Posts from July 2022

Genesis 2:18 (NLT)  Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper who is just right for him.”  We are hardwired to connect with God and others.  It is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives; and without it there is suffering.  Connection is why we are here: connection upward with God first, then connection outward to others (spouse, children, etc.)  Our connection to the Holy Spirit makes…

Philippians 1:28  Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies (NLT) …not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition (The Message) …without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you (NIV).  No matter how well you represent the love of God there will be hateful people determined to discredit and destroy you.  Jesus warned us that if they persecuted Him they would do the same to us; but the Holy Spirit enables us to stand unflinchingly before…

Philippians 1:27 (NIV)  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  As the Japanese army forced Darlene Deibler Rose and her fellow missionaries into trucks to be taken away to prisoner of war camps, Darlene heard the voice of her beloved missionary mentor calling to her.  They were the last words she would hear from him before he died in that camp:  “Remember, be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  Through every trial in that…

Philippians 1:20 (The Message)  I can hardly wait to continue on my course.  I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least.  On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die.  They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a pulpit!   “Paul had the unconquerable attitude of a giant in the faith.  Paul was certain of his deliverance—because the Philippians prayed, and because…

Philippians 1:14 (The Message)  Not only that, but most of the Christians here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.  Paul did not complain about his imprisonment, but rather rejoiced because his jailing was resulting in many influential people in Rome coming to faith in Jesus Christ.  His hands and feet may have been chained, but the gospel was not restricted, so Paul rejoiced.  Are people inspired…

Philippians 1:9 (NIV)  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.  The Apostle Paul cared deeply for the Philippian church, and he prayed for them to grow in love, which brings knowledge and discernment.  When we judge people without attempting to understand them (their pain, experiences, history) then our testimony falls on deaf ears.  If we want to understand people from a culture that is different from our own,…

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)  And I (Apostle Paul) am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  Great joy comes from knowing that, no matter what difficulties come our way, the Lord is at work within us grooming our hearts and leading us into spiritual growth and maturity despite it all.  Of course, our rate of growth depends on how we choose to…

John 7:40-53 (focus verse: 46) (NIV)  No one ever spoke the way this man does…  Opinions about Jesus were divided.  Even the temple guards were impressed by His words.  Most of those who were deeply religious were filled up with their own religious ideas and had no space for Jesus.  Nicodemus, however, took his questions to Jesus and found his way to faith in Christ.  Bring your questions.  Jesus has answers.  It is an ever-unfolding faith. 

John 8:31 (NIV)  To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”    How are you holding on to Jesus’  teaching?  Are you really His disciple?  Does God’s Word linger in your mind and heart?  Or is it in one ear and out the other?  Be doers of the word (James 1:22).  Just like it takes…

John 21:2-7, 16-17 (focus verse 17b) (NLT)  Jesus said (to Peter) “Then feed my sheep.”  We must not live in a post-resurrection world with a pre-resurrection faith.  It is one thing to have expectations of Jesus and quite another thing to understand His expectations of us.  Jesus was never in a hurry.  This thing called discipleship is a long walk in the same direction.  Some of the greatest lessons in life come not in the miracle moments, but in the journey…

Philippians 3:8-9 (KJV)  …that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own…but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. As we grow in our faith our behavior increasingly becomes inseparably linked with righteousness.  We continue to have an  “old nature” (false self) that is  “altogether corrupt and vile, ever seeking to rise up and darken your sense of acceptance and of access to…

Hebrews 7:2 (NLT)  Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek.  The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.”   Scholars believe that Salem was the earliest name for Jerusalem—God’s city,  “the city where I have chosen to put my Name” (I Kings 11:36).  (And where God reigns there is peace and order.)  Melchizedek only appears briefly in Genesis 14, yet he earned an…

I Corinthians 1:30 (R.V. marg; English Revised Version)  Of God, are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.  “There can be no real prosperity or progress in a nation, a home, or a soul unless there be peace…quietness and assurance are indispensable to mankind’s moral and spiritual well-being.  Sin has disturbed all our relations; we are out of harmony with ourselves, with men, and with God.”*  Our salvation experience brings peace,…

Colossians 2:18-23 (Focus verse: 19b) (The Message)  …We can grow up healthy in God only as He (Christ) nourishes us.  Hold fast to Christ.  Be wise in evaluating spiritual experiences that produce pride or elitism.  Know the importance of commitment to a local church and submission to righteous spiritual authorities.  “Human relationships were designed to be fueled and filled by righteousness.  To the degree we give in to the urging of our flesh nature, we will fail to experience righteous…

Romans 8:1 (NIV)   There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  “Repentance is seeing things as they actually are.  You don’t fake it.  God isn’t dumb.  He sees our reality.  Step into truth, then you can move forward.”  How honest are you before God?  How honest are you with those closest to you?  There…

James 5:16 (NLT)   Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.  How long do you go before you confess?  Do you want to  “do the right thing, like the Pharisees, or become the kind of person who naturally does the right thing because they want to do it, like Jesus?  Confession is an important way to…

II Peter 1:3 (NIV)   His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  “We are capable of change in all that Jesus said and taught.  We can learn.  We are capable of walking in all the things that Jesus said we are to do and be because it is His divine power that is at work within us.  In this moment…

Colossians 3:2 (NIV)   Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  What does this mean?  “Spirit formation is a process of transforming the mind.  It is not about behavior modification but rather about transformation of the mind, the heart, the soul, the body, even the social world.  When these areas are transformed, we live in the joy of Jesus.  But we must find the…

Colossians 3:1 (NIV)   Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  (KJV – seek those things which are above;  NLT – set your sights on the realities of Heaven).  Our new life in Christ requires a new way of thinking and a new Christ-centered focus of attention.  When we make the choice to follow Jesus, we discover an emergent and increasing desire to…

I Corinthians 12:31 (NIV)  But eagerly desire the greater gifts.  And now I will show you the most excellent way.  What are the “best gifts” (KJV)?  The gifts of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:7-10)  “are not toys but tools to meet an existing need.  Needs vary at different times calling for a different tool.  It follows that the best gifts are those for which there is the greatest need.”  Today, the need may be for discernment.  Tomorrow, the need may…

Acts 1:8 – (NIV)  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…  There is one primary reason for Holy Spirit empowerment; and that is to enable us to be effective witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The early believers were baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues (Acts 2:1-6).  The same happens today, as so many of us have experienced.  Something fundamentally engages…

Acts 3:16 (NIV)  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus’  name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.  There is such a thing as divine faith—a faith that is  “by Him” (KJV), a gift of faith for a specific situation that brings specific results.  It is not a general kind of faith, but an…

Luke 9:1-2 (NIV)  When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  There is a difference between power and authority.  Power is the dynamic producing the effect, whereas authority is the right to use that power, a vested right or power to act on behalf of another with  “power of attorney.” …

Mark 3:15 (KJV)  And He ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils…  Do we even recognize evil’s influence in our world?  Spiritual pollution exists all around us and it is the enemy’s goal to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  We stand on the other side with Christ who said, “I have come that they may have life,…

Luke 24:49 (The Message)  What comes next is very important:  I am sending what my Father promised to you so stay here in the city until He arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.   From fireworks in the sky, to powerful stage performances, to powerful people in the business arena, humanity is fascinated with power.  But the kind of power that Jesus directed His disciples toward was something altogether different.  They were not to begin preaching, teaching,…

Zechariah 4:6b (NIV)  “…Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.   What is the means which God uses in the building of His temple, the Body of Christ?  NOT BY MIGHT: sheer numbers of corporate effort (Judges 7:2-7).  NOT BY POWER: the application of sheer human energy.  BUT BY MY SPIRIT: only through the supernatural dynamic of the Holy Spirit.  How much effort do we put into human strategies when a divine strategy…