Posts from May 2019

John 16:4 (NLT) Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning.  Jesus forewarned His followers that the world would hate them—even to martyrdom. Jesus wanted them to have a realistic description of what many of Christ’s followers throughout history have faced. Even in our society, though rooted in the history, culture, and practices of Christianity, for the most part, people have either rejected or forgotten the religious beliefs of Christianity. Jesus…

II Kings 6:17 (NLT) Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!”   Elisha saw a physical enemy army surrounding the city. But Elisha had seen a second, more powerful army. He saw the hills filled with God’s horses and chariots of fire. Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened so that he could get a divine perspective. (Read the rest of the story to see the unexpected solution to a huge problem.) What…

II Chronicles 20:22 (NLT) – At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. (CEV) – As soon as they began singing, the Lord confused the enemy camp. (GNT) – When they began to sing, the Lord threw the invading armies into panic. Enemy armies had come against God’s people to take their land. In a similar way, we have a very…

John 15:9 (The Message) I have loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. Before His crucifixion, Jesus equipped His disciples with His love. If you know that someone loves you, then you are able to yield to and trust him or her completely. You can count on that love to be there for you and you can live in assurance. The cure for fear is trusting in God (John 14:1).  Nothing…

John 15:21 (NIV) Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. Jesus left his disciples with commandments that were to be obeyed and that would lead to the knowledge of God. The person who has stalled in his faith is usually sidetracked by addictions, or unhealthy relationships that draw him away from his…

 John 14:27 (NLT) “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”   These were some of Jesus’ last words to His disciples before His crucifixion. He encouraged them because they were fearful of being left alone and helpless. He offered to them His peace. When going through a difficult life experience of sickness or grief or relational heartache, have…

Exodus 33:11 (NIV) The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.  Moses learned how to listen to God’s voice, though that process came with many vacillations and detours. He learned to listen and obey; and their relationship became deeply intimate. But the Children of Israel were not ready for that kind of intimacy. Not far into their wilderness journey they realized how dangerous it was to be in God’s presence and they…

Revelation 3:20 (The Message) Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.  “In meditative prayer we are creating the emotional and spiritual space that allows God to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart. Jesus knocks at the door of our heart—daily, hourly, moment by moment. He is longing to eat with us, to commune with us…in the…

1 Kings 19:11 Go out and stand before me on the mountain…  In many ways Elijah’s experience at Mount Horeb’s cave is a representation of a place of despair, desolation, and dejection. After his profound experience on Mt. Carmel, Elijah ran for his life, collapsed in Horeb’s cave, and pled with God to take his life. But God “coaxed him out of his cave of depression and onto the mountain top. After ferocious winds shattering earthquakes and scorching fires (all…

Joshua 1:8 (The Message) And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going then you’ll succeed. “The central element of the biblical view of meditation is obedience. This is a marked contrast to the various forms of meditation in many religions around the world. The biblical stress is always on ethical changer,…

John 15:4 (The Message) Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. Healthy relationships are not built on a once-a-week conversation. They are built upon ongoing, transparent conversations that are woven through everyday experiences and lead to perspective and enlightenment. So it is with our faith. It must go beyond the Sunday morning worship hour and extend throughout every day of the week. God wants a long, personal, ongoing conversation with us. Does that…

John 16:13 (The Message) But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to Himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.  As we study the life of Jesus Christ by reading the gospels, the Holy Spirit can direct our thoughts and unpack applications for…

Colossians 3:2 (NIV) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  How easily can you discern the source of your thoughts? How quickly do you act on your impulses? Have you learned the importance of delayed gratification? In our quick fix and easy-access culture we tend to overlook the importance of this discipline. The Holy Spirit makes use of delays to groom our hearts and He wants to teach us important truths in that can only be learned…

Mark 10:28 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”  James and John wanted to sit at seats of honor on the right and left of Jesus when He came into His glory. They were captivated by the grandeur of ministry; but Jesus pointed out a timeless truth. They did not understand the sacrifices, the dying to self, and the personal cross…

I Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  This describes the work of the ministry so well. Some folks need to be urged to move on in their faith and not be distracted or settled into life comforts that lead to relinquishment of service. Others need to be exhorted to identify their gifts and to step forward boldly without shrinking back to accomplish God’s purposes…

Isaiah 42:3 (NIV) He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. (The Message: He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and He won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but He’ll steadily and firmly set things right. We serve a God who cares about people and wants to mend their broken hearts. When people become so bruised by difficult life experiences, it is often difficult for them to trust anymore. They won’t risk the…

Numbers 21:4b (KJV) …and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. The long trek toward the Promised Land took the Children out of Egypt and through difficult terrain that made them weary. Some made it worse by exaggerating the difficulties and problems. When a person is battling disease or the loss of a love one or relational heartaches of any kind, what they don’t need is someone at their side who exaggerates the problems and…

Isaiah 50:4 The Sovereign Lord has given me His words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to His will. (RSV – that I might know how to sustain with a word him that is weary). Gary Chapman’s book, “The Five Love Languages” unpacks what it means to supply words of affirmation to people as one way of expressing love. The Bible refines the concept even…

I Samuel 20:16 So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David saying, “May the Lord destroy all your enemies!” And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.  David and Jonathan were the best of friends; and their covenant commitment to care for one another’s families (whoever survived) signaled the deepest kind of friendship. Jonathan saw David as a hero worthy of respect, and David saw Jonathan as trustworthy and dedicated.…

I Samuel 18:14 In everything (David) did he had great success because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. As David gained influence, Saul’s influence decreased. Saul became jealous, then fearful of David. Those emotions hardened to implacable enmity. Ultimately, David was forced to flee for his life. David faced a jolting change in status (chapters 21-30) from a respected military hero to a lone fugitive. Yet today the whole…

I Samuel 17:45-46 David replied (to Goliath)…”You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s armies—Today the Lord will conquer you…and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. The story of David and Goliath has resounded loudly down through the centuries wherever the Gospel has gone. It teaches us that great faith enables us to meet any challenge with courage, even in…

I Samuel 12:23 As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. The prophet Samuel’s commitment to never stop praying for the people must be our commitment as well. Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons for those who follow Jesus Christ. It can turn enemies into friends. It not only changes things, it changes us. When we can…

I Samuel 10:6   (Samuel to Saul)  At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. Saul had a good beginning. He was humble (9:21). God changed his heart (10:6, 9) and was with him (v. 7). The Spirit of God came upon him (v. 10) to enable him. He was modest (v. 21-23), silent in opposition (v. 26-27), and little in…

I Samuel 8:19-20 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us…” When the nation of Israel requested a king, it was tantamount to the rejection of God’s throne rights. In trying to be like the nations around them they were saying “yes” to the world and its expectations and “no” to holiness and divine calling. Samuel was clear about where this…

John 21:16b (NLT) “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. Jesus had come to save the “sheep” at the cost of His own life (John 10:15). He asked Peter to take up the task. “Feed” (vs. 15, 17) means to supply with food, or to take to pasture. “Tend” (vs. 16) includes all the care a shepherd would give to his sheep. Both lambs and sheep, whether small or grown, would be the object of Peter’s new mission in…

John  21:16b  (NLT) “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know that I love you.”   Jesus sought to prove Peter’s innermost purpose in following Him. “The desire for personal success, eminence, achievement, reward, or even the relatively unselfish motive of doing something for needy humanity was not enough. Only a complete love for Christ would be sufficient to carry Peter and his fellow disciples through the careers which awaited them.” Peter’s response was sincere. He had learned that he could not…

John 21:15 (The Message) After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  How many times have you heard Jesus say these words to you? What things gain ground unexpectedly in your life, making it necessary for the Lord to question your wholeheartedness? How easy is it for you to honestly and humbly respond? It happens in different stages of life. Somehow we get busy and Jesus asks for a fresh…