Reading Luke 14 today, 26-27, and 33 punched me in the gut. Being a true disciple means having my life revolve around Christ. It’s not something I can do once; it’s a daily choice to pick up my cross and be transformed by God. To be truly Christ-centered, an authentic disciple, I must give up…
In Job 15 and Luke 13, the Bible offers examples that remind us suffering isn’t always a result of sin, encouraging self-reflection and trust in God’s plan. But Christ will go through our trials with us; we need to repent and turn to him. It’s hard for me to look at rough patches and problems…
I heard a guy once say jokingly, I know when I’m going to die, my birth certificate has an expiration date on it. We really don’t know when, but death is inevitable, and the older I get, the more I realize that life is too short and even shorter for others. Job tells us that…
In Job 11, Job’s friend Zophar gives him a bunch of grief from his assumptions. In 12, Job fires back and answers him. I love what he says in verse 12; it reminds me of how big God is. ‘For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every…
I don’t know how many times I’ve let the details and distractions of this world negatively affect my relationship with Christ and others. Verses 38-41 remind me to be alert and to guard my spiritual focus. When Jesus visits Mary and Martha, Mary is hanging out with Jesus, while Martha is busy with the details…
Job is going through the darkest time of his life; he’s lost everything and wants to die and get it over with (16). Then, in 8, his friend shows no sympathy. He offers up his opinion, his solutions, and his assumptions. Job’s friend doesn’t offer to pray for him, to sacrifice for him, to clean…
“The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.” Man, the Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed hit me hard. And it seems this has been much…
I like the contrast between the Roman Soldier’s humble faith, when he said, “Don’t trouble yourself; I’m not worthy for you to come in —just say the word, and my servant will be healed,” and the way he recognized absolute authority and treated Christ like a King. ‘When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning…
Man, there’s a lot to soak in in today’s readings. Job lost everything but his integrity, his 10 kids that he loved, and thousands of animals. But he didn’t lose his integrity. He still praised God. I don’t know how many times I’ve run into small messes and crashed out; I need to be more…
Last week, I went fishing but didn’t catch anything. We were fishing for fun. The day before, I caught a 21-pound fish, so I was hoping for something bigger, which made me a bit disappointed. Peter and his crew had been out all night, fishing to earn a living, but they didn’t catch anything. They…