2 Corinthians 5:7

 

Colossians 1:5-6

5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

(is the gospel bearing fruit and increasing in my life?)

Colossians 1:4

Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints

(whom have I heard of regarding their faith and love? has anyone heard of my faith in Christ or my love for the saints?)

Colossians 1:3

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you

(how and when do I give thanks to God? how often, and for whom, do I pray?)

Colossians 1:2

To the Holy and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: grace and peace to you from God our Father

(where am I looking for grace and peace? it only comes from God our Father)

Colossians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy our brother

(what am I by the will of God? thank God for Tim O., my brother in Christ)

A Focus on God and His Instructions

• Ephesians 6 gives us of some important instructions; obey your parents, honor you father and mother that it may go well with you and you may enjoy a long life; it also states not to exasperate your children but to train and instruct them in the Lord

• Regardless of how…the important thing is that Christ is preached (Philippians 1)

• Philippians 2 asks the question; are you looking out for your own interests or Christ’s?

• Heaven is God’s throne and Earth is God’s footstool (Isaiah 66)

• Philippians 4:6 instructs us to pray about everything…

Things that Matter

Galatians 4:15 asks “What has happened to your joy?”

Find your rest in God alone (Psalm 62)

Galatians 5 thoughts: Following the law will separate you from Christ; faith expressing itself through love is what counts; use your freedom to love one another

Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding (Proverbs 23:23)

Financial Guidance from God

This week it seemed like several passages from Scripture were speaking directly to me about financial issues and what we trust in.

What does Ecclesiastes 10:19 mean when it says “…and money is the answer to everything”?

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Sow sparingly, reap sparingly, sow generously, reap generously; you are made rich in every way so you can be generous, which results in thanks to God (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)

Isaiah 2:22 reminds us to stop trusting in man

2 Corinthians chapter 11 says to me that boasting in self is foolish

When I am weak, then I am strong because of Christ (2 Corinthians 12:10)

And finally, a great reminder from Proverbs 23:4-5; don’t pursue riches, show restraint, understand that riches are fleeting

Long Time, No Hear

So, a couple of months ago I fell off the proverbial blogging wagon about my time in Scripture. Yep, I got lazy and just posted links or articles written by others. Well, I’m back now writing to you thanks to the accountability provided by my MasterMind partners.

Side note: in August my wife and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary and our first born celebrated his 17th birthday.

Okay, here are some specific Scriptures that impacted me during the last few weeks.

• The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life (Proverbs 22:4)

• 1 Corinthians 4:1 reminded me that any ministry we have is due to God’s mercy

• In reading through the book of Ecclesiastes, all seems meaningless in life until you get to chapter 12 verse 13 where it states that the conclusion is to fear God and keep His commandments.

• Psalm 46 is such a great passage on God being our refuge and strength. Therefore we should not fear because the Lord is with us.

Why it's Important to Keep Tithing in Tough Economic Times

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9)

Read the full article here

Starting the Book of Acts

On June 7th I started reading the book of Acts. Here are some thoughts:
Acts 1 - The foundation of our faith is a risen Jesus Christ. The foundation of our witness is the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2 outlines the picture of conversion and growth; accepting the message, repenting, being baptized, be under teaching, be in fellowship, communion, and prayer
Acts 3 - God is glorified through the Apostles healing a lame man
Acts 4:13 is especially encouraging to me as the disciples were identified as having courage, unschooled, ordinary, and having been with Jesus
Acts 4:34 states that there were no needy among them
Acts 5:38 contain the words of Gamaliel “if purpose or activity is of human origin it will fail but if it is from God you will not be able to stop it"
Acts 6 - The disciples gave their attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word

Psalm 119:33-48

33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.
41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;
42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
46 I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
47 for I delight in your commands because I love them.
48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

Does God Care How Much We Give?

God didn't just give a little for us; He gave His best. He gave Himself. John says that it is no different for us: True love requires sacrifice.
Read the full article here

Catching Up

Where in the world have I been?
Well, another week of travel happened this past week. Tuesday through Thursday was spent in the Salt Lake City UT area. Friday was spent at home while our radon evacuation system was installed. Please check your radon level if you have not done so.
In my quiet times I transitioned from Ruth to 1 Samuel to 2 Samuel in the Old Testament. Here are some thoughts:

• John 6:43 states that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. This is a very sobering passage to me and really make me think about what I believe related to election.
  

• A gentle answer turns away wrath, a harsh word stirs up anger ~ Proverbs 15:1
  

• In John 7 men did not understand Jesus or who he was; Jesus pointed people to God the Father

• In John 8 there is a woman who was caught in adultery, Jesus taught that all have sinned; Jesus forgave her and challenged her to sin no more

• 1 Samuel 18:5 Saul tasked David, David accomplished his task well, Saul promoted David. This illustrates the point of doing your work well before expecting a promotion.
  

• 1 Samuel 19:1 illustrates that close personal relationships are stronger than other formal structures like boss-employee or father-son

• John 8:31 states that a person must hold to Jesus' teaching to be a true disciple

• John 9:15 contains a simple testimony: He put mud on my eyes, I washed them like He told me to, and now I can see

• Proverbs 15:20 is true of my son Darren; a wise son brings joy to his father

A Week of Travel

This past week (Monday through Friday) was spent in southern California on business. As a result my time in Scripture was less than normal. Here are a few thoughts:

• In Judges 15 the Spirit of God came upon Sampson with such power he killed 1000 men with a donkey jawbone. Then in Judges 16 the details of Sampson’s demise are detailed as he becomes a victim of “love”

• In John 2 Jesus performs his first miracle by turning water into wine. I thought it an interesting statement when it says that Jesus did not entrust himself to men because he knew them.

• Jesus personally teaches Nicodemus to believe in Him and to have eternal life (John 3)

• Judges 19:17 “Where are you going? Where did you come from?” How would you answer?

• Judges 20 illustrates how one act of violence can cause such great damage

• Jesus spent time with his disciples and baptized people (John 3:22)

• Proverbs 14:23 states that hard work brings profit and mere talk leads to poverty

Also this week I transitioned from the book of Judges to the book of Ruth in my Old Testament reading.

Blessings to you.

A Focus on God and Jesus

This past week I spent a couple of days in Indianapolis at Rolls Royce where they manufacture the engine for the Global Hawk air vehicle.

The following observations are from my time in Scripture this week:

• In Judges 6 God used the weakest and least to accomplish his work; Gideon tested the Lord with a fleece

• In Judges 7 God reduced the fighting men with Gideon from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300 and then Gideon’s first thought was to worship God
• Simon was made to literally carry the cross of Jesus (Luke 23:26)

• In Luke 24 even Peter, one of the disciples, went away from the empty tomb wondering what had happened

• When does you heart burn within you? (Luke 24:32)

• Jesus opened their minds so they could understand Scripture (Luke 24:45)

• John came as a witness to the Life, Word, Jesus (John 1)

• In John 1 Jesus starts calling his disciples

• A prudent man thinks about his steps; a wise man fears God and shuns evil (Proverbs 14:15-16)

Some Important Principles of Living

From my Scripture reading this week:

• Giving to the poor and restoring fraud saved Zaccheus according to Jesus in Luke 19

• Hope deferred makes the heart sick, a longing fulfilled is the tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)

• The teaching of the wise is the fountain of life (Proverbs 13:14)

• In Joshua 21:45 it states that not one of the Lord’s promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled

• Jesus confronts those who confront and questions those who question (Luke 20)

• Ignore discipline and come to poverty and shame (Proverbs 13:18)

• Walk with the wise to become wise (Proverbs 13:20)

• Luke 21:34 states to be careful not to be weighed down with anxieties of life; verse 36 says to pray that you may be able to stand before Jesus

And finally, Judges 4 is where my name came from!

A Study of Contrasts

Here are some things that caught my attention this week during my time in Scripture.

• In Joshua 4 the Lord exalted Joshua. When you exalt yourself you will be humbled. When you humble yourself you will be exalted. (Luke 14)

• Jesus associated with sinners. There is rejoicing in the presence of angels when a sinner repents. Rejoice when lost are found (Luke 15)

• The people of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own kind than people of the light. Use worldly wealth to gain friends. If you can / can’t be trusted with a little, then you can / can’t be trusted with a lot. If you are not trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? (Luke 16)

• Only one in ten were thankful and willing to praise God (Luke 17)

• Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere (Psalm 84:10)

• Righteousness guards a man of integrity, wickedness overthrows a sinner (Proverbs 13:6)

• Don’t judge on appearances, there are those who pretend to be rich and have nothing, and there are those who pretend to be poor and are wealthy (Proverbs 13:7)

• What must I do to gain eternal life? Give up everything and follow Christ. Peter said that he had given up everything to follow Christ. See Luke 18:29 for Christ’s response. How do you reconcile this?

• Choice: be full of pride OR take advice (Proverbs 13:10)

A Transition of Leadership

This week started with a quick trip to Yorktown Virginia. I drove from Xenia to Yorktown on Monday, participated in a meeting at Langley Air Force Base on Tuesday and then drove home on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were spent at the office catching up on email and other work.

During my scripture reading this week I transitioned from Deuteronomy (Moses dies) to Joshua (Joshua starts leading).

• In Luke 10 it states that Martha was worried about many things, but Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen

• Ask and receive, seek and find, knock and it will open (Luke 11)

• Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it (Luke 11:28)

• Reckless words injure, wise words heal (Proverbs 12:18)

• In Luke 11 Jesus was very confrontational when dealing with those who focused on looking good on the outside while harboring sin on the inside. (We call this hypocrisy)

• Just like Moses, we need to know when to step down or away (Deuteronomy 31)

• Am I acknowledging God before men or do I disown Him? (Luke 12)

• Also in Luke 12 it says to be on guard against greed because life does not consist of possessions

• In Deuteronomy 32 the Lord demonstrated his justice by allowing Moses to see the Promised Land but not allowing him to enter it

• Am I bearing any fruit? What fruit am I bearing? Am I like a fig tree that will be cut down? (Luke 13)

• Jesus was focused on the work of today and tomorrow and reaching his goal, which was death! (Luke 13:32-33)