live2bless

In reference to the Pharisees and teachers of the law who chose to oppose him, Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and m...

What the Bible calls “self-denial” is actually a description of God’s nature, His life, the way he always is in all he does. However, self-denial would be a meaningless concept to us were it not for Satan choosing to self-regard, and infecting humanity with it. We now all know what it means to be preoccupied with ourselves, assert ourselves, our plans, our will. But now that self-regard is here, s...

Here are some thoughts that came to me today and I offer them to you for your reflection: The Most High, must be the most worthy of praise; The most worthy of praise, must be the most helpful; The most helpful, must be the most self-disregarding; The most self-disregarding, must be God. Or, another way of putting it: Because he is God, he is the most self-disregarding. Because he is the most self-...

Trust is the key to obedience. The bottom line is not so much trust and obey but rather because you trust you obey. Apart from trust, obedience ends up being a measured compliance in the interests of avoiding negative consequences. Unbelievers can do that. The believer who trusts will end up obeying even when there are no readily apparent negative consequences to disobeying. Why? Because he’s lear...

In Mark 9: 33 we read that while traveling with his disciples Jesus heard them arguing so when they got to where they were going he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of...

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 o...

In Mark 4:24, 25 we read that Jesus said, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” What we want increased is not to be more loved to where we say, “ I love you so that you will love me more. ” I suggest th...

One of the exhortations the apostle Paul gave to the young minister, Timothy, in 1 Timothy 4:15 I think is applicable to all us regarding the truths of the Gospel. It reads, “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” Notice that it’s not satisfactory to the Apostle to just have Timothy think he’s making progress in his walk with God and fe...

Luke 6:38 Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Our capacity to love others will increase in the measure that we pass on God’s love for us. And seeing as love embodies every virtue means that patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, g...

Here’s a thought to reflect on. It seems to me to come down to this that, ultimately, there is only one tragedy in life — to remain unavailable to God for his love to flow through us.

In our school weight room, a former teacher friend of mine posted a sign on safety. Then, at the bottom of the sign he wrote: “Help and encourage each other, make your friend great.” That last phrase to “make your friend great” has captivated my attention ever since as expressing the heart of what the scriptures want of us in relationship to one another. In fact, we read something almost identical...

Hebrews 12:1-3 — 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 of the...

Here are some parables of Jesus recorded in Matthew 13 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in...

How do we live creating optimum conditions for the purposes of Jesus to be fulfilled in the lives of everyone we know? I suggest to you that the answer is simply this: we stay true to our friendship with Jesus. That is, we tell him what’s on our mind throughout the day and stay alert for anything he may bring to our attention. Then we act on any guidance he gives us for what he needs us to think,...

Every temptation is a temptation to self-regard, that is, to regard the interests of self above the interests of Christ. Hence the important skill development of mentally rehearsing the interests of Jesus. That rehearsal refreshes my sensitivity to His Spirit and He can thereby shed light on the value of my prospective uses of thought, time, and energy. The question then becomes, What do I need to...

See if this makes any sense to you: the more I study the Bible, the less I feel I comprehend it.  It comes across to me as a burning light or like trying to capture sunshine in a bottle.  But the more I walk with Jesus, the more I understand what it means to care for others which, ironically, is what it seems who and what the Bible is all about!

In James 1:17 we read,   “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Absolutely everything that you can point to in your life that you call good, came down to you from God. Here’s a simple challenge for this week: every time you notice something you appreciate or enjoy, something that gladdens your...

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all her strength, and with all our mind. Therefore, the greatest sin has to do with not loving the Lord with all that we are. That is the sin behind all sins. Loving God involves two things like the two chambers of a beating heart: trust and obedience. Both of these are embodied in one word: faith . Th...

In John 5:30 Jesus says to his antagonists: “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” See if this makes sense to you: it would seem to follow that to the extent that we can say with Jesus, “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me,” then our assessment of the stuff of life — life’s decisions, behaviors...

What makes the will of God so completely desirable? Our perfect joy and peace? As I see it, the reason is that it embodies the intentions of a Being who lives to see everything he has created beautifully, joyfully, fully alive, a Being who desires that all his rational creatures continually experience every conceivable delight and pleasure. This is so much so the case that not a one of his creatur...

Here is what, at present, I consider my deepest, most cherished desire. I say to the Lord, I want to be your true friend, Jesus, and adventure with you today in blessing others. So I was thinking of this desire the other day and asked, “Lord, what in my thinking or attitude or use of time is the biggest danger to this right now? Or what do I need to pay closer attention to so as to not compromise...

We always have multiple desires clamoring for our attention at any given moment. From a moral standpoint, they come either from you— "the desires of the flesh" or from the Holy Spirit— "the desires of the Spirit." If we are true believers, we will notice that we most want to do the "desires of the Spirit." That is to say, more than any other desire we want lives full of love, joy, peace, patience,...

In this episode I’m am going to present the Gospel, as I understand it, in the form of a dialogue. So listen for the questions followed by the answers. First question: so what is the problem with this world? Why do we feel miserable, lost, empty? Because no matter how good we think we have it in life, we know we are going to die. That fact casts a long shadow reflected in how we feel deep within....

Let me share with you some thoughts to reflect on: God, by definition, cannot ever do anything that is unimportant or insignificant, unloving or unwise. It is impossible for a perfectly good God to do other than what is always perfectly good. Everything God does at all times and in all circumstances is absolutely essential to the total possible wellbeing of everything He has made. God always makes...

In Exodus 20:3 we have the first of the Ten Commandments. Do you know what it is? “You shall have no other gods before me.” Have you ever wondered why is it so important to God to be first in our hearts and, for that matter, in all created reality? Over the years I have heard many attempted explanations given in lots of different ways. And to this day I am not comfortable with any one of them. The...