SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 4-5 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) The ‘normal’ way of life in this world is immoral, selfish, godless living. As a Jesus follower, I am committed to living ‘abnormally’, like Jesus, like God. Living the Jesus-life ought to make us stand out,…
Category: daily meditations
Spirit extinguisher?
SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 1-3 “Our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5) I am both inspired and discouraged by how Paul describes these new Jesus followers. The transformation was so deep, so profound, everyone was talking about it. I would love to see this…
Carry on with joy!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:49-52 “They shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium.” (Acts 13:51) To shake the dust off one’s feet is the same idea as ‘I wash my hands of it.’ It is to give people the freedom to decline the offer, to reject the message. It should not…
Appointed?
SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:42-48 “Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life…” (Acts 13:46) Some chose to accept Paul’s message, others chose to reject it. If results were up to us, we might take pride in good results, or despair at bad ones. But when all is said and done, the results are…
The freedom of forgiveness
SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:32-41 “Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” (Acts 13:38) Forgiveness is proclaimed, announced, declared. God has forgiven us, without our doing anything to deserve or earn it. We do not need to believe to be forgiven; we are forgiven… believe it! “Through him everyone who believes is set free from every…
Don’t recognize Him?
SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:24-31 “The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus…” (Acts 13:27) God is all around us, we many people do not see Him. He is at work in our lives all the time, yet people don’t realize its Him. “Though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”…
Repeat after me…
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 136 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1) Repeat after me, ‘His love endures forever’. If the message doesn’t sink in the first time, how about 26 times? How He does love us, let us count the ways: 1,2,3… If we really understood how much the Lord…
Our God family!
SCRIPTURE: Philemon 1 “No longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother…” (Philemon 1:16) Jesus changes the way we relate to each other. Our world likes to divide people into categories and statuses. Everyone has their place in the caste system (even if we deny there is one). You will see the…
Spirit-ignited goodness!
SCRIPTURE: Titus 1-3 Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness AND to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:13-14) Saved from sin, saved for goodness… yet some Christians only see the first one. We are not just forgiven, we are…
This is my story!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:13-23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.” (Acts 13:23) Although I am not a Jew, I am closely connected to their story. To become human, God had to choose a specific race and culture. He worked through the everyday stories of Abraham and David to raise…