Sat // Build :: Kingdom
Title: Included in his kingdom But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33 Jesus often spoke about the kingdom of God during his ministry and continued to talk about it after his resurrection. He suffered, died, and rose from death so […]
Mon // Surrender :: Pride
Title: The Helper Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. – Proverbs 16:18 Sin is a state of being, a disease – and one of its nastiest symptoms is pride. Lucifer was cast down to the earth because of pride – self-sufficiency that placed his allegiance on himself rather than God. [Isaiah […]
Mon // Surrender :: Idols
Title: Gold statues Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. – Jonah 2:8 “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.” Are we just talking gold statues and ornate shrines here? Is this relevant today? Any […]
Sat // Build :: Encouragement
Title: Courage to encourage Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” – Hebrews 3:13a A consistent message from heaven is, “don’t be afraid.” Angels spoke it, and Jesus spoke it. In the first chapter of Joshua, God told Joshua multiple times to “take courage.” It often takes courage to encourage someone. […]
Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Turn away So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Later in this chapter, the “desires of the flesh” are described, and first on the list: Sexual immorality. We have daily opportunities to choose to walk by the Spirit and turn away […]
Thu // Warrior :: Engage
Title: Our war For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12 We may carry the metaphor of “the sword of the spirit” too far, envisioning ourselves […]
Tue // Fuel :: Listen
Title: Rest He says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. – Psalm 46:10aTo actively listen, we have to stop talking, and usually stop what we are doing. God tells us to “be still” because he knows that’s often not […]
Sat // Build :: Encouragement
Title: Encouragement takes courage to give Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” – Hebrews 3:13a Encouragement takes courage to give. For some people, it comes more naturally than others, but it always requires that you offer something to someone else – and you have to risk that your words will be shunned or ignored. This week, […]
Sun // Sacrifice :: Worship
Title: My broken life Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. – Romans 12:1b Our word “worship” comes from an Old English word that can be roughly translated “worth-ship.” What do my actions in this body (physical, mental, and emotional) show where or to whom […]
Sun // Sacrifice :: Exalt
Title: Real Men exalt God Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. – Psalm 99:5 “Exalt” is not part of my conversational vocabulary. I looked at synonyms and got “elevate” and “glorify.” Not much help. How do we “exalt the Lord our God” in a way that feels natural and […]