Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

When you sleep in a pup tent in the Serengeti, the RULES ARE DIFFERENT.   The rules are different because the REALITY is different .  You are PREY when you are there, and there are prowling lions that may or may not SEEK TO DEVOUR YOU .  Knowing this, it changes everything. It is better to know the real rules and be a little terrified than to NOT know the real rules and be a little devoured. That...

There are two big asks today: the first is to cast all our anxiety upon God the second is perhaps more difficult: to know that HE CARES FOR US Don't we all want to be important to someone? to Someone? It is as if He is saying directly to us today: YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO ME. I CARE FOR YOU .  Know today that you are important to God . It makes the first part easier: you, o cared for person, can...

To be a thriving spiritual person you must have two foundational fortresses in your life: SUBMISSION and HUMILITY.  They should be looming largely in your life. They are very similar: They are  directional toward God : under the mighty hand of God They are  directional toward people : the right people occupying the right roles They are  self-imposed : clothe yourself. Humble yourself. They are  be...

We should treasure the pastor/elders among us.  They have a difficult job. They need to remember: It's God's flock , not theirs It's a job of carefulness It is best be entered into by call and not by compulsion It is not a position for $hameful gain God sees and judges the method of ministry. Pastors are not at liberty to domineer in the exercise of the authority rightly given. Plea...

If you have ever called someone "Pastor" or "Shepherd", it is because of this passage of Scripture.  Here, our ELDERS are associated with the image of SHEPHERD. It is a noble task as Jesus refers to Himself as the GOOD Shepherd and the CHIEF Shepherd. Shepherds do two main things: They THINK BIG and LEAD their flock somewhere. They also THINK SMALL about feeding, tending, takin...

The fact of Christianity is that God gives His Spirit to not only indwell His believers, but to BE OF SOME GOOD USE . Here, it CAUSES us to BE AT REST , to be settled and calm.  When? During the testing, the trials and DURING THE FIRE .  We need to be remaining quiet of soul during those times so we can be doing the right thing: Entrusting Entrusting is SETTING my SOUL somewhere; GIVING my soul to...

If you are a believer, you have received a spiritual gift from God.  If it is not a speaking gift, then it is a serving gift. If you don't know what your gift is, start with serving and go from there.  Your area of gifting is the place where you will need Him the most , not the least.  If it is a speaking gift, you will be desperate for His Word s; if serving, you'll be desperate for His...

Love  covers a multitude of sins. Yes, Jesus does that for us, but today, He asks us to do it for each other.  He wants us to BEAR WITH, forgive and like Elsa from FROZEN, LET IT GO. We are surrounded by sinful people. A big part of living well with people in the home, in the church, in the world and in marriage is to cover a sin.  There may be a day coming for exposure, rebuking, righteousness no...

You gotta love a WEAPONIZED Jesus.  Then we get invited to ARM OURSELVES in the same way. The weapon is OUR THINKING. We are to be armed-up in the same way of thinking as Jesus. Why? Well, there is some difficulty ahead, some SUFFERING.  That is when we resist the bad thinking and bad behaviors it is characterized. It won't be easy, that's why it is called suffering.  Temptations resiste...

Can I be brought safely through with Jesus?  The answer is YES.  He reminds us of His sufficiency:  He conquered sin; death; substituted the righteous for the unrighteous; punished disobedient spirits; is over all authority and sits powerfully in heaven patiently waiting for something.  What is it? Your APPEAL. Your ask. Your inquiry.  Hopefully, it will sound something like this: "Dear Jesus...

It is a tall-ask to not be TROUBLED in our TROUBLED WORLD. Being a mini-ambassador of God will likely bring an extra measure of suffering, slander and reviling.  So, you've got that going for you. ;-) Being on God's team brings a SETTLEDNESS to the crazy.  We adorn the hidden person of the heart to be "fearful" of the right God in the right way. Then, the "hidden" per...

What happens when we are NOT delivered from evil and we have some righteous suffering to do?  Well, 1 Peter answers that and says: you get Psalm 34 you get His EYES upon you you get His EARS open to your prayer you get His FACE against the bad guys occasionally you get deliverance OUT OF all your troubles but usually you get His NEARNESS to you being brokenhearted and you get His SAVING you when c...

Yes, I said, I hope you suffe r.  If you are resisting temptations, resisting bad ways of thinking, and bad behaviors, it will be hard. You will suffer . And, I hope you will receive and give great compassion, tenderheartedness, unity, and brotherly love towards all who are suffering too.  In short I hope you love the brotherhood and the brotherhood loves you.  As I like to say, "Love the Knu...

How far do I need to travel to find someone who's SOUL I can influence?  Do I have to become a foreign missionary and travel to another continent? Nope.  You probably just have to go to your breakfast table.  There you will find another SOUL upon which you, by your behavior and posture of your heart, can even WIN.  Who knew that breakfast could be such an important meal? What we do "in t...

There is a prophesy from 600BC that gets ½ of the story of the cross 100% right.  Isaiah 53 perfectly describes the horrors of the cross and the scattering of the followers of Jesus.  But, this is not the end of the story. 1 Peter 2:25 completes the account.  We now have the full story including the suffering, the death and the ressurection .  The scattered sheep are not the END OF THE STORY.  The...

How exactly do I respond when I find myself suffering?  Specifically, suffering I think I did not deserve,  unjust suffering. We have an example in Jesus.  First He practiced  oral restraint by not reviling in return or threatening.  What He did was to ENTRUST. He ENTRUSTED to the One who judges justly. He committed Himself; handed Himself over to the Father. We too will face suffering.  We have a...

Suffering is the unique, distinguishing characteristic of Jesus.  So, it should not be a total surprise that His followers are called to do suffering well. We are summoned by name, by a Sovereign God, acting in sovereignty to suffering.  He does not leave us alone there.  We are seen in suffering. It is all done in His purview.   To help us, unjust suffering has already been done WELL.  Jesus gave...

Know this if you SUFFER: Suffering is an invitation Suffering is an invitation for YOU to INVITE GOD to your suffering Suffering can DO SOMETHING for you Suffering will NEVER WORK if you are not MINDFUL OF GOD If you are suffering , please listen.  You will catch a glimpse of what suffering can do for you .  And come back tomorrow at bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com and Spotify.  There is more...

Today we are going to march up the mountain of UNJUST SUFFERING.  What should be my response INTERIORLY first, and then EXTERNALLY towards UNJUST SUFFERING. We do not get a free pass even if those around us are doing this wrong.  Just because another near you is wrong, or even evil, does not give you a "pass" to be evil in response.  Stay with me as we venture into "the nuclear powe...

Submission is not easy.  It  should  be easier in certain relationships that are defined by LOVE. Wives to husbands and children to their parents come to mind.  But what about submission to government? Bad government? What if my government is non-democratically elected, no term-limits, no checks and balances, no legislature, no opposing party, no term limits, frequently violent and unjust? How can...

Christians need to WATCH THEIR CONDUCT because they aren't the only ones watching .  In other words, they should be REPUTATIONALLY AWARE. They should be witnessing with EFFECT. They will be misunderstood at least initially, but their beautiful behaviors eventually result in baby believers. And we are at war. Passions of the flesh is the battleground.  We seem to say that it is OK to borrow th...

What might it mean for us to REALLY UNDERSTAND how God feels about us? Who exactly are we in His eyes?  Peter tells us. Join me today as we consider what it is like to be a people of His POSSESSION. He keeps us safe, He preserves us, He gains us. And though that is the real heavy spiritual lifting, we have a part: we permit it. We allow it.  Our true identity is a people for His own possession.  C...

Here are 7 spiritual steps described in 1 Peter: STUMBLING. Jesus first gets your attention. OFFENSE. Jesus stands against evil, unholiness, and rebellion. Basically this describes  you.  Sorry about that. Jesus offers SALVATION by offense. You might battle Him here. BELIEF. This one is up to you. You'll need help. He offers help. BROKEN to pieces. It's OK, He's making you  useful....

Today we'll go to the newborn infant for wisdom. We will learn about the DESPERATE, non-SUBSTITUTABLE, INTIMATE CRAVING for milk. We'll assess our commitment to this provision in frequency and in purpose.  Is this really our SINGULAR DESIRE?  Learn with me from a 1 week old.  To grow even more, subscribe at bewithme.us or write at bewithme.us@gmail.com. Apple Podcasts.

What if the Good News has a purpose that is all about YOU? Isn't this music to our spiritual ears?  Somehow in His big redemption plan, YOU are center of it all. He comes with power, permanence and purpose. He asks of us if we wish to be a part of it.  Essentially, He asks what team we wish to be on. But don't delay.  All we have is today.  Life is precious...and brief.  The grass wither...