Law vs Love (John 1:17)

For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) Read: Genesis 32:1-35:27 Relate: I tend to have this irresistible urge to make a lot of laws for myself. I’ll read about praying Hyde and decide I need to get back to praying for three hours a day, every…

He Was Rejected (John 1:10-11)

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. (John 1:10-11) Read: Genesis 21:8 – 24:67 Relate: No question, hands down, the worst year of my school years was seventh grade. There were plenty of reasons and looking back now, I…

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…

He Is Near

Read: 2 Kings 10:32-12:21, Acts 18:1-22, Psalm 145:1-21, Proverbs 18:1 The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. (Psalm 145:18) Relate: In 1971 the greatest mind on Tibetan and Himalayan culture, Dr Michael Aris married Aung San Suu Kyi who was at that time working at the United Nations.…

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…

Opportunity Missed (12/7/13)

Read: Hosea 6:1-9:17, 3 John 1:1-14, Psalm 126:1-6, Proverbs 29:12-14 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6) Relate: It’s the late 1920’s and a bad man, a really bad man, is having a crisis of conscience. Things haven’t gone well for him, he’s just seen some…

We Love Because… (12/4/13)

Read: Daniel 11:36-12:13, 1 John 4:1-21, Psalm 123:1-4, Proverbs 29:2-4 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect… We love each other because…

Main Thing

Read: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34, Titus 3:1-15, Psalm 100:1-5, Proverbs 26:18-19 When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the…

Stupid Arguments (10/25/13)

Read: Jeremiah 44:24-47:7, 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17, Psalm 94:1-23, Proverbs 26:6-8 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. (2 Timothy 2:23) Relate: I was tempted to pull out some quotes. I was really tempted. It would have been really easy. You see, at last check, I’ve got 970 facebook friends.…

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…