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“Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8 The first three gospels all contain the account of a lawyer who asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life and Jesus responds “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” “You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Matthew 22:37, 39 Love is the key that opens every door. Love is the first step on every ladder. Love is what God made us to do, but our love cannot be fully…
“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1(NIV) We visit the same story as last month, but examine a different question. The disciples are crossing a lake in a boat with Jesus who is taking a nap. A fierce storm comes upon the boat, tossing it from side to side and the men are afraid. When they awaken Jesus, he calms the storm and asks them, “Where is your faith?” Luke 8:25 He asks this question, not in an accusatory manner, but in a way that…
“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:10 The words above are ones we repeat often collectively, especially if we attend church regularly. However, using these words in our everyday living as we pray for situations around us brings a power and focus to our prayers like no other. These words belong to the larger prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer, given to the disciples when they asked Jesus how to pray. With this power-filled phrase, Jesus invites us to bring God’s kingdom to our own lives here…
“I am the Resurrection and Life.” John 11:25 The middle of August is a good time to think back to the joy of Easter morning and resurrection! Resurrection translates from the Greek word anastasis which means “raising up” or “standing up again.” Resurrection brought Jesus back to us after a brutal death, fully restored and in a manner even better than before. Resurrection contrasts the dark, lifeless bonds of death with the vibrancy of new life and possibility! Before his death, Jesus gave a clearer picture of resurrection in John 12:23-24 (NIV). Now the time has…
“I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10RSV A new coat of paint lights up a room. A new pair of shoes perks up your step. A new word of prayer refreshes our spirits, opening a channel to the Lord’s work in our lives. Over the next few weeks, let’s explore several words and concepts to add to our prayer vocabulary. Abundance. This theme runs thick through the Bible. Seven years of abundance in Genesis. An abundance of offerings given in 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Praising a God of abundance in…
The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40 CSB I startle easily; much too easily, I suppose. My husband walks in the bedroom when I think he’s in the basement and I jump like a popcorn kernel exploding. Unknown insecurity must lurk in my soul, causing this temporary act of fear. The disciples experienced more than temporary fear when the boat they sailed started lurching and heaving in the midst of a violent storm. Jesus slept while helpless panic ensued,…
“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29 On the surface, we trust many parts of this world. We easily slip into chairs or flip on light switches, relying on a solid landing place or the power of electricity to light up a room. But how much harder it is sometimes for us to believe that God is present, God possesses complete knowledge and his hand will provide. The weed of unbelief sprouts in our thoughts, limiting our perception of God’s abilities which in turn, limits what God…
“Can you add a single hour to your life by worrying?” Matthew 6:27 Here’s some wisdom I’ve learned through gardening over many years. Pulling weeds is easier when the weeds are small. The same is true with worry. Stopping small worries is easier than letting them grow into monster-size worry. The master gardener, God our Creator, knows the best way to pluck out the weeds of worry. During Jesus’ many lessons on living life, he emphasized that there was no need to be afraid or worried. Nearly a dozen times he uses the words, “Do not…
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your own soul?” Matthew 16:26NLT Gardening season is going well at our house. Plants are growing and starting to produce! We’ve been picking zucchini daily and we ate two small tomatoes from our early-picking Fourth of July plant on the 4th of July! Most of the month of June was spent not just monitoring the plants, but also pulling the weeds poking up through the fresh dirt. At least twice a week, we attack the…
“Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 Hearing a word just one time is not always enough to fully understand it. Remember the little boy who thought that Shirley, Goodness and Mercy were special angels that would follow him all of his days? The English language is filled with interesting words. Homonyms are words spelled the same or sounding the same, but with completely different meanings. (roll a ball or eat a roll; to, too and two) Synonyms are words that mean the same thing. (happy, joyful, cheerful, delighted) Antonyms are words with totally…
Christian poetry on Christ Art
https://www.thewayback2ourselves.com/journal/notjustawaterfall
Janice Gibson was an elementary school teacher for 33 years and used Jesus Christ as a model for her interactions and instruction with students. She is also the author of Spiritually Fit: God’s Workout for You available on Westbow Press Amazon or Christianbook.
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