live2bless

What does it mean to be a true friend to Jesus? This is number 3 of a series of five propositions I wrote up for myself in answering that. Number 3 is to work with him in having others know something more of how precious they are to him. In Galatians 2:6 we read that “God shows no partiality.”  Now there’s no question that he works with certain people groups our individuals first in the inter...

What kind of person do I most aspire to be?  S omeone who is always true to Jesus. That, I believe, is the race marked out for me. Or, the the words of the apostle Paul, it is “that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” From notes in my journal, this is part 2 of a series of five propositions I drafted for myself to define what that means.  My hope is that you will find something here...

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) 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 fixing our eyes on Jesus , the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand...

In 1 John 4:7 we read, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” God is at the center of our lives insofar as we are talking with him about what matters most to us and participating in what he is doing to help the next person we think of, see, or meet. That strikes me as to what it means to love Him, glorify Him, or hon...

The fulness of God’s blessing upon a person could very well be summed up in the phrase “eternal life” . That expression emerges predominantly in what could be dubbed the most important verse in the Bible, John 3:16 (CSB) — “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” And that eternal life is not so...

In Matthew 11:12, Jesus makes a statement that has been found difficult to interpret. He said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.” I’m not sure to what he’s referring to, but here’s one idea. Suppose you are having a quiet evening sitting and reading a newspaper. Your child is asleep on the so...

1 John 2:17 — “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” As long as we set our sights on being right or on proving we are right , or on changing ourselves or changing others , we will live in perennial inner frustration. Why? Because if we are honest, once we examine our motives, we will see that what we think is right is never right enough. And as far a...

I recently pulled together passages of scripture that had to do with words. It was a salutary exercise just to read them through so let me share them with you. Proverbs 11:9 — “With their words, the godless destroy their friends…” Proverbs 11:12 — “It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.” Proverbs 15:4 — “Wholesome words are a tree of life (= life-giving influence)...

In John 20:30-31 (NIV) the apostle John gives us the purpose he had in mind for recording for us what he did of Jesus’ life. He writes, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” It could be said th...

In Psalm 43:3–4 (CSB) the Psalmist prays, “Send your light and your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place. Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise you with the lyre, God, my God.” Notice that his desire for light and truth was not motivated by a desire to get things “right” or to have a theologically tidy mind....

This morning I got to wondering, What supreme truths or axioms must I affirm and build all my thinking around if I am going to grow as a person each day? Here’s what I think they are. I thought of five. 1. That God is thoroughly good and therefore worthy of my total self-sacrificial loyalty and devotion. 2. That God reveals himself through creation and in the Scriptures and then by appearing and l...

In Psalms 39:11 (ESV) we read,   “When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him …” Until we have an intensely serious reason for wanting to be free of a bad habit, we’ll never get free. Freedom will remain wishful thinking. What I mean by an intensely serious reason is a reason that outweighs our attraction to the temptation that led to our bondag...

In part of David’s confession of sin to God in Psalm 51:6 he says to the Lord, “You desire truth in the innermost being.” I think it could be said that when we sin against the Lord, our biggest problem is not the foolish choice we made. It is what in us accepted the rational that led to the choice . That is to say, our true problem is what in us listened to the misleading voice. And what could tha...

In Acts 17:25 we read that God “…is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” I consider it a sad thing that worshipping God is — in some circles of thought — something we do to placate him. That means, to “make (someone, in this case God) less angry or hostile” .  Nor am I satisfied with the idea that to worsh...

In Galatians 5:16,25 (NIV) we read, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh….Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” What does the apostle Paul mean by, “walk by the Spirit…keep in step with the Spirit”? How do we know if we are doing that? Several things came to mind. First, to even be ready to keep in step with the Spirit, and p...

In Romans 14:10-12 (NIV) we read that “…We will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” *********** It seems to me that the standard by which we will be judged is the standard that, the Apostle Paul elsewhere makes c...

In Psalm 139:23 & 24 we read, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Spiritual development almost always has to do with superficial or unworthy desires being either displaced or ordered according to the deepest desires in our lives. The Holy Spirit gave us a new nature. And that new...

In Psalms 103:5 (NIV) we read that God “…satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” I met up with a mom at a big rummage sale. She had her little daughter with her. As she was passing by she noticed me looking her way and said of her daughter, “ she wants a toy ,” and all but rolled her eyes implying, ya, like we need another toy . But where was she he...

John 16:23-24 (NIV) Jesus says to his disciples. 23 “… Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” Here’s a principal regarding prayer that I think we do well to remember: when it appears that God has said “no” to a specific, time-sensitive request, it...

After one of Jesus’ teachings, we read that “From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66-69 (CSB) The expression “eternal life” i...

In repentance for committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah in attempting to cover his tracks, King David cried out to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”     Psalms 51:4 (NIV) “ Against you, you only… ” How so? What about Bathsheba? What about Uriah? Hey D...

One greek scholar has pointed out that the greek word generally translated “saved” ( sozo ) “has the basic meaning of rescuing one from great peril. Additional nuances include to protect, keep alive, preserve life, deliver, heal, be made whole. The context must be considered to determine whether preservation of physical life or spiritual life is in view.” With that in mind, consider Isaiah 53...

Colossians 4:2 — “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.” Here are some word studies to reflect on. The greek word translated “devote" means "to give constant attention to a thing, to give unremitting care to a thing, to persevere, to wait continually upon, to be in constant readiness for." I have to admit how convicting that exhortation is in my life. To give “constant a...

Consider the effect of a rudder on a ship. Even the slightest of movement alters the ship’s trajectory and destination. The influence we have on others — be it ever so small — is like that. It adjusts the rudder of another person’s life. It alters the direction their going and where they’ll end up. The burning question, then, is this: what influence do we want to have? Have you ever asked yourself...

In Ephesians 5:15-16 we read, “Be very careful, … how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Consider the following regarding the widespread influence each of us has in this world: it has been observed that, Each of us will have some degree of meaningful contact with 1,000 people throughout our lifetime. That 1,000 people will each,...