Month: February 2025

Ecclesiastes 12:11 (NLT) “The words of the wise are like cattle prods – painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.” Cattle prods are often used when driving animals from one place to another, and while they aren’t deadly, they are painful. Words of a wise person, or God’s words can be like that for us – painful but in our best interest especially when we are traveling the wrong path. We are sinful by nature and have a tendency to try and hide our sin from others and from God. But God knows everything, He sees deep into our very souls, and we are unable to hide anything from Him. That’s why sometimes when we read His word it may feel as if it is cutting deep into our hearts. We may know that we’ve done wrong but we’re trying to avoid detection, trying to hide, to remain out of sight. God’s word should motivate us into doing what is right, not what is right in our eyes or man’s eyes, but what is right in God’s eyes. There is not only wisdom in His words but great power, power we can use to fight when facing the enemy. His word will help us to stand firm, to stay alert and to find courage in difficult times. But it can only do these things if we are willing to invest time and energy in consuming His word. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote “Because I am a Christian therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God’s Word in Holy Scripture is a lost day for me. I can only move forward with certainty upon firm ground of the Word of God. And, as a Christian, I learn to know the Holy Scriptures in no other way than by hearing the Word preached and by prayerful meditation.” Bonhoeffer knew the importance of daily spiritual growth, so much so that a day without God’s word would be considered a day lost. We know how difficult it is when we lose a day of work and have bills to pay, but losing a day of God’s word is like losing a day of life! Think about that, if your life depended on you not just reading or hearing God’s word every day but on “penetrating more deeply into the knowledge of God’s Word” would you do it? Would you do it to add extra days to your life? Of course you would. While it may not add days to our life here on earth, it will give us a better, more peaceful and joyful life. There is great power in God’s word and when we learn to apply His words to our life it gives us the power to overcome that which would otherwise overtake us. Fighting spiritual battles is impossible without the word of God, His words are our weapons, our shield, our firm foundation that provides stable footing as we stand and fight. Jeremiah 23:29 “Does not my word burn like fire? says the Lord. Is it not a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?”

James 1:6 (NLT) “…a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” It has been my experience that as we get older, we begin to think more about our mortality. Even those who don’t consider themselves Christians begin to contemplate if there is a possibility of eternal life, is this all there is or does life go on. And even those who believed that Jesus is the son of God but didn’t want to make that commitment will suddenly find themselves eager to accept and develop a deeper understanding of the Bible. But ask yourself this: why do we wait, why do we put off devoting our lives to God, is our loyalty divided? None of us knows the hour or day we will die, so why do we act as if we have all the time in the world? Are we afraid of what family or friends will think, do we use the excuse of being too busy to do it “right”, are we afraid we are going to miss out on something the world has to offer? Maybe we need to think about the fact that we might miss out on what God has to offer. Sadly, I’ve known people who died at a young age from drug overdose, car accidents and even terminal illness, many had never accepted Christ. It breaks my heart to think I will not see them again, but like most of us they were too busy enjoying life. Now I’m not saying we shouldn’t have fun and enjoy life; I don’t think God would have created so many things that are pleasing to our senses if He didn’t want us to enjoy life. But there needs to be balance and we need to get our priorities right. Even as Christians we may have divided loyalties if we are trying to be like the world and yet profess to be devoted to Christ. Sometimes those who grew up in the church (and even those who came to Christ later in life) feel like they have missed out on “having fun” and try to have what they think is the best of both worlds. Like the quoted verse says, they are like an unsettled wave of the sea that is tossed by the wind. Often times it is their faith that suffers as they begin to fall deeper into the trappings of the world, they never truly matured in their faith. Those around them may see the signs and even attempt to help them back on the straight and narrow path, unfortunately they may have been blinded by the bright lights of the world. God knows when we are trying to be part of both worlds, we can lie to ourselves and others but not to God, He knows everything, including when our loyalty is divided. Sometimes it is important to stop and take a good long look at our lives, are we living as if we are part of the world or are we simply living in the world and truly belong to God? There is a difference, we are on this earth and cannot separate ourselves from the world, we can’t go to another planet to live, but just because we are part of the world, we do not have to be a part of the world. Our actions, our behavior, our words can set us apart from the world and indicate if our loyalty truly lies with God. If we are less self-centered and more God centered, we understand that life is short and living for His glory is more fulfilling than anything this world has to offer. Maybe that is why we tend to look more closely at the question of eternal life when we get older, we know that our time is short and preparing for the future becomes more urgent. But young or old, we do not know the hour or day of our death, so it is important to put things into perspective, set our priorities so they in agreement with God’s kingdom. Things of the world are only temporary, but our faith endures and remains with us even in the life to come. In Philippians 1:21 Paul said to die is gain, Christ meant everything to Paul just as He should mean everything to us. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

John 3:16-17 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16 is the most widely known, famous, popular (whichever way you wish to say it) verse in the Bible. We know it by heart and even those who don’t read the Bible are familiar with it. But do you make that verse personal? Have you ever stopped to think about those words, I mean really think about them and how they affect you? Sometimes we read something without stopping to think about what we’ve read and how it applies to us on a personal level. I admit I’m guilt of doing that. So, let’s try this a little differently, let’s change the wording a little to help us really consider what this means for us. Instead of reading it as written above, try looking at it in the following context: “For God loved me so much that He gave His one and only Son so that I could have eternal life because I believe in Him. He came not to judge me but to save me. He died for me!” Tell yourself that over and over again – He died for me. Now let’s take this to another level. Close your eyes, well don’t close them yet, wait until you’ve read the next few sentences. Close your eyes and picture Jesus on the cross, you’re standing in front of Him, looking up at Him. Jesus makes eye contact with you, looking straight at you He says “I love you; you are My child. Because I love you so much, I’m willing to die for you. I’m willing to take on everything wrong that you have ever done, every bad and mean thought you have ever had, every angry or hateful word you have ever spoken, I have taken on every sin that you have committed – past, present and future. I’m paying your debt, so you won’t have to endure death upon the cross.” Now close your eyes and picture that. Feel the love in His voice, understand what He has done for you, place that image deep into the recesses of your mind and your heart. And every time you think about doing something you know you shouldn’t, every time you think about saying something you shouldn’t, every time a thought comes into your head that shouldn’t be there – remember that picture and hear His words “I love you”. Remember the power and strength that comes from knowing Him. If there ever comes a time in your life when you feel you have lost everything, when you are feeling overwhelmed and devastated by life’s events, when you are just not sure how you will get through something and move forward – just think of Him on that cross, looking at you and saying “I love you; you are My child.” He will give you the strength you need to get through anything and to move forward, just listen to His voice and feel the comfort of His arms surrounding you with His love. Let’s start looking at God’s word in a personal way, applying it in our lives. Read His word and remember He is speaking to you. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.