Whoever is Not Against Us is for Us

 

There are as many takes on God’s Word as there are people. No one knows it all. Seek Truth in every situation.  Learn to recognize when something is good or evil but be wary of creating divisions in the body of Christ. He is the arbiter of who is and who isn’t one of his. 

Mark 9:38-40 (NIV) 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.

1/8/2024

Let My People Go - To Worship

 

When Moses went to Pharoah, he told him God said, “Let my people go.”  Most only remember those words, but he continued:  “...for they must make a holy pilgrimage… to worship me…” To step out of your personal slavery or any difficult situation, go first to God. 

Exodus 5:1 (TLB) 5 After this presentation to the elders, Moses and Aaron went to see Pharoah. They told him, “We bring you a message from Jehovah, the God of Israel. He says, ‘Let my people go, for they must make a holy pilgrimage out into the wilderness, for a religious feast, to worship me there.’”

1/1/2024

Count it all joy

These verses say “be happy” when you are tempted or in difficulty. That means you let yourself be energized in anticipation of how you will meet the challenge.  You want to work through your problems. God loves to use your difficulties to develop the very best in you. 

James 1:2-4 (TLB) 2 Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, 3 for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.

12/25/2023

Healed of Leprosy

Naaman was a military hero, and a leper?  Leprosy is so contagious that lepers had to live in quarantine so something isn’t adding up in this verse. It is this: Every single person has a contagious and destructive sin, yet God will heal and make a hero of anyone he chooses.

2 Kings 5:1 (TLB) 5 The king of Syria had high admiration for Naaman, the commander-in-chief of his army, for he had led his troops to many glorious victories. So he was a great hero, but he was a leper.

12/17/2023

What is a Servant's Heart?

These verses refer to a relationship with God.  It is not about human servitude.  That is illegal. To have a servant’s heart, you put God and what he wants from you ahead of your needs. To merely obey is good, but it is not conclusively indicative of a desire to serve God and others. 

Luke 17:7-10  7-9 When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn’t just sit down and eat, but first prepares his master’s meal and serves him his supper before he eats his own. And he is not even thanked, for he is merely doing what he is supposed to do. 10 Just so, if you merely obey me, you should not consider yourselves worthy of praise. For you have simply done your duty!”

12/10/2023

Lazarus and the Rich Man

There are those who will listen to God and there are those who will not. You can be a light to them but in the end, this parable says it is the responsibility of each person to listen and take it seriously. You cannot do it for another nor can anyone do it for you. 

Luke 16:19-31 (TLB) 19 “There was a certain rich man,” Jesus said, “who was splendidly clothed and lived each day in mirth and luxury. 20 One day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, was laid at his door. 21 As he lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 Finally the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went into hell. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham. 24 “‘Father Abraham,’ he shouted, ‘have some pity! Send Lazarus over here if only to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us, and anyone wanting to come to you from here is stopped at its edge; and no one over there can cross to us.’ 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘O Father Abraham, then please send him to my father’s home— 28 for I have five brothers—to warn them about this place of torment lest they come here when they die.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘The Scriptures have warned them again and again. Your brothers can read them any time they want to.’ 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham, they won’t bother to read them. But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even though someone rises from the dead.’”

12/3/2023

A Repentant Sinner

 

Paul was as terrible a human being as ever lived. He was merciless and cruel and joyfully caused suffering. No one likes a person like that. God could have destroyed him and used a milder personality to teach of his love and beautiful Kingdom. Instead, he chose a man willing to let Jesus change him. 

Acts 22:4-10 (TLB) 4 And I persecuted the Christians, hounding them to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison. 5 The High Priest or any member of the Council can testify that this is so. For I asked them for letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, with instructions to let me bring any Christians I found to Jerusalem in chains to be punished. 6 “As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, suddenly about noon a very bright light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Paul, Paul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 “‘Who is it speaking to me, sir?’ I asked. And he replied, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 The men with me saw the light but didn’t understand what was said. 10 “And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told what awaits you in the years ahead.’

11/19/2023

The 23rd Psalm - Part 5

 

As you walk with God, you find goodness and unfailing kindness, a kind of which humans may aspire to but cannot reach. An angry, punitive God looking to catch your mistakes is not how he works. A beautiful relationship with God is yours to keep in this life and the next.

Psalms 23:6 (TLB) 6 Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home.

11/12/2023

The 23rd Psalm - Part 4

 

God promises to provide for the physical and emotional needs of those he calls to him.  He sees to it you find food, shelter, family, work and love.  Ask God about these areas of your life every day.  Listen to what he says.  Be grateful for all he provides.

Psalm 23:5 (TLB) 5 You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow!

11/5/2023

The 23rd Psalm - Part 3

Except for teenagers and adrenaline junkies, humans fear death and true terror. It can be an objective or subjective danger. This beautifully says God is worthy of your trust in navigating this life.  He guards and directs you as his staff and rod push danger away from your side. 

Psalms 23:4 (TLB) 4 Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way.

10/29/2023

The 23rd Psalm - Part 2

 

When you walk with God, you find peace in the most unexpected places.  He teaches you in the ways you learn best. When you are weak, he gives and teaches strength. When you let the Good Shepherd lead, you find you can live an honorable and joyful life.

Psalm 23: 2-3 (TLB) 2-3 He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honors him the most.

10/22/2023

The 23rd Psalm - Part 1

 

Sheep easily get lost and aren’t very smart or picky about what they follow. Human sheep similarly wander off, follow most any impulse and are not very smart without God’s help. Yet this verse changes that perception of sheep:  You are wise to let God be your Shepherd. 

Psalm 23:1 (TLB) 23 Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! 

10/15/2023

What is Wisdom?

Wisdom is a culmination of knowledge, experience and good judgement. It begins with reverence for God.  Cultivating it is a life’s work.  Devote time developing your knowledge of God and his ways and you will find wisdom.  It is what makes your days and years worthwhile.

Proverbs 9:10-12 (TLB) 10 For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. 11 “I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful.” 12 Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you hurt only yourself.

10/8/2023

Treasures of God

God’s promises are likened to hidden treasure.  Most don’t even know what they are, or their value.  To know what they are means studying God’s Word to open your consciousness to them. With time and effort will come the greatest gifts one could ever want or need. 

Matthew 13:44 (TPT)  44 “Heaven’s kingdom realm can be illustrated like this: “A person discovered that there was hidden treasure in a field. Upon finding it, he hid it again. Because of uncovering such treasure, he was overjoyed and sold all that he possessed to buy the entire field just so he could have the treasure.

10/1//2023

Even the Very Best of Us

Seeing the work before him, Solomon asked God for wisdom. God gave it to him and he used it well.  Despite honoring God most of his life, he lost his humility and turned to sin of all kinds. Even one of the very best of mankind could not resist acting on his sinful nature.

1 Kings 11:1-11 (TLB) 11 King Solomon married many other girls besides the Egyptian princess. Many of them came from nations where idols were worshiped—Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from the Hittites— 2 even though the Lord had clearly instructed his people not to marry into those nations, because the women they married would get them started worshiping their gods. Yet Solomon did it anyway. 3 He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines; and sure enough, they turned his heart away from the Lord, 4 especially in his old age. They encouraged him to worship their gods instead of trusting completely in the Lord as his father David had done. 5 Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the horrible god of the Ammonites. 6 Thus Solomon did what was clearly wrong and refused to follow the Lord as his father David did. 7 He even built a temple on the Mount of Olives, across the valley from Jerusalem, for Chemosh, the depraved god of Moab, and another for Molech, the unutterably vile god of the Ammonites. 8 Solomon built temples for these foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods. 9-10 Jehovah was very angry with Solomon about this, for now Solomon was no longer interested in the Lord God of Israel who had appeared to him twice to warn him specifically against worshiping other gods. But he hadn’t listened, 11 so now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept our agreement and have not obeyed my laws, I will tear the kingdom away from you and your family and give it to someone else.

9/24/2023

What is Repentance?

Sin is a breaking of divine law. Divine laws are written in God’s Word. To repent is to want to know these laws and change to God’s better way. The genesis of many human laws have, or should have, a basis in these immutable divine laws.  They are the way to true peace.

Ezekiel 33:12 (TLB) 12 For the good works of a righteous man will not save him if he turns to sin; and the sins of an evil man will not destroy him if he repents and turns from his sins.’

9/17/2023

Depression

 

Heroes of the Bible weren’t always brave and wise. Elijah obeyed God and offended Jezebel. When she threatened him, he fled in panic and that deteriorated to depression.  As a prophet of God you expect he would be above that, but no one is. 

 Kings 19:1-10 (TLB)  19 When Ahab told Queen Jezebel what Elijah had done, and that he had slaughtered the prophets of Baal, 2 she sent this message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets, and now I swear by the gods that I am going to kill you by this time tomorrow night.” 3 So Elijah fled for his life; he went to Beersheba, a city of Judah, and left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day, and sat down under a broom bush and prayed that he might die. “I’ve had enough,” he told the Lord. “Take away my life. I’ve got to die sometime, and it might as well be now.” 5 Then he lay down and slept beneath the broom bush. But as he was sleeping, an Angel touched him and told him to get up and eat! 6 He looked around and saw some bread baking on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the Angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, 9 where he lived in a cave. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have worked very hard for the Lord God of the heavens; but the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you and torn down your altars and killed your prophets, and only I am left; and now they are trying to kill me too.”

9/10/2023

Called of God

 

Moses, Jeremiah and the Apostles were called by God to represent him.  All felt unworthy and protested. They were indeed capable as God gives those he calls the right things to say, where to go and what to do. He gives you all you require to fulfill your calling.

Jeremiah 1:5-10 TLB) 5 “I knew you before you were formed within your mother’s womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.” 6 “O Lord God,” I said, “I can’t do that! I’m far too young! I’m only a youth!” 7 “Don’t say that,” he replied, “for you will go wherever I send you and speak whatever I tell you to. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I, the Lord, will be with you and see you through.” 9 Then he touched my mouth and said, “See, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today your work begins, to warn the nations and the kingdoms of the world. In accord with my words spoken through your mouth I will tear down some and destroy them, and plant others, nurture them, and make them strong and great.”

9/3/2023