To be honored Hebrews 13:5, 1 John 3:24

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) 5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 1 John 3:24 (NLT) 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the […]

A simple statement. A simple fact.

1 Kings 8:27 27. “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! John 8:12 (NLT) 12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have […]

Smoke and Mirrors John 15:16

John 15:16 (NLT) 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. Matthew 6:24 (ESV) 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, […]

Thbbft Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 17. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18. But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is […]

Sorry secular humanists…. Matthew 12:43-50

Matthew 12:43-45 (MSG) 43-45 “When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then […]

Choices matter John 11:25-26 Revelation 22:20

John 11:25-26 (NIV) 25. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26. and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Revelation 22:20 (NIV) 20. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I […]

We need more gold. Joshua 1:7-9 Colossians 4:1 Matthew 7:12

Joshua 1:7-9 (ESV) 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may act wisely wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart […]

Rebelling against boundaries Proverbs 15-29 Romans 8:15

Hebrews 3:12-15 (ESV) 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For […]

Flourish! Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. That makes a lot of sense – if we want to draw near to God, we need to believe that he exists. […]

Stupid Pharisee! 1 John 2:17 Luke 11:40-41

1 John 2:17 (ESV) 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Luke 11:40-41 (MSG) 37-41 When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table. The Pharisee was shocked and […]

Who are your stangers – 2? Daniel 4:34 Luke 14:12-14 1 John 4:19

Daniel 4:34 (ESV) 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. Luke 14:12-14 (MSG) […]

Chasing wind Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 Matthew 26:39

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (ESV) 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had […]

Three tough men Psalm 121:5 Luke 5:8-11

Psalm 121:5 (NLT) 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. Luke 5:8-11 (MSG) 8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch […]

Scum Matthew 9:9-13 John 15:12-17

Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV) 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his […]

Broken Leviticus 26:19

Leviticus 26:19 (NIV) 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. I love the definitive word of God – I WILL BREAK YOU!!!!!!!!!! Helloooooooooo? Anyone home? He tells us – I will break you. I truly resemble the stubborn pride […]

How to decline an invitation Matthew 22:1-14 Luke 23:34-35

Matthew 22:1-14 (NIV) The Parable of the Wedding Banquet 1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but […]

Freedom… John 8:31-44

John 8:31-44 (ESV) “31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Today, we want freedom of/from everything. It’s our right. We want freedom from fear (safety), freedom […]

And the like Galatians 5:14-23

Galatians 5:14-23 (NIV) 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the […]

The anti-Elite Isaiah 53:7-9 Matthew 11:25-30

Isaiah 53:7-9 (MSG) 7-9 He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought […]

Matthew 13:1-9 John 21:25 Mark 11:25 Help I’ve fallen and I can get up!

Matthew 13:1-9 (ESV) The Parable of the Sower 13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things […]

Isaiah 28:11-12 John 14:10-11 The Bridges of Western Ave.

Isaiah 28:11-12 (ESV) “11 For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people, 12 to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear.” John 14:10-14 (ESV) “10 Do you not believe that I […]

John 13:12-17 Glacier or Earthquake?

John 13:12-17 (ESV) “12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and […]

John 12:25-26 Colossians 3:13 Hating life to really live???

John 12:25-26 (NIV) “25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Colossians 3:13 (NLT) […]

Deuteronomy 8:3 Matthew 6:33 You can’t always get what you want, but…

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV) “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Matthew […]

Psalms 140:12-13 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Ever get that feeling?

Psalms 140:12-13 “12 I know that you, God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the rights of the poor. “13 And I know that the righteous personally thank you, that good people are secure in your presence.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at […]

Proverbs 4:20 I LOVE being a father.

Proverbs 4:20-27 “20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for […]

Matthew 6:7-8 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 Sometimes the answer is just NO

Matthew 6:7-8 7 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ”1 Corinthians 12:7-10 “7…Therefore, in order to keep me from […]

1 John 1:9-10 Galatians 5:22-23 Come home to the good life

1 John 1:9-10 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is […]

Matthew 5:17-19 Where is the love?

Matthew 5:17-19 “17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear […]

Psalms 9:9, Mark 10:28-31 My spending habits show the truth…

Psalms 9:9 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Mark 10:28-31 “28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother […]

Psalms 32-9-10 Even a mule figures it out eventually.

Psalms 32:9-10 “9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by the bit and bridle or they will not come back to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” Mules and […]

Romans 12:9 – 10 A sticky wicket

Romans 12:9 – 10 NIV “9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Here we have the hate word again. Man, God sure makes it hard to love Him when He keeps on hating. I think […]

James 1-19-21 What does your garden grow?

James 1:19-21 “19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly […]

Ephesians 4-31 – 5-2 Showing real tolerance

Ephesians 4:31 – 5:2 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way […]

Proverbs 10-12 Psalms 42:11 Love covers all sin.

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strifes: but love covers all sins. Psalms 42:11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Love covers all sin. Hatred stirs up strife. Ummm, what kind of a world do […]

Turn on the lights the party’s just beginning. Matthew 5:16 John 1:5 John 8:12

Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. John 1:5 – And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 8:12 – Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, I am the light of […]

Joshua 22-5 John 8:32 Wait, don’t hang up!

Joshua 22:5 “5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all […]

Luke 1:28 Visitors

Luke 1:28 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Sometimes we have a portending that things are going to get interesting in our lives. I imagined it’s nothing like what Mary was facing though. Imagine, an angel shows up at your front door […]

Isaiah 40:3 God don’t need no stinkin’ runway.

Isaiah 40:3 “3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord ; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” I used to think this was pointing to God being an alien and that when his ship landed, well it’d need a runway. Hmm, a spaceship traveling […]

Psalms 29-1 – 2 I need an ascribtion to cure what ails me.

Psalms 29:1 – 2 1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Ascribe isn’t a commonly used word any more. It means to to credit to, or to attribute […]

Psalms 94:19 Letting in a little Sonlight into our lives

Psalms 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” At the jail last night one of the guys in the room said he just loved sticking a needle in his arm. Another guy talked about what brought him “joy” and it wasn’t about living in God’s word. Came home to an […]

2 Corinthians 6-14 Romans 8:38-39 Heard a good yoke joke lately?

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Romans 8:38 – 39 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 […]

Proverbs 15-16 Isaiah 33:22 Who is this guy?

Proverbs 15:16 “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.” Isaiah 33:22 “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.” The Lord sets the rules and is our judge. It’s better to live in […]

Psalms 34-8 Luke 7:23 Tripping on Jesus

Psalms 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Luke 7:23 “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Stumble on account of Jesus? What a tumultuous time it must have been. John is telling people ‘wait for the Christ to come’, […]

Lamentations 3-25-26 Psalm 62-7 Waiting patiently for a rock to move.

Lamentations 3:25-26 “25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Psalms 62:7 “My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” “Wait! Stop! Dad – […]

1 Peter 4-8 Love is a powerful change agent.

1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” So, I guess if I can’t stop sinning, just love and everything’ll be alright. OK, cool. Whoa Nellie, slow down! Let’s ponder this for a while cowboy. As you know, there are two types of love – self […]

Daniel 4-37 Hebrews 12:14 Live humbly, in peace

Daniel 4:37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Hebrews 12:14 “14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness […]

Proverbs 11:9 Hebrews 4:12 what would you choose – bile or spring water?

Proverbs 11:9 “With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.” because Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” I could […]

Jonah 2:8 Galatians 5:6 Idols, law, and a big fish.

Jonah 2:8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.” Galatians 5:6 “6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Love as an action, as a thing expressed, worthy of God, worthy of being. Love […]

Proverbs 21:3 To do or not to do?

Proverbs 21:3 “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” This is pretty clear. To do the right thing and be just is what God is looking for. He’s not concerned that you tithe 10% because that’s what you’re supposed to do, or “that’s what we do” because […]

Jeremiah 29:11 Endearing pain ensuring joy

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” There are times when I just don’t get God and what he’s doing. I don’t understand the physical pain in my life (arthritic ankles), […]

Philippians 3:13-14 Run for your life!

Philippians 3:13-14 “13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Straining […]

Hebrews 13:5-6 Why we are all like Linus Van Pelt

Hebrews 13:5-6 “5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”” What’s […]

Psalms 105:4 Hide or Seek

Psalms 105:4 “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” Seek his face. Different translations use Yahweh (I Am) or Jehovah (The Lord Who Provides – from Bible.org). Seek the Lord, the Creator, The Provider. Seek Him for his strength. Dang, that’s a whole lot more strength than I can muster up […]

Romans 8:6-8 Mind control

Romans 8:6-8 “6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” We’d like to think that we control […]

1 Thessalonians 5:15 And then Christ just turned everything rightside up

1 Thessalonians 5:15 “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” Soooo, no more “an eye for an eye”? What about my honor? Wait, is honor being humble before the Lord? This gets complicated in a hurry because it turned everything […]

Luke 5:27-28 Follow me

Luke 5:27-28 “27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. 28 “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” Follow me. Jesus just walked up to the most reviled, detested, dishonest, crooked, cheatingest person in […]

Proverbs 21:2 When our thoughts aren’t God’s thoughts, and God keeps loving us.

Proverbs 21:2 “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.” Ever get that feeling that what you’re doing just isn’t right? That’s God’s weight. On your heart. But you keep on doing it because…. That can lead to “non-belief”. I know from experience. I found the “pleasures” of sin […]

Isaiah 26:8 – An unnatural condition

Isaiah 26:8 “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” These things are true: Isaiah 26:1 “…God make salvation its walls and ramparts” v3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose mind are steadfast, because they trust in you.” […]

John 19:30

Overcoming obstacles John 19:30 “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 20:19 “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came […]

Psalm 91:14

What ever happened to Barabbas? Psalms 91:14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” Christ was protected by God, Barabbas wasn’t. Yet look what happened? Barabbas was set free, Christ was violently flogged, mocked, then he died slowly, painfully, as his lungs […]

1 John 2:28

What do you do when a celebrity knocks at your door? 1 John 2:28 “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” If Jesus came knocking at your door, what would you say or do? “Um, wait right here Jesus […]

Proverbs 25:28

Anger, fury, rage: open wide and say “attack me, I have no peace”. Proverbs 25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. The self leads us to all sorts of bad things – self will, self centered being the main ones, but self important, self righteous, follow closely […]

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Why hearses don’t have U-Hauls and significance during your life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 “17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 […]

1 John 4:20-21

Love is Christian, hate is not. 1 John 4:20-21 20Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, who may have not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God […]

Psalms 90:12

When justice looks bleak. Psalms 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Oh, how we dislike discipline, justice. Yeah, we’ll accept it, but not with a grateful heart. It’s usually with a stiff neck and prideful protestations. So what do we do with a God who is […]

Proverbs 29:23

Pride is like ear wax. Proverbs 29:23 “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.” Ear wax, if not cleaned, will clog your hearing canal so it becomes hard to hear. If it goes on long enough without being cleaned, it’ll effect your balance too. I had my ears abraded once. […]