Sweeter than Honey
“What does he know that I don’t?” David, the writer of Psalm 119, says, “How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” (Psalm 119:103) Granted, there are some nice things in the Bible, but really, “sweeter than honey?” Here’s what David understands that we often miss when we...
Wineskins
Which is better, old or new? “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” -Matthew 9:17 How easy it is in our “newer-is-better” consumer culture to discard the old in...
Need
If you think you have it all together, it’s doubtful Jesus has much for you… And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors...
Hidden Treasure
“Biblical genealogies are so boring!”
Heard that before? Thought that before? So have I. Then the other day a friend of mine showed me this chart of the translation/meanings of several of the Hebrew names in the genealogy of Genesis 5.
| ADAM | Man (is) |
| SETH | Appointed |
| ENOSH | Mortal |
| KENAN | Sorrow, (but) |
| MEHALALEL | The Blessed God |
| JARED | Shall come down |
| ENOCH | Teaching |
| METHUSALEH | His death shall bring |
| LAMECH | The Despairing |
| NOAH | Comfort, Rest |
Pretty cool, I must admit.
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Bridges and Surf Boards
Sometimes I wonder, “what does ‘standing on God’s Word’ even MEAN?”
The older I get and the more I study both Scripture and life, the more I’m discovering that the life and faith that Jesus invites us to are much more “fluid” than I grew up believing them to be.Read More
God’s Words
Ever feel like you just don’t have the words you need?
For He [Jesus] is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit.” -John the Baptist (John 3:34)
If we seek to speak the words of God, whether in preaching, counsel or testimony, we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is the giver of both the words to be spoken and the “breath” to speak them: the bringer of all we need.
How encouraging, then, this promise of Jesus: “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” (Luke 11:13)
Don’t have the right words? Just ask! Not sure you can make that speech or have that conversation? Just ask! Ask in faith and watch the Holy Spirit do IN you and THROUGH you exactly what needs to be done…
Again, see what Jesus promises: “…don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.” (Luke 12:11b-12)
Relax, God’s got it covered.
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Old Wine, New Wine
New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” - Jesus (Luke 5:38-39)
This is why we plant new churches, start new ministries, birth new movements.
There is great value in the old wine, and it should be treasured and respected. However, new wine is what is needed now, for this time, because without it, there will be no more “wine” at all after the old is gone.
Let us not think badly of those who prefer the “old wine” to the new, for Jesus said they would. Let us instead invite them to partner with us and help produce the new wine that will bring new people in to the fold.
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Slaves in the Land
“So now today we are slaves in the land of plenty that You gave our people for their enjoyment! We are slaves here in this good land.” -Nehemiah 9:36
How quick we are to blame God for our misfortune, when it is infinitely more likely that He is the one who brought us in to the Promised Land, and we are the ones who threw it away.
Let us take our eyes off the land, however good or bad it may be, and let us look instead on the Lord who gives all good things.
In this, we may soon find our hearts open to enjoy the blessings He’s already given, and our hands open to receive the ones on the way.
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Pancakes and Fruit
“No one should eat pancakes alone.”
This was the thought in my mind as I pondered ways to get to know my neighbors. After all, the Apostle Paul says in Acts 17:26-27, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
If God determined when and where I live, then when the people He’s placed around me start looking for truth, I’d like to think that if I’ve done my part beforehand, they will be more likely to want to hear from me.
That’s why I hosted a “Community Pancake Breakfast” for the people in the apartment building I occupy, and boy did we have a good time!
About ten neighbors came over and hung out in the second floor hallway of our complex, and everyone brought something to share.
The cool thing is simply this: I got to invest a tiny bit in the people around me (I didn’t have to buy the pancake mix as it was a gift to me), but that investment has enormous potential to bring a Gospel payoff in the future.
What about you? Have you done something like this before? If you have, I’d love to hear about it! Please post in the comments section further down the page. If you haven’t, but would like to, I’d be happy to modify THIS FLYER for you to post around your neighborhood. Then, tell me how it went!
Be blessed friends, and may you find more and more creative ways to BE a blessing, too.
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Bangladesh
It has a population larger than Russia, crammed into a territory smaller than Florida, and I knew nothing about it.
Bangladesh is home to over 151 million people, the 8th largest population on the planet, and I didn’t know anything about its people, language, history, religious composition or economic status, its military might, its food, its art and culture or even its location, other than “somewhere in Southeast Asia”.
NOTHING.
A passing glance at a wall-mounted world map first clued me in. Scanning the capitals and borders, place names and colored topography, I saw a little box labeled “World Population” with Bangladesh ranked higher than Russia, and it made me think.
Jesus said that His followers were to “be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NLT) Though most of us can’t GO to the people at “the ends of the earth”, can we at least pray for them? Can we at least think of them?
I can’t know everything about every country, or even know much about most, but I can know enough to pray.
Can you?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh
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