John 3:3 (Born Again)

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47 Relate: In 1978 Chuck Colson wrote entitled “Born Again” and earlier that same year Jimmy Carter publicly professed to being born again. The term, used to describe a spiritual conversion to…

Unquestioning Obedience

Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions. (John 2:7-8) Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 22:16 – 24:18 Relate: It is one thing for Mary to tell the servants to do whatever Jesus commands. She…

With Eyes Shut Tight (John 1:18)

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (John 1:18) Read: Genesis 36:1-43, 1 Chronicles 1:35-2:2 Relate: I remember playing a game of hide and seek when I was about twelve years old or so. Another family that was great friends with…

Wake Up and Live (John 1:4)

Read: Genesis 7:1-10:32, 1 Chronicles 1:5-23 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. (John 1:4) Relate: He doesn’t even know he is dead. He is walking around going through the motions of life. He is working, sleeping, walking, and talking, but he is as dead as dead can be.…

The Handiwork of God (John 1:3)

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. (John 1:3) Read: Genesis 4:1-6:22, 1 Chronicles 1:1-4 Relate: When I was in Bible College, and in the years shortly thereafter, I invested a lot of time on a couple message boards defending creationism. I’m talking about a lot of time. I had the crazy idea in…

First Love (12/10/13)

Read: Amos 1:1-3:15, Revelation 2:1-17, Psalm 129:1-8, Proverbs 29:19-20 But I have this complaint against you. You have lost your first love. Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. (Revelation 2:4-5) Relate: I…

Trust (11/22/13)

Read: Ezekiel 44:1-45:12. 1 Peter 1:1-12, Psalm 119:17-32, Proverbs 28:8-10 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9) Relate: “You’re right. You…

The Real Me (11/19/13)

Read: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27, James 2:18-3:18, Psalm 118:1-18, Proverbs 28:2 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.       (James 2:24) Relate: “That’s not who I am. You just don’t see the real me.” Ever hear that line? What about, “That’s not what I meant to do. I know…

The Promise of a Pony (11/14/13)

Read: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26, Hebrews 11:32-12:13, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 27:17 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. (Hebrews 11:39) Relate: For the first time this season, I woke up this morning to snow on the ground. It’s winter time. First thing I wanted to do was crawl…

Authority (11/13/13)

Read: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26, Hebrews 11:17-31, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 27:15-16 All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. (Psalm 111:7-8) Relate: For the past couple weeks I’ve been reading a little bit from the book of Ezekiel. If you have been reading the link at…