Matthew 7:7-11 "Fish and Snakes"

            “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.”

So very often the first two verses are read without the context of the last three. Many people point to verses seven and eight and argue that they have asked for things before that they did not receive. However, when Christ told us, “Ask and it will be given to you,” He was careful to remind us that even us, who are sinners, give good gifts to our children.  When we ask, though we may think it a good thing, many times the thing we ask for is actually a snake that would cause us harm instead of good. Because only God can see the entire picture, when God says no, He says it out of love so that we do not bring harm to ourselves. However, as we grow closer to Him, we begin to get a glimpse of what is truly good for us and our prayers begin to change from snakes to fish.

Mark 11:25, Matthew 18:21-22 "Forgive"

            “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that you Father in heaven may forgive your sins.”

            Many times in the Bible we are told to forgive those who have done wrong to us. Matthew 18:21-22 says, “Then Peter came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” Sometimes though when we forgive others we forget that we should be experiencing just as much of a changed attitude as they should. Holding a grudge against someone can be just as harmful as what they have done to us. When we refuse to let go of that hurt and forgive the person who has wronged us, we are the one who is truly being hurt. Though we may not be about to forget, being willing to forgive means we are willing to put the past behind us and move on.

Ephesians 2: 8 & 9, Romans 6:23 "Grace Through Faith"

            “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

            The world places a good deal of worth on our works –how well we do in school, in our jobs, whether or not we are moral people—trying to tell us that these things will make us successful, will provide meaning to our life. However, living a good, moral life isn’t enough. Romans 6:23 says plain and simple, “For the wages of sin are Death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” No matter how hard we try to be moral, our good works will never be good enough. God’s outlook on good works is completely different from our own. Instead of good works being the cause of our salvation, He desires for it to be the effect of our salvation. Good works will not get us into heaven –only faith in God’s grace is sufficient.

1 Corinthians 6:12 & 19, Luke 16:13 "One Master"

            “’Everything is permissible for me’, but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’, but I will not be mastered by anything.”

            We all have things in our lives that tempt us, whether it is junk food, television shows, money, or a certain group of friends. While sometimes these things may not be bad in and of themselves, it is when they begin to have mastery over us, consuming our thoughts and actions, that these things become a problem.

The church in Corinth had been quoting and misapplying the phrase, “Everything is permissible for me,” as a way to justify the sins they were committing. Paul’s response was to remind them that not everything they did was beneficial and that they should not allow anything to have mastery over them.

While junk food is fine in moderation, we should not let our eating habits become unhealthy because 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Did you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in your whom you have received from God? You are not your own…” And while money itself is not inherently evil, Luke 16:13 tells us that, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” So do not let your temptations draw you away from the service of God. He is the only Lord we need in our lives.

1 Peter 1:6 & 7 "Refined by Fire"

            “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that you faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

            It is easy to claim to have faith when that faith has never been tested. We go through life wishing we never had to face anything difficult, but the truth is, life is not perfect and neither are we. If we were perfect, there would be no reason for us to face trials because we were already perfect. Since we are not perfect however, we must face trials in order to grow. Just as gold is refined by fire, so our faith is refined by the trials we face in our lives. But where gold will perish, faith never will. Trials test our faith so we will know our faith is true.

1 Peter 5:8 "Foothold"

            “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

            Like lions target the most venerable members of a herd of animals for attack, so the devil targets us at our weakest points. Though that one curse word we mutter when we stub our toe on furniture in the dark may not seem like a big deal at the time, the devil is lying in wait for us to show the slightest weakness so that he can strike. We must be ever vigilant, always alert to the weaknesses in our lives that the devil can exploit, ready to deflect his attack while we overcome our weakness with God’s help. We must be self-controlled, solid walls, unwilling to let the devil have a foothold in our lives.

Revelation 1:1-3, 2 Peter 3:8 & 9 "A Day Like a Thousand Years"

            “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he say –that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

            Many people do not understand why God would have bothered to say that things would “soon” take place, or that the “time is near”. It seems strange to us that nearly 2,000 years have passed since John wrote Revelation, yet the events he prophesied have not yet come to pass. However, we live in constant anticipation of His coming because we do not know the day or the hour of His return –we only now that God calls it soon. So let us always be alert and ready for the Lord, serving Him faithfully until the time of His coming.

            “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Acts 11:18, 1 Timothy 2:3-4 "Prejudice"

            “When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

            “This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

            God does not have any kind of prejudice. He does not reserve His love for any one type of person. Each one of us was created by Him –no matter what our skin color is, what language we speak, how smart we are, or what clothes we wear. Each of us is a child of God, connected to each other by our faith in Him. It can be easy to fall into the trap of prejudice, but when you look at a person, do not look at their outward appearance. Look at their heart.

1 Corinthians 1:8 "Staying Strong"

            “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

            We know this life will be difficult and that we will encounter many hardships and struggles along the way. Sometimes it is hard to press on and continue His work when we know that we will suffer here on earth and will not receive our reward until we get to heaven. But God promises that He will keep us strong until the end so that we may stand before Him blameless. It would be impossible for us to stand blameless before Him on our own strength. Time and hardships chip away at our resolve. Only His strength is enough to keep us strong until the end.

Proverbs 10:28, 2 Corinthians 4:18 "The Seen and the Unseen"

            “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.”

            What is it that we have to look forward to after we die? The Bible tells us that, as Christians, when we die, we go to spend eternal life in heaven with our Lord. In heaven there is no pain or suffering, no more tears, just pure joy. Because we know this world will not last, our eyes are fixed toward the hope of heaven. The wicked, however, have their eyes fixed on earthly things and earthly desires. Their hopes and dreams are dependent on this world –a world that will eventually pass away, along with all their hopes.

            “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

John 15: 18-19 "Hated by the World"

            “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why it hates you.”

            God’s ways and the ways of the world are two totally different things. Yet, often times we forget this when we are faced with the alternative of being rejected by the world. We do this –watch movies we normally would not, listen to music we normally would not, even act in a way that is not pleasing to God—to gain acceptance, admiration, and love from this world. In doing so, however, we reject the only person who can truly loves us. All of the people we do these things to impress will eventually pass away. Their love will fail. To be hated by this world is to be loved by the Creator.

Proverbs 1:20-27 "Asking for Wisdom"

            “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: ‘How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts know to you. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all of my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.”

            Wisdom is out there, waiting for us to look for it. Proverbs 2:6 says that, “the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” We are given the opportunity to gain this wisdom and the help that it brings us in making decisions every day, just by asking for it. So many times we reject wisdom, not accepting wisdom when we are rebuked. We allow our own way of thinking to dominate how we live, act, and react to situations we find ourselves in. Instead of choosing to honor the Lord with our actions, we choose to honor ourselves instead. Wisdom is merely a prayer away, waiting for us to ask for it.

James 2:22 "Merely Listening"

            “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

            Listening to and reading the Bible –while a good practice—does nothing if you do not apply its teachings to your life. It can be so easy for us to think that just because we are going through the motions of Christianity we are obeying God to the fullest extent, but true obedience is following God’s commands. If we are reading the Bible but not doing what it says, the act of reading the Bible is useless to us. Doing so only deceives us into thinking we are following Christ. In order to truly learn what the Bible teaches, we must obey its commands.

2 Timothy 2:13 "Faithfulness"

            “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”

            In Second Timothy we are given an amazing promise that even if we are faithless, God will always remain faithful. God’s faithfulness is not conditional. Nothing we can do will keep Him from being faithful, from loving us. He will never fail us. Even if it seems like you cannot trust anyone on this earth, you can always trust in God. The NLT version translates the passage as, “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.” He is always faithful –it is simply who He is.

James 4:11-12, Matthew 7:1, 1 Timothy 2:4 "Judge Not"

            “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you –who are you to judge your neighbor?”

            Most of us are familiar with the verse Matthew 7:1 that says, “Do not judge or you too will be judged,” but how often do we truly stop and recognize that we judge almost every person we come in contact with? The clothes they wear, the car they drive, how they walk, how they talk, whether or not they have tattoos or body piercings –all of these things create an expectation in our minds as to who they are. We purposefully avoid them as we go about our day, even go so far as to voice our conclusions about their character to others, though we do not truly know them. This type of behavior does not pleasing God. 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God, “…wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” We cannot judge others because only God knows our hearts. Our job is to simply show them the love of Christ.

James 2:14-17, Matthew 7:17, 18 & 20 "Faith Without Deeds"

            “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

            “Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit…Thus by their fruit you will recognize them.”

            Good deeds do not get us into heaven. However, if we truly have faith we will demonstrate our faith through our deeds. God’s love fills us up so much that if we truly have faith, it will overflow into every part of our lives. We will be known by our fruit. If we claim to have faith, but that faith is not being reflected in our lives, we are no different than those who do not claim to know the Lord. Faith without action is dead –it accomplishes no purpose.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, John 3:16 "True Love"

            “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

            So much more than the fragile, romantic feeling displayed on television and in movies, true love can be depended upon to be always kind, self-sacrificing, and to keep no record of wrongs, all qualities found in God alone. Love never fails. As the high divorce rates can attest, the media’s portrayal of love just does not cut it in today’s world. We need a better role model than the arguments that end up with screaming and hurt feelings on both sides that have sadly become all too common in homes. That role model can be found in Christ who, though He had committed no sin, died on the cross so that we could have eternal life with Him in heaven. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God loved us so much that He was willing to forget our sins completely, to give us a chance to have a relationship with Him. It is God, not the media, who we should be looking at to find true love, because only He is always kind, self-sacrificing, and keeps no record of wrong.

Colossians 3:15, John 14:27 "True Peace"

            “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

            “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

            We know this life will cause us heartache and we are never promised that it will be easy, but we have strength from the knowledge that God is always in control. When life is tough, oftentimes our tendency is to try to take control of the situation ourselves. When that fails, we begin to worry, instead of putting our faith in God. However, when we fix our eyes on God despite the storm around us, we can have peace. This peace is not the knowledge that by trusting God we will not ever go through hardship again. It is the knowledge that no matter what hardship we face, God is in control. There are so many things in this world that cause us to worry, but Jesus gave us His peace that passes all understanding.

Proverbs 2:1-6 "True Wisdom"

            “My son, if you accept my words, and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

            As a people today, we daily search for wisdom, but all too often we search in the wrong places, and for the wrong type of wisdom. Life here on earth is stressful, plain and simple; therefore, we need wisdom to make it through each day. So, where do we find wisdom? Proverbs 2:6 tells us, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” True wisdom comes from the Lord. All too often, however, we look to earthly things for wisdom, instead of turning to the Lord. That wisdom –that earthly wisdom—will only lead us away from God. In our quest for true wisdom and understanding then, let us look to God for His wisdom, not the world’s.

Romans 12:28, Matthew 22:37-39 "Peace"

            “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

            One of the most important ways we show Christ in our lives is how we treat others. Matthew 22:37-39 says that, “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Here Jesus says that the second greatest commandment we have been given –second only to loving the Lord our God—is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Living at peace with everyone we come in contact with may be an impossible task –it would require every single person in the entire world to work together all the time—but that does not mean we cannot try to, at least as far as it depends on us. It will not be an easy task, but as Christians we have to be the ones willing to take the first step to mending broken relationships, swallow our pride, and work to benefit people other than ourselves.

Psalm 37:4, Deuteronomy 1:32-36 "Desires of Your Heart"

            “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

            Though this verse is short, and, on the surface, seems simple, if we look a little deeper we find it is not simple at all. This verse promises us the desires of our hearts, but first it gives us one condition –we must first delight ourselves in the Lord. So, what does it mean to delight ourselves in the Lord? In Deuteronomy 1:32-36 it says, “In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: ‘Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’” When God led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, He promised them that He would deliver the inhabitants of the land over to them, but they were afraid. Only two of the men –Caleb and Joshua—trusted in the Lord with all of their hearts. They delighted themselves in the Lord, following after Him wholeheartedly. Their lives were so devoted to the Lord that His path became the desire of their hearts.

Matthew 9:10-12, 1 Timothy 1:15-16 "To Save Sinners"

            “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

            “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners –of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.”

            Christ came, not to give those who felt they were righteous their reward, but to show mercy to those who knew they were sinners. He did not come to give pats on the back to those who were following all of His commands, but to save the lost. Whether we know it or not, the lost is every single one of us without Christ. Each of us are the worst of sinners whom Christ has shown His mercy upon. As Christians, we are not set apart by leading perfect lives –only Christ can lead a truly perfect life—but by the love and mercy that reflects in our lives through our growing relationship with Him.

2 Peter 3:10-13 "Until the Day of the Lord"

            “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”

            We may not know when the Lord will return, and we may not know much about the manner of His return besides the sparse details listed in the Bible, but there are two things we do know. One is that because we do not know when the Lord will return, we should strive to grow continually in our walk with Him. Our time on this earth is short, so we must take advantage of the time we have that we might further His kingdom. Secondly, we know and can take strength from the fact that, whatever life throws at us, we have the promise of a new heaven and a new earth to look forward to. God always keeps His promises.

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Reflecting Christ"

            “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

            Every day we come into contact with an uncountable number of people; young, old, rich, poor, those you know well, those you do not, Christians, and non-Christians, all of them scrutinizing our actions. As followers of Christ, we are given the responsibility to be representatives for Him. It is a heavy burden to bear, but the chapter goes on to tell us to, “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” When we fix our eyes on Him, we become more than just representatives –we become reflections of Him.

2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the Word"

            In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage –with great patience and careful instruction.”

            In the verse he makes three main points. First of all, we should be ready to preach the Word at any opportunity we are presented, not just the ones we know about beforehand. To do this we must have a strong knowledge of the Scriptures. Secondly we are to correct and rebuke our fellow believers, but also to encourage. Our goal is not to put them down with our corrections, but to build them up. And thirdly, all of this is to be done with great patience and careful instruction. This is perhaps the hardest point of the three to do. As humans we tend to be more than a little impatient, whether with others or the situations we find ourselves in. It is something to strive daily for.

Psalm 9:19-20 "Victories"

            “Arise, O Lord, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O Lord; let the nations know they are but men.”

            Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in our success that we forget we are just men. We let our victories convince us that we can do all of this on our own. But God is the one in control. He is the one who blesses us so that we may have victory. Without Him, we could do nothing. He is the one who grants us the free gift of grace. So, let us not ever forget who is truly in control. Let us not become so arrogant that we forget to thank the Lord our God.

Nehemiah 1:8-2:5 "Turning"

            “I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city, where my fathers are buried, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’ The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

            Nehemiah knew that the Israelites were human and had done wrong in the eyes of the Lord, but he also knew that if they would turn from their ways, God would show favor to them once more. After much prayer, Nehemiah went before Artaxerxes, King of the Medo-Persian empire to request permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Though he was very afraid, Nehemiah prayed and left everything to God before telling the king his request. He put his faith in God that the Lord would hold to His promises. Soon Nehemiah set off for Jerusalem, knowing that the Lord went with him.

Ecclesiastes 9:17 "Wise Council"

            “The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.”

            When we are making difficult decisions in our lives and we turn to others for advice and counsel, it is much easier to follow the advice that seems good, or sounds like the more enjoyable way to go. Oftentimes however, the voice of the wise is not the most obvious one, or the loudest; but they are the ones that will do us the most good. The easiest way to discern the quiet voice of wise council in the loud shouts of fools is to consult the Bible. Any advice that contradicts the Bible should have no part in our lives. Let the words of the wise shine through.

Colossians 1:11-12, Luke 19:37-40 "Pleasing God: Part 5-Joyfully Giving Thanks"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

            Joyfully giving thanks does not just mean praising God through the good times in our lives or thanking Him for being with us in the tough times. It is having joy in every single moment of every single day because we have a God who is good, faithful, trustworthy, and true. Luke 19:37-40 says, “When He came near the place where the road goes down to the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

            ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’

            ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ ‘I tell you,’ He replied, ‘If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”    If we were silent, even the rocks would cry out God’s glorious name, because God is so wonderful and awesome and mighty, when we see Him, we will not be able to keep from falling on our knees in worship. So, let us not stay silent, for He alone is worthy of all our praise.

Colossians 1:11, Philippians 4:13, Psalm 73:6 "Pleasing God: Part 4-Leaning on God's Strength"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

            “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

            Just take a moment and let that sink in. Think back to all those times you have felt hopeless, knowing there was no way you could finish a task on your own. We cannot do anything worth doing on our own strength –it is only through God’s strength that we can press on toward our goal. It pleases God when we rely on Him! Just like when we see someone who needs help and we desire to help them out –finding joy when we do so—so it pleases God when we fall back on His strength. Psalm 73:6 says that, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” When we let God take control of our lives, we find perfect peace in His strength.

Colossians 1:10, Proverbs 9:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pleasing God:Part 3-Growing in Knowledge of God"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

Growing in the knowledge of God may seem like an almost no-brainer instruction –it does not take a genius to tell you that it is a good idea to spend time getting to know God—but yet we still put it off. We are given God’s Word, the Bible, a whole book written so that we may know Him. Proverbs 9:10 says that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” We can learn so much about the Lord by simply studying the Bible, but we are also told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to, “Pray continually.” When you are good friends with someone, you want to spend time talking with them to learn more about them. Shouldn’t the same idea apply to God?

Colossians 1:10, Luke 6:43-45, John 15:4, Galatians 6:22-23 "Pleasing God:Part 2-Bearing Fruit"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

What does it mean to bear fruit in every good work? What is the fruit we should bear? How do we bear fruit in every good work? Luke 6:45 says, “The good mean brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.” Our actions, no matter how hard we may try to hide our intentions, will always mirror the state of our heart. In John 15:4 Jesus tells us, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” Without Christ living in our hearts, we would not be able to store up good in our hearts, and we could not bear fruit. Luke 6:44 states that, “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.” If we are living in Christ, following after Him with our whole heart, what fruit will we be recognized by? Galatians 6:22-23 says that, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Colossians 1:10-12 "Pleasing God: Part 1"

            “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

            The scriptures lay it out for us, as simple as they can be; bearing fruit in good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened in Him, and joyfully giving thanks brings God pleasure. Each of these things, however, is much more easily said than done. Each requires a desire to follow Him.

1 Corinthians 2:13 "True Wisdom"

"This is what we speak, not in words taught by the Spirit expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words."

None of us will ever be able to figure out this life on our own. The wisdom we need, that is necessary for our daily battle with our sinful nature, cannot be taught by anyone on this earth. Neither can it be understood by anyone on this earth, except through conversations with the Lord our God, by a walk guided by the Holy Spirit. The world can only teach us earthly wisdom, but the Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual wisdom so that we may rely on God's wisdom, no the world's.

Revelation 12:12, Daniel 21-22, Revelation 20:10 "What is this World Coming To?"

            “…[Satan] is filled with fury, because he knows his time is short.”

            “As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came…”

            Most everyone has heard someone ask, usually shaking their head over something awful they have seen or heard about, “What is this world coming to?” While yes, now it may seem that the world is tumbling out of control, the truth is that what the world is coming to is the kingdom of God. It may not be soon, or it may be very soon, but at that time, Satan will be defeated and, “…thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…” No matter how terrible things may seem, we have the knowledge and the promise that the only thing worth mentioning that this world is coming to is to God.

Matthew 13:45 & 46 "Identity in Christ"

            “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

            When we find what we are looking for –Christ—we no longer have a need to search any more, only a need to follow. Like the pearl merchant, there is nothing else that should hold so great a pull on our lives as our pearl of great value –the Kingdom of Heaven—so that we are unwilling to give up all we have to obtain it. It is our greatest treasure, our perfect prize that we are looking for, so why, when we have found it, when we have been promised Heaven when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, do we look for our identity elsewhere? Our entire identity should be found in Christ and in Christ alone.

2 Chronicles 34:3 "Opportunities"

            “…while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.”

            How many times have we missed an amazing opportunity because we put it off until tomorrow, just to find that the opportunity had gone away? How many times have we put off giving Him total control in our lives? Josiah came to rule when he was eight years old. By the eighth year of his reign, or when he was just sixteen years old, he was actively seeking God. During his reign, he ordered the destruction of the alters and high places dedicated to other gods than the One True God, and had the temple restored. We have the ability to do great things through God, but we have to embrace the opportunities when they are presented to us.

Colossians 1:28-29 "Our Goal"

          “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”  

          These two sentences sum up our goal as followers of Christ after we have accepted Him into our lives. We are to be praising His great and holy name, teaching and advising others so that we might be able to stand before God with every single person who has, is, or will live on this earth, all of us redeemed by the gift of salvation. We should be struggling day by day to make this a reality, at the same time remembering that it is only through Christ that we are able to continue this great work.

Isaiah 36:18-20, 37:5-7, & 36-38 "Who Will Protect You"

          This story is such a wonderful testament to the truth and the power of the Lord our God. The Assyrians said it themselves –“Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hands of the king of Assyria?” No other god was able to protect their lands from the Assyrian army because they were not real! Only the One True God was able to keep His people safe. The Lord kept His promise about the death of the Assyrians too –an angel of the Lord put to death one hundred and eighty-five THOUSAND men and when Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians returned to Nineveh, his sons murdered him.

Proverbs 28:22, Matthew 6:19-21 "Treasures"

          “A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.” It is so easy, especially in a culture such as America, to remember that godliness, not wealth or possessions, is what truly matters. When we die, we will not be judged by our wealth and status, but whether or not we were following after the Lord with our whole hearts and treating our fellow human beings with compassion. When we reach eternity, our earthly possessions will mean nothing –they do not come with us. So, do not place too much importance on earthly treasures –instead, “store up for yourselves treasure in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jeremiah 1:4-8 "The Plan"

          God has a plan for us even before we are born. He knows everything we will do before we do it. So why is it that we are scared of the tasks he appoints for us? One very big reason is that Satan also has a plan for our lives, one not pleasing to God. Our sinful nature is warring against God’s plan every single day of our lives. We have to be in constant conversation with God in order to block the attacks of Satan. If you are anything like me, at this point you are probably asking, “Okay, so basically you are saying that we are fighting a losing battle, because I’m just human, right?” Well, that’s exactly the point. By ourselves, we will fail; but everything is possible with God.

Exodus 34: 29-35 "This Little Light of Mine"

            When Moses returned to the Israelites after speaking with God, his face was radiant. That’s right –it glowed. While our faces may not light up after we spend time with God, we are supposed to let Christ’s light shine through us. We are supposed to an example to those around us, whether they are believers or not. The love of God should be radiating from us in everything we do, in every conversation we have. Every part of our lives should be so full of God that it cannot help but attract attention. And truthfully, with the kind of gift we have been given –the gift of eternal life in heaven with God, where there will be no more tears, or pain, or fear—how could we possibly stay silent?

Psalm 33:3-5 "Hardened Hearts"

Every day we commit an uncountable number of sins. Unless our heart is hardened toward our sins, the Holy Spirit will prompt us to acknowledge our sin. Why is it important that our sins be acknowledged and confessed? Did Jesus not die on the cross so that His blood may atone for our sins? He did, and there is no sin that can keep us from God’s free gift of salvation after we have accepted it. However, it is important for us to acknowledge our sins because if we do not accept the fact that what we are doing is wrong, we will continue to live in that sin until our hearts are hardened to it.

Matthew 5:6, Philippians 3:7-11 "Blessed"

            “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” We can never achieve righteousness by ourselves or through anything we can do. However, we are given the amazing promise that, while nothing on earth can be complete until we reach Heaven, when we get there, we will be filled. Until then, it is important, in our hunger and thirst for righteousness, to remember that we should be found in Christ. Any righteousness we receive is not by our works, but it from God and it is faith by which we receive it. All of our gain is as nothing because without God we could do nothing truly worthwhile.

Psalms 101:3a "The Slippery Slope"

            In culture today, it seems like more and more “vile” things are becoming normal –foul language, extreme violence, and sexual immorality. These things are in the media, in our books, television shows, movies, schools, jobs… the list goes on and on, but in each place they are becoming a more normal thing. We are supposed to keep ourselves pure and godly and, in order to do that, we have to watch what we read, see on TV, and hear from others carefully. It is a slippery slope, a gradual thing. You do not just wake up one day and decide to start cursing profusely. We must shield ourselves well so that we do not fall down that slope.

Proverbs 24:17-20 "In His Image"

            Though our sinful human nature may attempt to deceive us into believing that just because we do not come right out and attack those who attack us, the Lord says to take that idea even further.  He tells us not only to, “pray for those who persecute us,” but also that we should, “not gloat when your enemy falls.” God has extended His free gift of salvation to everyone regardless of their background, social status, or faults. We are all created in His image and therefore it is important to treat everyone we come in contact as such, even our enemies, and the ones who persecute us.

Colossians 1:21-22 "Alienation"

            Our sinful nature by its very definition creates a barrier between us and God. God is so holy, so righteous that He cannot look upon our sin. Every single time we sin, we are taking a step further down the wide path that leads to destruction. Our sin alienates us from God, clouding our vision so that soon we can no longer see Him through the fog. But because He loves us, God sent His son, Jesus, to atone for the sin that was keeping us from Him. Jesus is our bridge to God, saving us from the endless cycle of sin we cannot break on our own.

1 Peter 5:7, John 3:16 "A Beautiful Thing"

            “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” Is that not a truly amazing thing? None of us have to worry about what the future may bring or whether or not we will be taken care of because God cares for us. He loves us unconditionally; He cares about what happens to us. Nobody on earth can ever come anywhere close to the love God displayed by sending His son to die on the cross for us. “For God so loved the world…” With someone like that, who we can put our trust in completely, we should not ever have to worry again. God is in control and He cares for you. Isn’t that just a beautiful thing?

Jeremiah 5:49-56 "Vengence is the Lord's"

            The Babylonian Empire was incredibly powerful and strong. Its walls were heavily fortified, its warriors well-trained; but the Lord says He will send an army to destroy Babylon because of Israel’s slain. “For the Lord is a God of retribution; He will repay in full.” In Deuteronomy 32:35 the Lord says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” God will not let evil go unpunished. Thought we may not see the retribution that we may think is well-earned, revenge is the Lord’s, and we can know with certainty that God will always be right beside us. It is not right for us to harbor such thoughts –we are told to, “pray for those who persecute us.”

1 Chronicles 1 "Ancestry"

            Ah yes; the infamous first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles. Many of us have heard of, or have plowed our way through, the first nine chapters full of the strange sounding names of the ancestors of the Jewish people. But while you are wondering how in the world these names were pronounced, just stop for a second and remember. Remember that these are people who God knew even before they were formed in their mother’s womb. Remember that all Scripture is God breathed, so each of those crazy names has a right and a reason to be there. And also remember that, as a child of the Most High God, these are your people too.

1 Samuel 15:1-11 "To the Letter"

            Time and again in the Old Testament we see that when the Lord commands the Israelites to wipe out another nation completely, even down to the livestock, and to take none of the plunder for themselves, it is only very rarely that they obey His commands to the letter. How many times are we also commanded to do something by God that we take all the glory for ourselves and give none of it to God? The Israelites always learned that obedience to God was their key to success the hard way –this king they spared, Agag, was the ancestor of Haman, the royal advisor to King Xerxes, who tried to have the Israelites wiped out. But God stayed faithful and used Esther to deliver His people.

Joel 2:23-27 "Living With Our Eyes Wide Open"

            No matter how hopeless a situation may seem to be while it is happening, God never leaves us. We cry out in our darkest hour, just to find that God has already been preparing a way to bring us out of our pit of despair to see the glorious light of day once again. But, in our newfound prosperity, do we remember to thank him? After the years of drought, do we thank him for the rain? It is so easy for us to forget that we can do nothing without God. He is in control, but sometimes our eyes just are not open wide enough to see that.

            A woman was driving her car, circling around the parking lot looking for a spot, late for an important meeting. She prayed, “Lord, please help me find a spot.” The words were barely out of her mouth before she saw a car pull out of a spot in front of her. “Never mind,” She said, “I found one.”

Luke 13:10-17 "Miracles"

            Imagine for a moment the joy you would feel if someone you had been praying for —for eighteen years—had suddenly and miraculously been healed. You would be rejoicing alongside them, right? So why did the synagogue ruler have a problem rejoicing instead of rebuking Jesus when He freed the woman from the evil spirit that had crippled her for years? The synagogue ruler was so caught up in the rules they were told by God to follow that he missed their point. He could not appreciate the miracle that Jesus preformed because he was so fixated on the actual rules themselves.

Hosea 2:2-7 "Other 'gods'"

            Again and again throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites turn from God and attribute the things God has blessed them with to other “gods” or their own hands.  We can shake our heads and wonder how the Israelites could forget the one true God, but in truth, we are no better than the Israelites. Their Asserah poles are our lives of wealth and possession, their other “gods” our celebrities. And when these earthly things fail us, as they failed the Israelites, we come crawling back to God and the cycle begins again with something else to take the last “idol’s” place. But the one truth that never wavers is that God always accepts us back again.

John 12:1-8, Matthew 6:24 "Radical Faith"

            In an act of worship, Mary pours a pint of expensive perfume, wiping His feet with her hair. She poured perfume worth a whole year’s wages on His feet to humble herself and honor Him, yet not all of the disciples saw it that way. They were shocked at the radicalness of her actions, but the most vocal of all was Judas Iscariot. He protested that she should have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor, but in reality he was hiding behind false words to try to get what he wanted. Judas was a thief, and where the other disciples had merely been shocked, he had been dismayed at the thought of the money HE could have gained should she have given them the money.

Jonah 1 "Running From God"

                The story of Jonah is a familiar one to most people. If you ever attended Sunday School or children’s Bible study, you were probably told about how Jonah was told by God to go and preach repentance to the Ninevites. The end of the story finds all the Ninevites repenting and turning to God even though Jonah tries to run from God’s call on his life. Take a peek at verse 16 though, and you see the Ninevites are not the only ones who find God. Though Jonah tries to run and hide, he finds that it is impossible to run so far that God cannot bring us back again. We don’t have to be perfect –though we should be striving for perfection—to be used by God. He takes us as we are.

John 15:1-8 "No Matter How Small..."

                Every time we go to church, or pick up a Christian magazine or book, we hear about people doing great things for God. People like Paul and Peter, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa –we are constantly comparing what we have done for God to what they have done and coming up short. The truth that we so often forget however, is that it is not what we are doing for God, but what God is doing through us. God doesn’t call all of us to be great leaders and teachers, but whatever it is that is done by God through us advances the kingdom of heaven. No task is too small to bring Him glory when we are doing His will.

Revelation 12:11, Matthew 5:17, 1 Corinthians 15:55, John 1:1, Revelation 1:5, John 21:25 "All He Truly Is"

                We say so many times that Jesus is our Savior and our Lord, but the truth is, while that is important, He should also be so much more than that. He is the Lamb whose blood overcame Satan and covered our sins forever. He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. He is the One who overcame death so that the fear of death, Satan’s greatest weapon, may have no hold over us, no sting. He is the One, the Word, who was with God in the beginning, at the creation of the world. He is the one in power and dominion over this earth, whose power Satan can only try to mimic. John even says that all of the works Jesus did in the three years of His ministry were not written down. Yet, when asked, our reply is that He is our “Savior and Lord”. Do not let the repetition of those words make you forget to remember all He truly is.

Proverbs 7:20-29 "Forget Not Your Parent's Teachings"

                Though this passage speaks about using your parent’s teachings to safeguard you from falling into the sin of sexual immorality, do not dismiss it as just that. Though some of us may not commit this sin in particular, Christ said that to hate someone was to commit murder in your heart. No sin is any more pleasing –or less ugly—than another sin when put before God. God gave us parents and other spiritual mentors to, “Teach us the way we should go, so when we are old we should not turn from it.” Just because you may have left the house, do not just discard what your parents have taught you.

Isaiah 30:1-5 "The Plans of the Lord"

                “Woe…to those who carry out plans that are not mine,” says the Lord. Well then, we are all doomed, right? Every single day we fall into the trap of doing something just because we want to do it. We are sinners and because we are sinners we are selfish and impatient. We want the best for us, but we forget that only God know what is best for us. So, day after day we sin in this way, and because God is completely righteous, this sin creates a barrier between us so that He cannot look at us. But, because He loves us so much, He gives us the Way to be right with Him. Without Christ –the Way, the Truth, and the Life—we would be doomed to a life of sin with no hope of reconciliation.

1 Samuel 12 "God is Love"

                The Israelites begged God for a king to rule over them, someone to take care of them and lead them even though God was supposed to be the one they looked to for these things. Though God showed His faithfulness to the Israelites time and time again, they did not trust Him to be able to take care of them. Yet, not only does God give them a king, but He still says He will continue to take care of them as long as they and their king follow Him. The unfailing love God displays to us is unbelievable. We had done absolutely nothing to deserve it and yet He shows us more love than we could ever fathom. God is truly love.

Philippians 1:12-30 "My Loss is HIS Gain"

                Paul has been imprisoned. He is bound by chains and living under the watchful eye of Roman soldiers, yet he still continues to praise the Lord despite his circumstances. He says in verse twelve that, “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel”. Paul knows that God uses every situation we find ourselves in, and every problem we face, to further the gospel. “To live is Christ and to die is gain”. Christ can and will be glorified in everything situation, however far down the road it may be, even though we may not see how in this lifetime.

Isaiah 38:17-19 "The Power of Prayer"

Hezekiah is a beautiful example of the power of prayer. He was lying at the brink of death, even being told by the prophet Isaiah that he was going to die, yet he cried out to the Lord anyway. For his devotion to the Lord, he was given fifteen more years. Hezekiah does not forget what the Lord had done for him either –he gave thanks not only for his deliverance from death, but also his deliverance from sin. He sings praises to God‘s great love and His great faithfulness. 

Ecclesiastes 2:10&11, Matthew 16:24 "In Light of the Cross"

Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless! is Solomon’s conclusion in the book of Ecclesiastes. While his constant reiteration that the whole world is meaningless may seem a little overdramatic, it is true that on this earth, everything is meaningless when put in the light of the importance of a strong relationship with our Lord. Jesus says we are to deny ourselves and follow him, no matter what that entails, no matter how crazy it makes us look in front of other people. Our job is not to please ourselves or others, but Him alone.

Ezekiel 16 "Our God Given Talents"

God gives us beautiful gifts and talents for us to use for His glory, but so often we use them for our glory, or the glory of someone we put before God (i.e. an idol), or for our own advantage. Just like the Israelites who forgot who gave them their “jewelry made of [His] gold and silver”, we often forget to give God the glory when we are praised for the talents He gave us. We need to constantly fix our eyes on Him and give all glory and honor and power to the one and only God who is worthy of our praise.