“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,” (2 Timothy 1:8-9) Verse eight is not nearly as popular as verse nine. We much prefer the assurance  we’re saved by grace not by works, to the context of this verse. We tend to avoid suffering, not want to share in the suffering of others. OurRead More →

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) As we observed yesterday, Paul is long winded, so for the full scope of what he is saying, we need to read chapters seven and eight of Romans in one sitting, or at least 8:26-39. Today’s verses are merely finishing the thoughts from yesterday’s verses. But today lets focus on the traditional emphasis and primary thoughtRead More →

“ Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) Many of us today are afflicted with one of two syndromes,  the Nice Christian Conflict Avoidance Syndrome or Bash Evildoers’  Heads  In Syndrome.  Some of us even manage to be afflicted with both. The shamefulness of Bash Evil Doers’ Heads In Syndrome is notorious.  However, Nice Christian Conflict Avoidance is often mistaken for a virtue, while in reality it is harmful to the entire Body of Christ. Because of it, we grow weakRead More →

(Please forgive the interruption last week. In addition to the blog tour, I had to tend a sick husband and a sick me.) We bless you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We praise you because you have blessed us in Christ with spiritual blessings in High places. Such a rich inheritance you have given us. Feed our hearts, fill us with a deep abiding knowledge of these things. We thank you, God, for choosing us in Christ before the foundations of the world. Make us as holy as you have already made us blameless before you. Let us not forget thatRead More →

When [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34 Lord, we are weak, but you are strong. We thank you that you are a god of compassion, who loves us where we are, who goes out after us and brings us into your fold. We thank you for protecting us and teaching us many things. We thank you for feeding our souls and binding our wounds. You are good, and your mercy endures forever. Enable us to be like you today andRead More →