Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Let's not fall into the shadows of weak-thinking, mis-worshiping, and valuing the wrong things.  This will result in the APPEARANCE of wisdom, but is of no real value. So how do I really grow? Our job is to stick to the real Head, Christ; stick to His body, the church; stick to His communication the Word; and stick to the character He values.  This is how we head towards real wisdom and real...

We have a very long list of our sins that we are personally responsible for...UNLESS... Unless He CANCELS it. Unless He FORGIVES it. Unless He OBLITERATES it. Unless He NAILS it. Unless He SETS IT ASIDE. Listen 7 minutes to some very very very good news about God setting aside a list that was counted against us.  There may be another list tomorrow.  You may not want to miss it, so go to bewithme.u...

Walking with Jesus is dangerous.  It is a good thing that He has made some provisions.  The first is that He's consistent.  The rules don't change mid-game. The second is that He's SUFFICIENT.  No one will ever say, "Oh, I wish Jesus just had more horsepower; more ability." Nope. He is able to meet the real need that you have. The third is He is NEAR. We are filled with Hi...

Paul battles for the hearts and hands and heads of a people he's never going to meet.  His goal is for their Christian maturity. That is, he wants  them to be ready and able for battle.  He wants them to have the disposition of and effective army.   He wants them to be mature. Why? Because they are going to need it to be on guard and to be on task. Listen 7 minutes of encouragement of your he...

Christ CHOOSES to come down TO US . We call Him Immanuel.  God with us. Mind blown. Christ CHOOSES to come down FOR US. We call Him suffering servant. Lamb. Sacrifice. Mind blown. Christ CHOOSES to come down IN US. We call Him indwelling. His HOME is here inside believers. Mind blown. This used to be a " mystery" . (Something we'd never understand without His help. Knute Larson). Bu...

So Jesus begins everything in creation ; He holds it all together and He even begins the resurrection parade. But rather than giving homage we are HOSTILE Rather than extolling we act like ENEMIES Rather than honoring we HATE and rather than reverencing we REBEL So after all that, He does one more thing: He RECONCILES . Let's try for once to be a little appreciative.   Sign up at Bewithme.us...

Jesus was there AT THE BEGINNING Jesus gave all things their BEGINNING After the beginning, He HOLDS ALL THINGS together He begins what comes next. He starts the resurrection parade. He surely has the preeminence.  Does he have the preeminence WITH ME? Listen 7 minutes to find out. Bewithme.us or Spotify or Any Podcast provider such as Apple or Google or Audible.

In a way (almost. see John 1:3)unique to the whole of the chronologically read New Testament, Jesus reveals Himself as CREATOR in today's passage. After all we know about Jesus as Savior, death defeater, and sin stomper, now He tells us, "Oh, BTW,  I MADE THAT."  In fact, I made everything. Even the matter that is used to make things. I made it all. If you are going to the birth of...

Who do you know that is  in the struggle? A: Everybody How can you  struggle FOR those who are IN the struggle? A: In prayer What can I pray for them? A: their  maturing process , no matter what stage it is in. Timothy and Paul have never met the Colossians.  But they know Epaphras, who is from Colossae, and they JOIN HIM as he  STRUGGLES FOR his brothers back home. They pray for maturity in thoug...

The first gem that we find as we start our journey in Colossians is a guy named Epaphras . He's a believer and founded the church in Colossae. Yet, as we find him at this time, he's 1000 miles away from home, with Paul, in prison . He is described as  struggling on YOUR behalf in prayer. As if he doesn't have enough struggles under Roman arrest. Here he is, still ministering and try...

There is a BARRED OWL hooting and conflicting with a Crow at the 3:00 mark today. Listen for it.  Philippians is a book about setting our mind in a certain way: like Christ's; in unity; and in a way that aids conflict resolution. It is the mind, not circumstances that drive the fixed, unwavering, manned-up Christian walk.  It is a book of resolve that is initiated with humility, dependence an...

Philippians chapter 1 is a charge to man-up ; don't give-up but get-up; be of full courage, hold-on, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder; to bear with great difficulties; and to cooperate in bringing this maturing process to completion.  Even writing this is exhausting and overwhelming. How in the world are we to do this?  Well, only PART of it is from this world.  He suggests we have the mind of C...

Could it be that the only places in the entire universe that don't recognize the GLORY of GOD are the acres occupied by PEOPLE? Creation has no problem glorifying God. Springtime yields to glory. Giraffes easily declare glory.  Who sometimes has a problem being of the opinion that God is glorious? It is people.  Let's let our mind be occupied by the recognition and declaration of God&apo...

Paul disabuses the Philippians about the so-called "prosperity-gospel" because it is too IMPOVERISHED.  It is condemned not for what it "offers", but because of what it NEGLECTS. Paul certainly wants givers to have the "fruit that increases to their credit." It includes: the PERSON of God the PLEASURE of God the PARTICIPATION in the ministry of God the PEOPLE that are...

Paul is telling a secret today.  He'll let us in on WHAT IS DRIVING THE BUS of his life. The choices are his EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES vs. his INTERNAL MIND.  He votes for "mind control" rather than being buffeted about by the winds of circumstances. This is doable. It is learnable. It is knowable. It is a "secret" meant to be discovered (now you know ;-)) and then applied to...

Paul fights anxiety by prayer and right thinking.  Philippians is a book about setting your mind correctly.  It is about how and what to think. Today is a big list of right-thinking topics. Whatever is: true honorable just pure lovely commendable excellent praiseworthy Join me for 7 minutes and we will take a crack at what this means for the inside of our heads. bewithme.us and bewithme.us@gmail.c...

Why is it that you never hear someone say, " I suffer from prayerfulness and gratitude" but often hear, " I suffer from anxiety ?" Anxiety is not supposed to be the END of the conversation . It is supposed to be the BEGINNING of the conversation with God. Direction: get this right. It is TOWARD GOD Desperation: get this right. It is prayer WITH DESPERATION.ie: supplication Disp...

Are you a Christian GROUCH, unreasonable and ANXIOUS? If so you have probably forgotten an essential truth in our passage today: the Lord is NEAR. Paul calls for double joy, which is a settled spirit in the Lord despite crazy circumstances. The Lord is near. Know this in your head. He calls for an external persona that is reasonable , which is kind, gentle and ready to forgive.  He calls for YOU t...

Do you have CONFLICT with people in the church? Good! It means you are normal.  It means you are in fellowship. But, we have to handle it correctly. Philippians is a book about setting our minds correctly in many things, and here we see it in  the topic of human conflict. Watch us resolve normal conflict between normal humans in the church by setting our minds toward the Lord in a certain way. Bei...

Today, you will hear the BEST THING ABOUT YOUR BODY that you probably have never thought of: Your body is transformable.   By Jesus' power, citizens of heaven will have their failed, decayed bodies TRANSFORMED to be like God's glorious body .  So this will be fit to function in a new heavenly world. You will also hear the BEST THING about your residence . Every single person that goes to...

Paul boldly says to "IMITATE me"! And, he's not the only one. There are others who walk with an example worthy of following. We will ask, " Are you living an IMITATABLE (If you are correcting my spelling you are missing the point. Imitable is the correct spelling I know;-).) Life ?" SHOULD  I be living such a life? What life examples am I not exactly walking worthy in? Let...

Philippians is a book about setting our thinking in a certain way.  Paul is revealing what mature thinking looks like. it is a set, defined, shared thinking it is a "forgetting thinking" of what is behind it is a pressing, straining, efforted thinking it is directional, goal oriented, and targeted Join me in thinking about this for 7 mature minutes.  For another 7, subscribe on Google po...

Today is a one big love story and YOU are at the center of it. Jesus has made you His own.  No words have ever been sweeter. Jesus has made you His own .  Song of Solomon echos this same concept with, " I am my beloved's, and He is mine." Our hearts are made exactly for this .  We yearn to be known, possessed and even overtaken in this way.  This is the relationship that we long for...

We'll start today with a crazy true story about a bike racer who went flying into a poo pile the size of a house! He  literally found himself in a PILE OF POO.  So did Paul.  When Paul checked his earthly merit credentials, he assesses them in summary as a PILE OF POO.  Then he compares the surpassing worth, the gain, the power, and the knowing of Christ.  Jesus does well in comparison. :-) L...

Do you have a mind for others? Do you have a similar mind as others? Do you have the mind of Another? Do you have the mind of Christ? For these are the THINGS THAT COUNT.  Listen LESS THAN 7 minutes as Paul counts a few things NEGATIVELY, and some precious things POSITIVELY.  It is indeed NEW MATH. New Spiritual math. Subscribe at bewithme.us or Apple Podcasts as this will be daily ADDED to you. ;...