take the message that they rejected and give it to the Gentiles.

At first, this makes no sense. Why would they care as long as Paul quits trying to share that message with them?

Someone among them knew there was power in that message. They knew their agenda would be hindered if the powerful message of salvation got out into the world.

They did everything they could to stop it.

What I love about this situation is that, not only could they not stop the message from spreading, but their violent reaction also helped spread it farther by giving Paul the means to bring it to those in charge in Rome.

Sometimes we run into roadblocks as we try to spread God’s love to the world.

When that happens, we don’t need to wallow in self pity. We just need to look for the new opportunities opening up as a result of that roadblock.

Have you experienced roadblocks to sharing the Gospel?
What new opportunities opened up for you?
November 7, 2024

November 7th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 15

Highlight Verse:

“Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can you imagine the day when all nations will worship God?

It seems impossible.

Today the world embraces diversity and tolerance with devout fervor.

But truth is truth.

The truth is that God alone is holy and worthy of our worship.

In the very end, this will be obvious to all.

Then the prophetic words of this chapter will come true.

Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess (Isaiah 45:23).

What do you imagine this scene will be like?
Can you see yourself there?
November 5, 2024

November 5th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 19-20

Highlight Verse:

““When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you!”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Remember this verse the next time you face horses and chariots.

Okay, I think this could apply to other situations when the odds are against you.

I’ve seen it in action. God provides for a need just in time. Or He protects you from certain unforeseen circumstances.

When you take it in context of the rest of the Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible) you must realize that

it only applied when facing battles that God called the Israelites to fight.

In other words, if you keep fighting a losing battle, are you sure that it is one you were called to fight?
If the battle is against sin, are you fighting that battle wholeheartedly?
October 19, 2024

October 19th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 1 Peter 5

Highlight Verse:

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve often heard this verse used flippantly.

It’s sometimes used as the “Don’t worry, be happy” verse of the Bible.

This chapter, however, is full of tough commands.

Care for the flock, be humble, stay alert, watch out for the devil. Oh yes, and you’ll suffer.

Add to that the toughest command, cast your cares to God.

It’s not a promise that life will be happy and carefree.

It is a promise that God will carry you through it.

Is it harder for you to “Watch out” or to “give your worries and cares to God?”
Can we pray for you and each other as we all do the tough job of giving our worries to God?
October 17, 2024

October 17th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 12

Highlight Verse:

“This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse always reminds me of the great old anti-pickup line, “Did you fall to earth from heaven… ‘cause so did Satan.”

Except he didn’t fall, he was thrown.

I take great comfort in that because the same hands that grabbed Satan by the collar and tossed him and his minions from heaven can easily keep that devil away from me.

I do not fear the devil.

I don’t just know the final score (God – ∞, Satan – 0) but I know Who has the strength to get me through each and every battle.

Who holds the power in your life?
Whom do you fear?
October 16, 2024

October 16th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Nehemiah 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“Above the Horse Gate, the priests repaired the wall. Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house.”
‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You read that right.

Even the priests were doing construction.

Those who had returned to Jerusalem after the exile found themselves in a desperate situation.

Their enemies were threatening to undo their work and return the city to ruins.

They could have panicked and fled.

They could have fought among themselves about how to respond until it was too late.

Or they could have united and worked together, everyone doing their part regardless of social position.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Everyone worked, either laboring to build the wall or protecting the laborers.

What would this world be like if all believers came together with one purpose?
What are we desperate for enough to do that?
October 9, 2024

October 9th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Nehemiah 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.”
‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT

When I read this, I picture Nehemiah praying face down before God for days straight.

Maybe he did.

Maybe he was working and only prayed and fasted while off-duty.

Whatever he did, he did it with passion, giving his all to bring the plight of his country before God.

He waited 6 months to be bold enough to show his sorrow before the king.

I believe he prayed every day during that entire time.

And God answered by giving him favor with the king.

What would happen if we prayed with that same intensity and consistency for our country?
How about we try it and find out?
October 8, 2024

October 8th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 11-12

Highlight Verse:

““Your children didn’t see how the Lord cared for you in the wilderness until you arrived here.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our children didn’t have our experiences.

No matter how many times we tell our kids stories of how God has shown Himself faithful in our lives, they did not experience those stories themselves.

We should still tell them those stories, instruct them, and guide them to God.

But we also need to let them experience the faithfulness of God.

They need to have their own stories to strengthen their faith.

It’s a tough line to tread between protecting them and letting them experience life.

I pray God will guide us while we walk that line.

In what ways have you tried to get your kids or others to understand your experiences?
How have you helped them, or others find their own experiences?
October 7, 2024

October 7th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 17

Highlight Verse:

“For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭17‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I once attended a service at a church that reached out to refugees from a certain country I will refrain from naming.

There was a potluck buffet dinner after the service.

It was mayhem.

The culture of that country had no concept of lines.

The pastor, an acquaintance of mine, warned me of this cultural difference ahead of time.

He worked within their cultural norms in order to reach them with the Gospel.

Paul was sensitive to the cultures of the places he wanted to reach with the Gospel.

He did his homework and used his knowledge of the culture to help him reach the people of that culture.

When he got to a point in his preaching that the majority could not grasp, they stopped him.

Nevertheless, he reached several people in Athens.

Those started the trend that, a couple centuries later, brought a majority of Greek people to Christianity.

In what areas do you reach beyond cultural lines?
What are you doing to better understand those cultures?
October 2, 2024

October 2nd, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Ezra 9-10

Highlight Verse:

“For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage.””
‭‭Ezra‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You might say this is an odd verse for the son (me) of a white mom and a Mexican dad.

Truth be told, this chapter has always made me uncomfortable.

It sounds like it is telling us that racism is good.

But it’s not about racism.

The act of marrying non-Hebrew women in this context was an act, at least of apathy toward God, if not outright rebellion.

The marriages involved not just accepting the wives but their pagan religions as well.

If you need further proof that God is not racist, look up Rahab and Ruth,

both foreign women who accepted the Hebrew ways and were accepted not just into God’s good grace but into the bloodline of the Messiah.

Have you struggled with this Scripture before?
How does it make you feel to know that this is about dedication to God instead of race?

Tag: trust

What made the crowds so violently angry with Paul?

What I love about this situation is that, not only could they not stop the message from spreading, but their violent reaction also helped spread it farther by giving Paul the means to bring it to those in charge in Rome.

When that happens, we don’t need to wallow in self pity. We just need to look for the new opportunities opening up as a result of that roadblock.

Can you imagine the day when all nations will worship God?

But truth is truth.

The truth is that God alone is holy and worthy of our worship.

Remember this verse the next time you face horses and chariots.

it only applied when facing battles that God called the Israelites to fight.

It’s sometimes used as the “Don’t worry, be happy” verse of the Bible.

Care for the flock, be humble, stay alert, watch out for the devil. Oh yes, and you’ll suffer.

It is a promise that God will carry you through it.

Except he didn’t fall, he was thrown.

I don’t just know the final score (God – ∞, Satan – 0) but I know Who has the strength to get me through each and every battle.

Even the priests were doing construction.

Or they could have united and worked together, everyone doing their part regardless of social position.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Whatever he did, he did it with passion, giving his all to bring the plight of his country before God.

I believe he prayed every day during that entire time.

What would happen if we prayed with that same intensity and consistency for our country?How about we try it and find out?

Our children didn’t have our experiences.

We should still tell them those stories, instruct them, and guide them to God.

He worked within their cultural norms in order to reach them with the Gospel.

He did his homework and used his knowledge of the culture to help him reach the people of that culture.

Those started the trend that, a couple centuries later, brought a majority of Greek people to Christianity.

Truth be told, this chapter has always made me uncomfortable.

But it’s not about racism.

If you need further proof that God is not racist, look up Rahab and Ruth,

What would happen if we prayed with that same intensity and consistency for our country?
How about we try it and find out?