The Journal (10/19/13)

Read: Jeremiah 33:1-34:22, 1 Timothy 4:1-16, Psalm 89:1-13, Proverbs 25:23-24 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:16) Relate: What to Winston Churchill, John Wesley, Thomas Jefferson, Soren Kierkegaard,…

I Know the Plans… (10/16/13)

Read: Jeremiah 28:1-29:32, 1 Timothy 1:1-20 Psalm 86:1-17, Proverbs 25:17 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. (Jeremiah…

2 Thessalonians 3:13 (Perseverance)

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18, Psalm 85:1-13, Proverbs 25:16 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 2Thessalonians 3:13 Relate: What is perseverance? Some say its a habit. Its the habit of getting up in the morning when you’d rather hit the snooze button. Its the habit of…

Labeling – What’s In A Name (10/14/13)

Read: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, Psalm 84:1-12, Proverbs 25:15 I will make you an object of ridicule, and your name will be infamous throughout the ages. (Jeremiah 23:40) Relate: I wonder how many parents in Germany named their son “Adolf” in the generation after World War 2. I wonder if there is any way to find…

Never Stop Praying

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14, 1Thessalonians 5:4-28, Psalm 82:1-8, Proverbs 25:9-10 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Relate: One of the most life changing books I’ve ever read is a book that took me maybe an hour, cover to cover. Now,…

Break Me Down (10/11/13)

Read: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23, 1Thessalonians 4:1-5:3, Psalm 81:1-16, Proverbs 25:6-8 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. (Jeremiah 18:3-4) Relate: Army Ranger training…

Jerub-baal (10/10/13)

Read: Jeremiah 14:11-16:15, 1Thessalonians 2:9-3:13, Psalm 80:1-19, Proverbs 25:1-5 Your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me. (Jeremiah 16:11-12) Remove the…

Not Going As Planned (10/9/13)

Read: Jeremiah 12:1-14:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8, Psalm 79:1-13, Proverbs 24:30-34 Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. (Psalm 79:9) We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you…

Becoming (10/8/13)

Read: Jeremiah 10:1-11:23, Colossians 3:18-4:18, Psalm 78:56-72, Proverbs 24:28-29 Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them. (Jeremiah 11:2) Relate: One day Sheryl Harris would be a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This was not yet that day, she didn’t yet have her own column, and this was a…

In The Little Things (10/7/13)

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 78:32-55, Proverbs 24:27 Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer. (Psalm 78:35)  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:4) Relate: It isn’t the big things that get me. I’ve had those…