Scripture For The Day

 Scripture For The Day  July 28th, 2022  Turning the World Upside Down  Acts 17  Have you ever been accused of turning the world upside down? Preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can turn people's world upside down. Grace is a radical message. There is always a reaction. Sometimes that reaction is negative. Sometimes that message is rejected. But when someone truly accepts Jesus Christ, what a world changer that is.  Paul and the other disciples were labeled more than troublemakers. They were labeled rebels. Wherever they went trouble ensued. According to Roman history when someone was labeled "turning the world upside down" it was a grave accusation; revolutionaries. Mainly, because these 'rebels' advocated for another King. They advocated for Change. They advocated a message that the Romans and certain Jews did not want to hear.  The Gospel challenged every rule that the Romans had put in place. People don't like to be told w...

Scripture For The Day   July 27, 2022 "Glorify The Father"  Sometimes, it's hard to understand why things happen the way they do. Sometimes, it’s consequences for our sin. Sometimes, it’s consequences for someone else’s sin. Sometimes, it’s just the sin of the world that is continuing to decay right in front of our eyes. But whatever we go through, we should be Glorifying The Father in the midst of it. Glorifying The Father with our lives, with our love, with our kindness, with our patience, with our gentleness. People watch each other. We really have no idea how many lives we touch. Every day is the day that The LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Not just Sunday morning but every. Single. Day. – Glorify The Lord. Lazarus was a good friend to Jesus. He and his sisters shared their home, their food, and their love with their friend Jesus. So, you would think that as close as they were to Jesus that they were safe and protected from all harm. But while Jes...

Scripture For The Day July 25th 2022 "Take a Look in the Mirror"  Have you ever thought much about the Prodigal Son’s Brother? I’ve been thinking quite a bit about him the last few days. I mean, he was obedient. He was responsible. He was faithful and loyal. But yet, he was not happy with his brother’s return. I mean, this selfish, lazy, greedy brother not only got welcomed back with open arms but got gifts and a party?  What’s up with that?  Most of us tend to relate to the prodigal son that falls out of line with his father’s will but is still welcomed back into his arms.           But have you ever recognized the older brother in yourself? Some Christians, albeit with good intentions, become self-appointed “Christian police” at times.   They begin sharing their frustrations over what they think others should be doing. Humility begins to fade away within their hearts. It’s kind of like those posts you see on social media with ...

Scripture For The Day   July 22, 2022 "Love Your Enemies"  How do you feel when your enemy or someone who has treated you badly or even someone you just don’t like, gets sick or dies? Do you celebrate? Do you snicker? Are you happy about it? Do you hope for the worst? Maybe, those in authority getting ill brings you righteous happiness? While David and his men were fighting the Amalekites, the Philistines were fighting the Israelites. There were many killed at Mount Gilboa. The Philistines fatally wounded Saul and killed his sons. Saul sought help to die and eventually fell on his own spear. The next day, the Philistines returned to loot the bodies. They found Saul and his three sons dead so they cut off Saul’s head and took all his armor. They also hung their bodies on a wall. Apparently, Saul was still clinging to life when a young soldier came across him and finished him off per Saul’s request. -  1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1 Did David and his men celebrate? D...

Scripture For The Day   July 21, 2022 Be Strengthened in The LORD David and his men had just returned home after a three-day journey.  Upon their return, they discovered that their town had been attacked and their wives and children had been taken captive, including David’s family. They wept aloud at the loss until they had no more strength to weep: “Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.” 1 Samuel 30:4 Have you ever wept like that? It takes everything out of you. But in their grief, the men began to want to place blame. They chose David. They began discussing stoning him. This was their leader that they trusted and loved and served, willingly. It hurt David so much. He was already upset over his own loss of losing his family, then his men turned on him. He became greatly distressed over it. But he didn’t strike back at the men in anger. He understood why they were upset. He understood their gr...

Scripture For The Day   July 20, 2022 "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow"  This week my 6-year-old grandson and I have been traveling an hour away for swim lessons every day. We’ve been having an adventure that’s for sure.  It’s bedtime by the time he gets home. I’ve learned quite a bit about what vehicle and equipment he intends to buy when he gets older. He has it all planned out. He’s been planning it for quite some time but our trips have helped him get it all lined out. 😊 I’ve also been able to tell him stories that my grandpa would tell me about the places that we have been passing from when my grandpa was growing up and my heart was reminded yesterday of how precious time is and how important it is to treasure each moment. Time goes by too fast. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. We don’t know how long we have been given to be here on earth. The Bible reminds us in James 4:14 just how fleeting life can be: “ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For wh...

Scripture For The Day   July 19, 2022 "He's Not Moved. You Have!!!" The Philistines were preparing for war. They were going to attack Israel. Saul and his army were preparing as well. But when Saul saw the enemy’s army, he became afraid. He began to pray to The Lord for help and guidance. But God would not answer him. The Bible doesn’t say that God ‘couldn’t’ answer him. It says He didn’t answer him. God refused to talk to Saul. So, Saul resorted to going to a medium to get his answers. 1 Samuel 28:1-7 Why did God refuse to answer him? He wouldn’t even give him a ‘No’ answer. He ignored Saul completely. Which resulted in Saul seeking answers from the underworld. Does that seem fair? Well, yes it is fair! Saul had not repented of his sins. He was still trying to persecute an innocent man; a man that was loved by God. Saul was still full of arrogance and self-importance. He was not humble by any means. It was all about him. Isaiah 59:2 tells us “But your iniquities ha...

Scripture For The Day   July 15, 2022 "His Banner Over Me is Love"  Song of Solomon is a book of the Bible that many overlook as a book of marital love. But in reality, even though it covers marital love, it also points to the Love of Jesus throughout the book.  Song of Solomon, chapter 2; verses 1-7 speaks of the believers of Christ and how we are clothed in His Righteousness. Could this be the Bride of Christ? Or individuals? We will know for sure one day. But what most of us know is that we are weak on our own. However; with Him we are strong. The other night in Bible Study we were speaking about Jesus being the Vine and we are the branches. A song I sang as a child and have taught my daughter and grandson through the years immediately came to my heart: “He is the Vine and we are the branches, His banner over me is Love”. Another verse of this song says “He brought me to the banqueting house, His banner over me is Love” and that is what we are going to speak abo...

Scripture For The Day  July 14, 2022 "The LORD Looks At The Heart of the Matter"  Last night, before going to sleep I continued reading in my Bible Study, the scriptures of 1 Samuel. I was reminded once again how David, with all his imperfections, loved The Lord with ALL his heart. He messed up but The LORD looks at the heart of the matter. He could be quick-tempered at times. He was lustful. He was a mess. But He Loved The LORD. 1 Samuel 25 - David and his men were out protecting a wealthy landowner’s property but when they asked for food, which was the custom, the arrogant landowner refused with an insult to go along with it: “Who is this, David??? Maybe he is just a slave that ran away from his master. I have supplies but I won’t give them to the likes of you!” David’s response was quick and full of anger “Put on your swords, men. Let’s go” About 400 men went with David while 200 of them stayed with the supplies. But Abigail, the sweet wife of Nabal went to calm David down...

Scripture For The Day   July 13, 2022 Peacemakers, Not Troublemakers  The LORD calls us to be peacemakers. But can we be peacemakers if we harbor arrogance and pride in our hearts? Not likely. It takes a love for The LORD and it takes humility. Not a common characteristic in this day and age. 1 Samuel 24 tells us of a time when David had the opportunity to rid himself of Saul. David and his men were hiding in the desert of En Gedi. Word got back to Saul where David was at, so he took three thousand able young men, not old, not unable, but ready to fight young men. They went to find and annihilate David and his men. While there, they came upon a cave. Saul had to go ‘cover his feet’, which means he had to pee. David and his men were hiding far back in the cave. David’s men were excited. They believed that The LORD had handed Saul right over to David. David crept up unnoticed by Saul and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He didn’t touch him, just his robe. Saul had no cl...

Scripture For The Day   July 12, 2022 "The LORD Looks At The Heart"  The Lord looks at our hearts. Through Sunday School lessons and Bible Studies, The LORD has been speaking quite a bit on how man looks at our outward appearance but The Lord looks at the heart. My grandson and I studied the lesson together as well. We even made a craft of a pretend magnifying glass so we could “look” at each other’s hearts. Before this lesson,  we had been discussing sin and he told me that in one part of his heart was Jesus and the other half was black with sin. I had to explain that it doesn’t work like that. Once we accept Jesus into our hearts, we will still sin, more than we want to. But we won’t want to sin. We will Trust The Lord to help us not sin. But we will still make mistakes. But because of His Sacrifice on The Cross, He washes us clean. He forgives us. He looks at our hearts and that sin is covered.  He knows what we think and feel. He knows when we lie. He know...

Scripture For The Day   July 8, 2022 "Go To The LORD, Once Again!"  Through no fault of his own, David was fleeing for his life. Not because he couldn’t handle it. Not because he was a wimp. After all, he killed a giant and many others with The Help of The Lord. But King Saul was anointed as King. And David didn’t take that lightly. He had respect, even if Saul had no respect for him. But David wasn’t alone. He had an entourage of men that stayed with him.  David was not only responsible for taking care of himself, it was his honor and duty to take care of his men.            1 Samuel 23 tells us that David was once again dealing with enemies. The Philistines were fighting against the city of Keilah. They were robbing the people. David could have looked the other way and minded his own business. But protecting the people was his business. So, he went to The Lord. “Should I go and fight these Philistines?” The Lord answered David, “Ye...

 Scripture For The Day  July 7 th 2022 "The Goodness of God"  Yesterday, my grandson wanted to listen to some Tobymac. We chose to listen to Toby’s new song, ‘The Goodness”. This song reminds us of how Good our God is.  “They keep trying to make Your Glory fade, But I ain’t really sweating what they say. Ain’t no doubt about it, Everywhere that I go You keep showing up Lord, You make me wanna shout it, oh, You’re the Goodness in my life, Lord…” Recently, I have found myself allowing junk to dictate my attitude. You know what I mean? Circumstances, people, frustrations, and well junk. But with the help of The LORD, I have had a change of heart.  I have been refocusing on The One Who knows my heart and still Loves me. I’ve been focusing on The One Who Is The Goodness in my life. I’ve been allowing myself time to focus on His Word and on His Many Blessings in my life. I’ve been seeking His Face and Thanking Him because life is too short and things can change s...

Scripture For The Day   July 6 th , 2022 Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in Ancient Israel with snowcapped peaks that rise just over 9,000 feet above the sea. It has three distinct peaks that are covered with snow most of the year. The range is nearly 30 miles in length and about 15 miles wide. In years past, Mount Hermon was used as a place of worship for pagan gods such as Baal and Pan and Hades. Temple sites have been discovered in the caves. The city of Caesarea Philippi sat at the base of Mount Hermon when Jesus walked this earth. It was there that Peter acknowledged that Jesus was Christ, the Son of the living God. Not a dead ‘god’ but the son of a “living God”. Knowing what I know about this place, his statement is more relevant to the occasion than I ever thought.  Many people still worshipped the Roman gods during Jesus’ time on earth. They would offer sacrifices to appease Hades, who was considered the god of death and the underworld. They were so terrifi...

 Scripture For The Day  July 5, 2022 "Because We Know..."  Back in the day, we not only celebrated our country’s freedom on the fourth of July, but we celebrated my grandparents. It was their wedding anniversary. That day we would gather together like most families to eat and enjoy each other’s company. We often played games. We would always hand crank out some vanilla ice cream. Then that night we kids would pile into the back of grandpa’s pickup and drive to town to see the fireworks with grandma and grandpa. We would lie down in the back of the bed of the pickup on top of a blanket and ooh and aah at all the cool fireworks.  Not once did we think anything bad would happen. Last night, I went with my daughter and grandsons to watch the fireworks. We got there early and sat up our lawn chairs, while the oldest grandson began to make friends. Before the fireworks began, more and more people showed up. Many were people we knew. Some sat down beside us. We would smile ...

Scripture For The Day   July 4, 2022 "Talk About Freedom!"  I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But If I don’t have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy, I may understand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all this, if I don’t have love, I am nothing. I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love forgets the wrongs. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. Love will never end. All other gifts will end, ...

Scripture For The Day   July 1, 2022 "It is Written in the Book of Life"  At 19 years old, he was called to pastor a church. Within just a few months, his ability to preach became well known.  As the custom is for our society, just after he became well known, the attacks began. His preaching was by no means revolutionary but it had a lot of substance in it. He was feeding the congregation meat and many wanted only the bottle, just like churches today. But the congregation grew and they moved to a bigger church.  Haters began to cause disturbances. One day, someone in the crowd yelled “Fire!” and panic ensued which created a stampede and several were left dead. He never got over that. It devasted him. But the congregation grew again and moved again, to their final church, seating 5,000 people and standing room for 1,000 more. He continued to preach until his death. He never gave altar calls at the conclusion of the sermons. But he would always give an invitatio...