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“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16) This is another one that leaves me a bit puzzled at first. Grumbling is a bit of a no-brainer for students of the Word. Scripture is clear God has as strong a dislike for grumbling as heRead More →

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“That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) This passage is often thought of in terms of evangelism, but it struck me today that Paul was not writing to unbelievers, but to the church in Corinth, who were already Christians. Yet Paul writes “be reconciled to God.” Why? Hasn’t a Christian, and the Corinthian church, already been reconciled to God? Puzzled byRead More →

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“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28) Sometimes, in our world today, we don’t really fully appreciate the radical nature of this passage. If Paul was writing today, he would have said there is neither Black nor White, rich or poor, male or female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.  One of the effects of HisRead More →

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Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:5-6) Today I’m reading: Ephesians 1:11-22 Distressed? Sorrowful? Anxious? Fearful? Ashamed? If you’re a Christian, that is highly likely. Negative emotions often are seen as sinful and shameful. We resist them and we should certainly not allow them to control us. But some of us, myself included, have a tendency to stuff them down in the heart, resulting in more vague stress in an already go-go-go world. God wants us todayRead More →

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(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 →