Category Archives: Bible

December 7

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Romans 11:11-14:23

Paul has such practical advice for us in his letters. I hope you read and re-read Romans 12 today. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? What does it look like when someone walks the walk?

The world is searching for peace, for fulfillment, for meaning. And non-Christians are looking at us to see if what we have is real, if it is what they are looking for, if it’s any better than what they have without Jesus.

So I ask myself: what is it they see in me? One who is transformed by the renewing of my mind? One who considers herself with sober judgment? One who uses her gifts within a fellowship of believers? 

Am I a woman whose love is sincere, who hates evil, honors others above myself, am I zealous for sharing the Gospel, joyful, patient, prayerful? 

Do they see me living my life trying to even the score with people I think have wronged me? Or do I love my enemies, do I overcome evil with good?

Dear One, I would suggest that if all of us who know Christ as our Savior lived our lives according to what we read in Romans 12, people would be storming the doors of our churches to get in. We have what they are looking for. Can they see those things in us?

Father, I thank you for Paul’s words to the Romans. And I thank you that those words speak to us today. May each of us who have accepted your grace, who know you as our Savior and Lord, live our lives as living sacrifices. I pray that someone who needs you will recognize those things in me today and be drawn to you because of it.

December 6

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Romans 8:18-11:10

My nephew, Geoff, would have been 24 today had he not lost control of his truck that June Sunday and lost his life. Our family would have gathered at his mom’s house, had cake and sung Happy Birthday. Instead we will gather at his grave and remember.

When I read Paul’s words, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”, and “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”, I believe it. But believing it doesn’t mean I don’t hurt.

I hold on to Romans 8:26&27. The Spirit has helped me in my weakness. There are days when I don’t know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for me with groans words cannot express. I love him for that. Talk about someone who has my back.

If God is for me, who can be against me?

In him we are more than conquerors.

These aren’t just words. They are truth and I am living proof. What good can come out of Geoff’s death? Were people drawn to the Savior by watching his family? Are there those whose lives have been changed as they see his grieving mom live out her faith? Did Geoff’s sweet spirit, quick laugh, champion of the underdog, reveal his Savior to everyone who knew him?

I’m not sure. But because I believe God’s Word is true, I believe good has and will continue to come out of even this. My prayer its that you will have the same confidence in every circumstance of your own life.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for Geoff’s life. I thank you for that quick smile, that hearty laugh, the kindness, compassion, the loyalty that was my nephew. I am so blessed to have been his aunt for those 22 precious years. God, I pray for his mom and dad, his dear sister as they feel his loss most deeply. I pray for cousins, aunts and uncles, his friends, we who are learning to live with broken hearts. I pray that your Holy Spirit will minister to each of us at the point of our need. And may hearts be drawn to you. Thank you for the assurance that Geoff, who knew Jesus as his Savior, is with you today and one day we will see that ornery smile again. May we who know you point others to the Savior as we continue to miss our boy.

December 5

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Romans 5:1-8:17

Best. News. Ever!

That’s what I think when I read the first 17 verses of Romans 8. Just look at verses 1&2:

Therefore, there is now NO CONDEMNATION to 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. (those caps are mine)

When I accepted Christ as my Savior, Jesus took on the guilt of my sin and I became guilt-free. No condemnation for this woman! And to top it off, verses 14-17 tell me I became a child of God, a co-heir with Christ. Paul calls it a spirit of sonship. I like it!

So I have a choice, which in my opinion is no choice at all. I can reject the Lord and live according to what nature desires. Or I can accept Jesus and set my mind on what the Spirit desires. Verse 6:

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Death, or life and peace. I choose Christ. It’s a no-brainer.

The Spirit of Christ lives in me. Like I said…

Best. News. Ever!

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming into my heart and life. Thank you for taking the penalty for my sin and setting me free from sin’s control. Thank you for making me your child. I give you my life. I give you my mind. I give you today. Thank you for promising to go with me. Prepare me to do the job you want me to do. I love you, Lord.

December 4

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Romans 2-4

Did you know Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” is actually the middle of a sentence? Here is what that entire sentence says beginning with verse 22b:

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

In the same breath Paul calls us sinners then points us to grace. I love the word “freely” in that sentence. We are all sinners and we have all been given a gift. Not a wage, like Paul explains in chapter 4. A costly gift, yes. It cost Jesus his life to pay the penalty for my sin.

But he offers it to me freely. The righteousness he bought is mine for the taking. He redeemed me through his precious blood. It’s  a righteousness I can’t earn. It’s forgiveness I don’t deserve.

Go back to 3:22: 
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to ALL WHO BELIEVE.

I am almost done with my Christmas shopping and in fact, have most of the presents already wrapped. I love buying for my loved ones and carefully pick out things I believe they will appreciate. They aren’t paying for those gifts. I don’t spend more on the ones who were nicest to me this year. These gifts are an expression of my love for them. And it would hurt me deeply if those gifts remained unopened after I gave them.

That’s kind of what happens when, faced with the truth of our sinful state, we walk away from God’s grace. He bought our forgiveness and is handing it to us with open arms. My prayer is that you won’t let that gift go unopened.

As I was writing this this morning the words from an old hymn kept running through my head. Some of the words are these:

Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin.

How can my tongue describe it? Where shall its praise begin?

Taking away my burdens, setting my spirit free.

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me!

Gracious Jesus, thank you for going to the cross and paying the debt for my sin. Thank you for freely offering redemption to me, a sinner. I pray that each one who reads this today will accept your gift. And may we who know you as our Savior make you Lord of our lives. May we live today out of grateful hearts and serve you with love.

 

December 3

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2 Corinthians 11:16-13:14; Romans 1:1-32

I was watching a competition show the other day and a young contestant was thanking her mentor for helping her learn to believe in herself. That’s a popular attitude these days. Believe in yourself. Be confident in yourself, Be strong, powerful, fearless. 

That all sounds well and good. Until life happens and you face a situation that breaks you. Who do you depend on then?

Paul talked to the Corinthians about his weaknesses. He, who had worldly reason to boast and to stand on his own accomplishments, had a “thorn in (his) flesh”. I don’t know what that was, exactly, but it was a constant reminder of his dependance on God. He shared that God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”.

Paul goes on to say he delights in his own weakness, in hardship and difficulty because when he is weak, God is strong. As Christians who recognize how weak we are in ourselves, we know we have the strength of the Creator God within us.

If you are depending on your own strength, good luck. You are headed for a mighty fall. If you remember, that was what happened to the angel we know as Satan. And if you are believing Satan’s lie that we need to be building ourselves up, standing on our own, finding our own self-worth, then you are headed down the same path he walked. And he wins.

Instead, I would encourage you to give up trying to manufacture those feelings. You are weak. You are flawed. You are powerless. So let God be your strength. Trust me when I say, he’ll take care of you so much better than you can take care of yourself.

There’s a great old hymn I love to sing:

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness… On Christ the solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. ALL other ground is sinking sand.

Father, I pray that we will stand on that solid Rock instead of the sinking sand of self. May we, like Paul recognize that you are strong when we are weak. And we are weak! Forgive us when we try to do anything on our own power. Help us to confess pride as sin and to allow you to be exactly what we need in every situation. Defeat Satan in our lives today, Lord, and may we depend upon you.

December 2

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2 Corinthians 7:1-11:15

Paul talks about “godly sorrow”. What is that? And how does it differ from worldly sorrow? One leads to repentance. One leads to death.

Paul was apologizing for a letter he had written to the Christians in Achaia, the church in Corinth. You know Paul. He tells it like it is. And he must have stepped on some toes with his bluntness. Paul says: Sorry if your feelings were hurt by hearing the truth, but something good came of it. You repented!

7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death”. Godly sorrow produces earnestness, indignation, longing, concern, devotion and encouragement. And all of those are things outside of oneself. That is as it should be when we are faced with our sin. Godly sorrow for sin causes us to bow before our Holy God, to open our hearts and minds to the Savior. Godly sorrow looks up after looking in.

On the other hand, worldly sorrow stays turned inward. It produces depression, anger, despair. The person who is sucked into worldly sorrow is often more concerned with how he is feeling than who he is in Christ. Too often worldly sorrow leads to tragic death.

Now hear me when I say I am not talking about those who have a chemical imbalance. Please PLEASE do not go off your medication. Allow the medicine to do its job. But I would say to all of us, we need to consider sin and respond to it with godly sorrow that leads to repentance. In this case we need to go to the doctor for our physical problems. And to God with our sin.

Have you sinned? I think Paul would tell you to quit beating yourself up about it. Rather look toward your Heavenly Father and see his love, accept his forgiveness, repent and, like we talked about yesterday, begin again with a clean slate.

Father, I pray that when any of us are faced with the reality of sin in our lives it will cause us sorrow. May we quickly confess our sin and accept your forgiveness. May we keep our eyes on Jesus, to look for ways to live out our faith, to win lost souls to you. May we demonstrate your truth that godly sorrow that leads to repentance produces people who are anxious to get out there and lead others to the Savior, too. I pray for any reading this today who are caught in the ugly web of worldly sorrow. May they recognize that as sin, confess it, and look to you for all they need for life – including the joy of being your child.

December 1

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2 Corinthians 2:5-6:18

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When you hold an infant in your arms, aren’t you struck by his innocence? His complete lack of a past? That child can look at you without a hint of regret or sorrow for something he’s done. He has no memory of disobeying, because he’s never disobeyed. He doesn’t carry guilt because he isn’t guilty.

Dear One, that’s how God looks at us when we are born again. When we confess our sins, he forgives, cleanses, and forgets! The old us is gone and we have a new beginning, just like that infant.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (5:21) 

Jesus did that for us and it is ours for the asking. Is Jesus Lord of your life? Have you repented of sin? If you have, you have a clean slate. Understand that God has forgiven you, has paid the price for your past sins, and has forgotten them.

If you have not accepted the Lord, I pray you will ask Jesus into your life and become that new creation. And if you know the Lord as your Savior, but need to speak to him about some unconfessed sin, I pray you will do that today. Let Jesus do what he came to do and make you the righteousness of God through his blood. 

I’m praying for you today.

November 30

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I Corinthians 15:35-16:24; Acts 20:1-6; 2 Corinthians 1:1-2:4

So often when people go through hard times some well-meaning person says, “God never gives us more than we can handle”. I don’t believe that is a true statement. And I believe Paul will back me up on that.

Read 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. Paul felt the sentence of death. He was so depressed he despaired even of life. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead”. 

I believe God “gives us” just a little more than we can handle on our own so that we learn to trust him and depend on him. Paul continues to say with confidence, “(God) has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us”.

Are you going through a difficulty? Is your heart broken? Do you despair of life? Have you done everything you know how to fix it? Good. Now you can learn how much you can depend on God. You are in a position where you can realize how faithful, how strong, how compassionate is your Savior.

I believe Scripture promises when you turn it over to God, when you seek his face, he will lift you up. There is a line to a song that says, “When you come to the place where he’s all you have, you’ll find he’s all you need”.

Amen.

Dear God, I pray that we who are going through circumstances that seem to be breaking us, will seek your face. May we set aside the problem and draw close to you. May our relationship with you become more important than a solution to the problem. We are weak. We are helpless. We are broken. Lord, lift us up. In Jesus’ name.

November 29

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I Corinthians 14:1-15:34

Much of the Gospel is based on the reality that God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus died, was buried, rose again after three drays, and appeared to hundreds of people as the risen Savior. That is the truth. It’s exactly what happened. 

Jesus defeated death and, because of that, death no longer holds the same sting it once had. Even in the death of a loved one, we have hope. And our hope is built on Jesus, who once was dead, and who lives today.

We celebrated Thanksgiving without Dad and Geoff again yesterday. For the second year we felt the hole left in this family gathering. There was laughter and love, great food, and silly games. We cheered my great-niece on as she took a few wobbly steps. We are a family who truly loves being together.

But Dad and Geoff were missed. Even as I was very aware that these two precious men weren’t with us yesterday, I could picture them with Jesus. They are able to look Jesus in the eye and give their thanks. Death did not end their lives. They are truly living today.

That is our hope, our assurance in Christ. When a person gives their heart to the Lord, death becomes a door into a glorious eternity with God. We will see our loved ones again. I am so thankful that they new the Savior and, in doing so, gave us the greatest gift they could give us. That is the ability to rest, knowing they are with the Lord. That’s something to be truly thankful for!

Father, thank you for defeating death. We no longer fear dying when we know you as Savior. What is beyond the veil is unimaginably wonderful. I’m glad Dad and Geoff are with you and that we have the promise to see them again, to worship you right beside them. Mom is there. Grandpa and Grandma, Aunts and Uncles who loved you during this lifetime. Oh, that everyone reading this blog today would have the same assurance, the same hope. May Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, friends, give their loved ones this precious hope by giving their hearts to you.

November28

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I Corinthians 11:2-13:13

I Corinthians 13 is probably one of the most known chapters of the Bible along with Genesis 1 and Luke 2. Did someone read the Love Chapter at your wedding? These verses have inspired song writers and challenged newly weds. But is there something in here for all of us on this Thanksgiving Day, 2013? I’m glad you asked.

Jesus told us the second greatest commandment, after loving God, is loving our neighbor. Scripture tells us people will know we are Christians by our love. And I Corinthians 13 tells us what that love looks like. As you read the traits of love in verses 4-8, do you see yourself as you consider your relationship with your neighbors, co-workers, and family members?

Read these verses carefully and don’t gloss over the traits you know you lack. It’s not a test God is grading on a curve. Godly love is demonstrated when all the boxes are checked.

Are you having problems in your marriage? Read verses 4-8 and ask yourself if this is the love you have for your spouse. Resist the temptation to see if your spouse measures up with the love he or she has for you. Remember, love is not self-seeking. Are you really patient when the top isn’t put back on the toothpaste? Are you kind even though that biting comment is on the tip of your tongue? Do you find yourself competing with your spouse, jealous if your spouse gets recognition? I am pretty sure more marital problems could be solved if couples would demonstrate the love described in these verses toward each other.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States and at the top of my list of things I am most thankful for is the heritage left by my parents and grandparents, people who loved the Lord and demonstrated that love according to I Corinthians 13. I am so thankful for my four sisters – Peggy, Kathy, Nancy, and Sally. I am blessed because these amazing women are my sisters, my friends. Their love to me is described in the verses we read today. I am thankful for nieces and nephews who have brought such joy to me and my whole family. For great-nieces and nephews who have stolen my heart. I am thankful for health, for having everything I need.

And I am most thankful for Jesus. I am a sinner saved by his grace. I am a child of the Creator, the God of the Universe. And I have the assurance that my eternity will be spent in his Presence! My prayer today is that I will demonstrate my love for him by living according to the verses I read today in I Corinthians 13.

May God bless you today. And may you look to God, the giver of all good things, with a truly thankful heart.