Posts from November 2020 (Page 2)

10 Things to Be Thankful For Day 1: Give Thanks to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:8 – 36) “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!” (1 Chronicles 16:8) King David sang these words after the ark of God was returned to its home in the tabernacle. It should have been there earlier, but if you go back to read Chapter 13 in the book of 1 Chronicles, you will discover…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 10, #1: John 3:16 John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV) God’s plan for human beings In eternity past, God created angel beings. Over time, the strongest one (Lucifer) got jealous of God’s power and authority. He rebelled against God and our Heavenly Father threw Lucifer and his…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 9, #2: Matthew 6:33 A prescription for anxiety At the end of Matthew 6 Jesus is speaking to the crowd about anxiety. Many consider Matthew 6:33 the pinnacle of all comments in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells his disciples to, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus had come to this pinnacle moment in the sermon…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 8 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). The line between consequences and anger is often blurred. It’s easy for the person who messed up to misinterpret a consequence as someone acting out of anger. It’s also tempting for the person who was wronged to embellish the consequences…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 7, #4: Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). When we are going through tough times, the last thing we need to hear is platitudes. They can come across as an easy way to fluff off bad feelings without really acknowledging the depth of someone’s suffering. Even biblical-sounding phrases…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 6: Isaiah 40:31 Tom, you’re telling me Bible verses are ranked? Apparently, some couch potato with a lot of time has surveyed Christians, and thus, a list has appeared. So, let’s take a peek at Isaiah 40:31. Maybe it’s on your top-ten list. I’m going to jump back to Verse 28 for context. You may even want to read from Verse 9. In Verse 28, two questions are presented: “Have…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 5: A New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:11 – 21) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A few years ago, my family purchased a butterfly kit. We actually did this for a few years, but the kits we would purchase would include a habitat for the caterpillars, some food, and about 4 or…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 4: Shelter Yourself in the Lord “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28 – 30). Definition Shelter: “What is given for protection” An invitation…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 3: Go Plant! (Matthew 28:19) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”  (Matthew 28:19) Amy and I love going to movies. We love good characters who are struggling through life to find success or love. One of my favorite kinds of movies is driven by several storylines. In the movie, each storyline…

Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 2, #9 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) I think Philippians 4:13 is a bit of a paradoxical verse. On one hand, this verse is not meant to be interpreted the way most of society interprets this verse, but once you get to its true meaning, it is exactly what people think it is: an encouragement that with God’s help we will make it…