What does new look like? 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” What’s new? New new is fresh out of the box, undamaged, still got tags/smell that says “I’m new!, Hear me roar!”  Well, it might not say all that, […]

Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” Ever run into someone who just plain has verbal diarrhea? Are you impressed with their character? Intelligence? Wisdom? I have, know some, wonder when they are going to breath. They have the emotional depth of a puddle. […]

John 3:18 “18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” This is one of those verses that cause us to lose friends and family. Christ claims of exclusivity as the only way to […]

James 3:2 “3 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” Sometimes I wonder what part of the brain my tongue is tied to. I know I don’t understand life or God perfectly, yet […]

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold […]

Isaiah 41:10 “10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The paraphrase in The Message reads “Don’t panic, I’m with you. There no need for fear for I […]

Hebrews 3:1-6 “1Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the […]

Isaiah 52:7 “7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” “How beautiful the mountains” – Oh, glorious heights, the majestic mountains strong, beautiful, untamed, dangerous, “the feet of him who brings […]

Philippians 2:14-16 “14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life–in order that I may boast on the day […]

Matthew 6:19-21 “19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 21 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 22 For where your treasure is, […]

Leviticus 20:7-8 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy. God is unwavering in His “if you’re not for me, you’re against me” position. If you think about the nature of God, he has no choice. He’s […]

Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. It’s what God does with us. Those who are opposed to Him and those who worship Him […]

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. NIV There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Are what you’re doing and saying helping God or hurting His message? Heck, am I being […]

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. We rejoice in our sufferings. That’s weird. It’s […]

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Here’s a difference to think about. Jesus knew no sin. How freaky is that? How extra-ordinary? How unlike us, utterly unlike […]

“11 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. 12 Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and […]

“4​ 1 My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. 2 Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith […]

“9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven 11 and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the […]

“7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. 8 It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who […]

23 Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. The God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (The MSG) Work for sin? Huh? Most folks folks would never want to work for sin, much less work hard for it – I mean it’s wrong, right? That […]

11 “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” Herein lies the problem: what is sin? Moral relativism has made significant inroads in western culture where morals are relative. This argument falls flat in its face if any pressure is applied […]

“2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the […]

“27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my […]

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who […]

1 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. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for […]

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Fear, worry, doubt are all caustic results of a life apart from God. It’s not how He wants us to live, […]

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. From Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary “[The gospel] is not a system of notions, but a rule of practice.” “The gospel is given, not only to be known and believed, but to be obeyed.” From The Message “The point is, before you trust, […]

22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Pretty obvious wisdom, but why does it say joyful heart, but crushed spirit? Does it come from what our source of joy is? When I write these in the morning I try to stay away from the sports scores, the news, […]

Romans 8:32 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? God sacrificed his son for our salvation. Think about it. He loves us in such a way that He paid a price no parent would […]

15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And in his name – by faith in his name – has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health […]

36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” The key word isn’t word, it’s account. We will give an accounting for every […]

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This life is challenging. The […]

31 He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. 32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. There are two choices: listen to those who are calling out behavior, or find those who only agree with you. The problem with finding people who only […]

1 It is for freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. To many, the boundaries of Christianity seem like a yoke of slavery, yet to those who know, it is a yoke of freedom, perfection, and peace. Any good parent […]

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. He sends us the Holy Spirit to guide us, to finish in us what we learn from the Word, to lead us through the transformation process that completes on our final day. After it is all said and done, He will come for […]

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in […]

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? What does the LORD require of you? Require the verse says. To do justice. How the Lord wants us to fight for what […]