RSS

Tag Archives: Jesus

Romans 11:25-36

03 Nov

25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
    and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
27 And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.”

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?
35 And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Romans 11:25-36

Dear God, as I was reading this passage, I found myself asking if Paul could be wrong about any of this. For instance, did you really choose the Jewish people over the other Gentiles, or were the Jewish people, through Abraham and ultimately, genealogically, leading to Jesus, and thereby you reached out to the world and blessed the Gentiles (like me) through the Israelites? so I was wondering that about Paul, and then I got to verses 33-35 and saw that even Paul had a notion that he didn’t completely understand all of your plan. To him, sitting there 2,000 years ago, there was still this great paradigm that the Israelites were your people and the rest of us were just lucky to have your love and interest. I think what Jesus started to shift was the idea that you were really interested in all of us all along. That’s why you sent Jonah to the Ninevites. That’s why you healed Naman in 2 Kings 5.

I will confess that I don’t understand your ways at all, and I could be totally wrong about all of this. It’s possible that you do love the Jewish people more than the rest of us. And if you do, that is fine. To quote the Gentile woman who went to Jesus so he would heal her daughter in Matthew 15:27, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” So I am very happy to be a dog sitting below the table, near you.

Father, help me today. I have fears. I have concerns. I have insecurities. But I really need to live for you. I need to love for you. I need to do this regardless of what it costs me. I need to be a good steward of what you’ve given me. I need to be humble and serve. I need to decrease so that you can increase. And I need to understand that your ways are not my ways, you are greater than I am, and I am just a fool. But I am a fool who at least knows he is foolish. Reveal just a little more of my foolishness to me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 3, 2025 in Romans

 

Tags: , , , ,

1 John 3:1-3

01 Nov

3 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, I thought of the Amy Grant song, “The Now and the Not Yet.”

No longer what we were before,
But not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our compromising,
When He appears,
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

We will be like Him,
For we shall see Him,
As He is.

No longer what we saw before,
But not all that we will see.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our disbelieving,
When He appears (holy, holy),
Our view will clear,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

But I’m caught in between
The now and the not yet;
Sometimes it seems like
Forever and ever,
That I’ve been reaching to be
All that I am,
But I’m only a few steps nearer,
Yet I’m nearer….

No longer what we were before,
But not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our disbelieving,
And He appears (holy, holy),
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

When He appears (holy, holy),
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

Source: LyricFind

I can tell I’m different than I used to be. I can tell I’m growing. But I also know what I’m “not.” And I am at least aware enough to know that there are parts that I’m “not” that I can’t tell that I’m “not.” It feels like a number that approaches zero without ever reaching zero. I’m closer, and it feels good to be closer. It feels great to be closer. But the closer I get the father away I sometimes feel because I get a clearer picture of the “not yet.”

Father, draw me one step closer to you today. I’m about to spend at least 12 hours with a good friend. Help us to sharpen each other and grow closer to you through our time together. Minister to him through me. And minister to me through him. And I have some people on my heart this weekend. Please be with them. Be in their hearts. Reveal yourself to them. Help them to choose the narrow gate. You know the specifics of what I’m vaguely saying here. Lead us, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, closer to the “not yet.”

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 1, 2025 in 1 John

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Habakkuk (Part 2)

31 Oct

1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision.

Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry,
but you do not come to save.
3 Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look,
I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people
who love to argue and fight.
4 The law has become paralyzed,
and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous,
so that justice has become perverted.

The Lord’s Reply
5 The Lord replied,

“Look around at the nations;
look and be amazed![a]
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[b]
a cruel and violent people.
They will march across the world
and conquer other lands.
7 They are notorious for their cruelty
and do whatever they like.
8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs[c]
and fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their charioteers charge from far away.
Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.

9 “On they come, all bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind,
sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10 They scoff at kings and princes
and scorn all their fortresses.
They simply pile ramps of earth
against their walls and capture them!
11 They sweep past like the wind
and are gone.
But they are deeply guilty,
for their own strength is their god.”

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal—
surely you do not plan to wipe us out?
O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us,
to punish us for our many sins.
13 But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.
Will you wink at their treachery?
Should you be silent while the wicked
swallow up people more righteous than they?

14 Are we only fish to be caught and killed?
Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?
15 Must we be strung up on their hooks
and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?
16 Then they will worship their nets
and burn incense in front of them.
“These nets are the gods who have made us rich!”
they will claim.
17 Will you let them get away with this forever?
Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?

2 I will climb up to my watchtower
and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
and how he[a] will answer my complaint.

The Lord’s Second Reply
2 Then the Lord said to me,

“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
3 This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.

4 “Look at the proud!
They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.[b]
5 Wealth[c] is treacherous,
and the arrogant are never at rest.
They open their mouths as wide as the grave,[d]
and like death, they are never satisfied.
In their greed they have gathered up many nations
and swallowed many peoples.

6 “But soon their captives will taunt them.
They will mock them, saying,
‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!
Now you will get what you deserve!
You’ve become rich by extortion,
but how much longer can this go on?’
7 Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
They will turn on you and take all you have,
while you stand trembling and helpless.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
and filled the towns with violence.

9 “What sorrow awaits you who build big houses
with money gained dishonestly!
You believe your wealth will buy security,
putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.
10 But by the murders you committed,
you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.
11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you,
and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

12 “What sorrow awaits you who build cities
with money gained through murder and corruption!
13 Has not the Lord of Heaven’s Armies promised
that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes?
They work so hard,
but all in vain!
14 For as the waters fill the sea,
the earth will be filled with an awareness
of the glory of the Lord.

15 “What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk!
You force your cup on them
so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
16 But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced.
Come, drink and be exposed![e]
Drink from the cup of the Lord’s judgment,
and all your glory will be turned to shame.
17 You cut down the forests of Lebanon.
Now you will be cut down.
You destroyed the wild animals,
so now their terror will be yours.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
and filled the towns with violence.

18 “What good is an idol carved by man,
or a cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation—
a god that can’t even talk!
19 What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say,
‘Rise up and teach us!’
Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
but they are lifeless inside.
20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”

Habakkuk’s Prayer
3 This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk:

2 I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
remember your mercy.

3 I see God moving across the deserts from Edom,
the Holy One coming from Mount Paran.
His brilliant splendor fills the heavens,
and the earth is filled with his praise.
4 His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from his hands,
where his awesome power is hidden.
5 Pestilence marches before him;
plague follows close behind.
6 When he stops, the earth shakes.
When he looks, the nations tremble.
He shatters the everlasting mountains
and levels the eternal hills.
He is the Eternal One!
7 I see the people of Cushan in distress,
and the nation of Midian trembling in terror.

8 Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers
and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
9 You brandished your bow
and your quiver of arrows.
You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
10 The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.
The mighty deep cried out,
lifting its hands in submission.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky
as your brilliant arrows flew
and your glittering spear flashed.

12 You marched across the land in anger
and trampled the nations in your fury.
13 You went out to rescue your chosen people,
to save your anointed ones.
You crushed the heads of the wicked
and stripped their bones from head to toe.
14 With his own weapons,
you destroyed the chief of those
who rushed out like a whirlwind,
thinking Israel would be easy prey.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
and the mighty waters piled high.

16 I trembled inside when I heard this;
my lips quivered with fear.
My legs gave way beneath me,
and I shook in terror.
I will wait quietly for the coming day
when disaster will strike the people who invade us.
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.

(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Habakkuk

Dear God, I’m following up on a prayer on Habakkuk I did a few weeks ago. I want to teach a Sunday school lesson on it in a couple of days, so I want to pray this morning as I get my thoughts organized for it. But I’m going to reference the prayer from October 5 to be reminded of what I worked out with you then.

I think the breakdown is pretty easy. There will be seven parts to the lesson:

  1. Introduction and set up the book. Habakkuk 1:1
  2. Habakkuk’s complaint: Habakkuk 1:2-4
  3. God’s response: Habakkuk 1:5-11
  4. Habakkuk’s second complaint: Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
  5. God’s second response: Habakkuk 2:2-20
  6. Habakkuk’s prayer: Habakkuk 3
  7. Our response

Set up the book:

First, I want to quote Walter Kaiser from the Mastering the Old Testament book that covers Habakkuk among other minor prophets.

The clearest evidence for dating the book of Habakkuk is in 1:6, which mentions the Chaldeans. This new world power had just destroyed the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 B.C. It then scored a decisive victory of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605 B.C. It is likely that this book was written just before 605 B.C., for the prophet was told that God was going to do a work in his time of such magnitude that no one would believe it if they were told about it this (1:5). God would use the Babylonians (1:6), a nation that was by no means a threat or a world empire at the time, to judge Judah’s sin. This would be astonishing, to say the least.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

  • Confusing times. Has there ever been anyone, from Adam and Eve until now, who didn’t think they were living in confusing times? You, Father, are never in confusing times. You know exactly what is going on.
  • Are there any words in verses 2-4 that we think could be prayed now?
  • What kind of violence did Habakkuk know and had he seen compared with the kind of violence we have personally experienced?
  • Taking our American glasses off for a second, could this prayer be legitimately prayed by people today?

God’s response (1:5-11)

  • God tells Habakkuk to look around and be amazed. Would God’s words comfort you if you were Habakkuk?
  • We have the benefit of knowing that the Babylonian exile will last a long time and will then be followed by the Persians about 70 years later–beyond Habakkuk’s life. How do you feel about Habakkuk never seeing an answer to his prayer during his earthly life?
  • Do you think there are times we have prayers that God is answering in a way that is slower than we will have a chance to see his plan? Can we be at peace with that?

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint (1:12-2:1)

  • Habakkuk is concerned this conquest will wipe out Israel.
  • Is it really God’s plan to use evil people to correct Israel?
  • Habakkuk does not like the idea of Israel being humiliated at the hands of Pagans.
  • Are there limits to what God will allow to happen to those he loves in order to correct them and bring them back to himself?

God’s Second Response (2:2-20)

  • God gives more details about what will happen
  • Look at verse 2:4b: But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. Do you think righteous people died in the process of the Babylonian conquest? How do you feel about the idea that righteous people died as a part of God’s plan to correct the unrighteousness of Israel as a whole?
  • The conquerors will have their day, but it will be limited. But “limited” is a relative term. We measure time in days, weeks, and months while God measures time in years, decades, and centuries. Some of the Babylonians will be born, live, and die as powerful abusers while some righteous Israelites will be born, live, and die as slaves. Is that okay?
  • Are there areas of our worldview that it is hard to have patience for God’s plan to flesh out?
  • In my translation, God says, “What sorrow awaits…” 5 times (6, 9, 12, 15, and 19) Will there be Babylonians who never experience the sorrow while alive?
  • How does that apply to now?

Habakkuk’s Prayer

  • Humble worship
  • He asks for mercy
  • He has a vision of God’s might and power
  • He has a vision of God’s ultimate salvation
  • Do you think his vision for Israel’s ultimate redemption fit into the paradigm of the redemption Jesus would bring?
  • Read chapter 3 again, but thinking about Jesus.
  • How does envisioning Jesus as God’s ultimate answer for Israel’s salvation change how you read this passage?

Our Response

  • How does today’s reading of Habakkuk impact how we see the “confusing times” we are living in today? Personal lives? Community/state/country/world?
  • Does it change how we should pray for these things?

Father, I think this is what you have for me to bring this Sunday school class on Sunday. I pray that you will guide the discussion. Guide me. Holy Spirit, move in my heart, in the hearts of the people in there, and in that room on that morning. Prepare all of our hearts now for this discussion so that each of us might be in the place you need us to be so that we can hear from you and the seeds you plant might find fertile soil.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 31, 2025 in Habakkuk

 

Tags: , , , ,

Psalm 120:1

30 Oct

1 I took my troubles to the Lord;
    I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.

Psalm 120:1

Dear God, I sat down to pray this morning, and while I started with the New Testament reading today, which is from Romans 8 about what can separate us from your love, this is the verse that came to mind. I was in bad shape yesterday morning. But my wife prayed for me. I called out to you. I think others might have prayed too. Regardless, you helped me a lot. I can’t say that the reality of things changed that much, but you strongly supported me. You loved me. You gave me a supernatural strength and hope that I hadn’t felt before.

I really don’t know who I would be now without you. I don’t know who I would be if I hadn’t started doing these prayer journals 25 years ago. I mean, if I were trying to do this stuff myself through my own willpower and strength…I think I would just be a mess. But, if nothing else, I am grounded in you. I am anchored to you. So in the midst of the storm and the buffeting waves, I have something onto which I can hold. I don’t have to turn to idols that burn and are destroyed. I have you. I have you, my Father and my God.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, you were all really there for me yesterday. Thank you. You are there for me every day, but yesterday was a special day. I really needed you yesterday. And I really need you today, but in a different way. My own spirit is doing okay, but now I need your provision of grace, love, and mercy to be in everything we do at our nonprofit. Make it a day of mercy.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 30, 2025 in Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Romans 8:26-30

29 Oct

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Romans 8:26-30

Dear God, oh, how I need your prayers this morning. I need you to pray, Holy Spirit, beyond what my words can conjure. Beyond what my mind knows needs to be prayed. Beyond my knowledge of your will. I need you to ordain my steps today. I need you to guide my thoughts, control and designate my words, and comfort me in the process. I need your courage. I need your strength. I need your eyes so I can see. I need your ears so I can hear. I need your presence to surround me. I need your forgiveness for my failures and failings. I have let you down. I have let others down. I am sorry. Help me to not let you or others down today. Help me to do every single thing I need to do through your power and within your will. Holy Spirit, please be the presence of the Father and Jesus with me today. Please, Holy Spirit. And thank you that this happened to be the New Testament reading for the Church today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 29, 2025 in Romans

 

Tags: , , , ,

1 Peter 1:17-20

28 Oct

17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

1 Peter 1:17-20

Dear God, my first response to this passage from Peter was to say that I just don’t think about my eternal reward when I wake up in the morning or make my decisions about how to act or whether to worship you during the day. I just don’t think about it. Honestly, if I just lived and our souls died when we die I’d be okay with that.

But then I got to thinking about Peter’s audience. I got to thinking about the people around the world who currently suffer for you and your name. Their faith costs them pain and suffering. If that were my life, then, yes, I can see where I would need a reason to intentionally accept suffering in this present life. It’s very smug of me to say that I don’t need eternal glory or rewards to follow you because, honestly, following you in my present life not only doesn’t cost me anything but it also plays to my advantage to some extent. So in some ways, I get rewards now for living for you in my current culture.

Father, I am sorry I do not better appreciate the suffering of other Christians around the world. I don’t pray for them enough. I don’t pray for the people persecuting them at all. Perhaps it’s a lack of empathy. I had a friend tell me yesterday about a personal tragedy that I’ve experienced myself in the past. Tears came to my eyes as she told me about it. Why? Because I could empathize with her, at least to some extent. It took me back to the pain I felt, and I hope that just my ability to relate and offer heartfelt sympathy was at least a little bit of a comfort to her. So for my brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering or afraid for their lives because of their faith, I pray that they will have a great place in your kingdom. I will gladly serve them one day. I pray for their persecutors. Give them eyes to see. Stop them in their tracks. Bring them to repentance and a place where they will submit to you. Please reveal to me if there is anything I should be doing to glorify you in the lives of others today. Show me how to encourage. Show me how to love. Show me how to sympathize beyond my ability to relate.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 28, 2025 in 1 Peter

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Luke 13:10-21

27 Oct

10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”

20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Luke 13:10-21

Dear God, these last two parables about the mustard seed and the yeast are interesting to consider when they are accompanied with the Sabbath healing story before them. And, for Luke, they are part of the same story. Luke makes it seem like Jesus said these words right after he challenged the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. So who is the mustard seed? Who is the yeast? I think it’s Jesus. I think he’s the one growing into a tree for us. I think he is the yeast in our lives and then in the world. And he was right. His life became Christianity, which I think is the largest religion in the world.

Okay, I just looked it up. Apparently, Christianity is 2.4 billion people and Islam is 1.9 billion. It said Judaism is only 15 million, so we will consider that as part of the rounding error for Christianity and say that 4.3 billion people about of the earth’s 7-ish billion people trace their faith back to Abraham. That seems very “yeast-y” of you. Maybe there’s something to this Yahweh. Maybe you’re really there, growing in us. Sometimes unhealthily. Sometimes we taint you, misrepresent you, and even pervert what you’re trying to do in us with our own selfishness and insecurities. We are very flawed, after all. But when you are doing your thing in us and we are doing the simple thing of loving you and loving others, it’s remarkable.

Going back to the things I get frustrated with people over, I hope the things that frustrate me are the things that frustrate you. I hope we are aligned in that way. I know you got frustrated and continue to get frustrated (even with me), so I think it’s okay for me to be frustrated. I just need to be frustrated by injustice, lack of mercy, unkindness, and meanness. If I start allowing myself to get frustrated because someone isn’t following a legalistic rule I think they should then I just need to pray for them that they will work it out with the Holy Spirit. I guess I just need your discernment at any given time.

Father, I adore you. I lay my life before you. How I love you. Jesus, I adore you. I lay my life before you. How I love you. Spirit, I adore you. I lay my life before you. How I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 27, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Luke 12:35-38

21 Oct

35 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! 38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

Luke 12:35-38

Dear God, what does it look like to be ready? Am I ready? How do I get myself ready?

The first word that comes to mind is perseverance. I once heard Gary Thomas say during a Sacred Marriage presentation that one of the keys to anything in the Christian life is perseverance. He said that he never hears sermons on it, but it’s critical.

So what does perseverance look like in a life well-lived? First, starting with the spiritual aspect of my life, it means disciplining myself to find this time with you. It also means doing the other things I determined were the least I need to do each day/week to live a life that is complete in you.

  • Do my prayer journals each day
  • Give at least 10% of our income
  • Listen to outside Bible teaching at least once a week
  • Spend quality time with my wife every day
  • Stay sexually pure
  • Volunteer and serve others outside of my job
  • Stay in touch weekly with my male friends
  • Exercise at least four times a week
  • Serve my wife

Coming up with that list almost 14 months ago has been a great thing for me. It has really helped me to be accountable to you on the things I must persevere through in order to be “ready” for your return or when I meet you through death. The only way I will die at peace is not through accomplishing things, but through having persevered in doing at least these minimum things plus the other joys you have put into my life that add on to them like teaching/writing, being part of a church community, listening to Christian music/podcasts, etc.

Father, I have some work to do this morning that combines a “have to” (volunteering) and a “get to” (teaching). I need to finish preparing my lesson for the Christian Men’s Life Skills class tonight. Be with me as I finish this process. Plant seeds through me. Prepare the hearts of the men to hear your word, take it, and let it grow in their hearts. Give me one word that might bless someone there tonight. And do what you need to do in me as well. And I pray for my co-teachers for tonight, my coworkers today, and how I interact with all of them. Be powerful. Be loving. Be merciful. In me. To me. Through me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
1 Comment

Posted by on October 21, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Luke 18:1-8

19 Oct

18 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Luke 18:1-8

Dear God, I have a couple of things I’ve prayed about for years and years, and they haven’t been answered in the way I want them to be answered. Why not?!? I put that exclamation point in their intentionally even though I don’t really mean it. I’ve prayed about you not giving me the answer I want before, so I don’t want to go there. What I’ve finally come to is that answering my prayer the way I want it answered would either not be the best for the people I’m praying for or for myself.

So, in relation to this parable, that leaves me with continuing to pray. Continuing to bring my heart to you. But I shouldn’t just pray for what I want. I should let your Holy Spirit mold my prayers into looking for what is best for those I love and for your plan regardless of what it costs me. And that is where I am, at least in this moment. I’m leaning into Acts 20:24 (I consider my life worth nothing to me…). I’m here to do your bidding. You aren’t here to do mine. Yours isn’t to figure out how you can indulge my selfishness. Yours is to love me and offer me relationship with you and then eternity with you, and to accomplish everything you can through my life in the meantime.

Father, as I sit here now, I ask that you not let the pain and sorrows of my life be wasted. Use them. Use them for your good in the world. Use them for those I love, to draw them into you and help them lead whole lives in relationship with you. Use them to mold me into the man you are calling me to be. My wife and I were talking about Moses raising his staff during Joshua’s battle with the Amalekites. When the staff dropped the Amalekites had the advantage. But when your staff in Moses’s hands was high the Israelites had the advantage. Why? Because it was your reminder to them that their victories were about you and not them. So help me to remember that everything good is from you and everything that is a challenge is not of you but you want to walk with me and support me through it. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 19, 2025 in Luke

 

Tags: , , , ,

Leadership

18 Oct

Dear God, I am supposed to be helping teach a class on leadership this coming Tuesday. I’m puzzling over it a little. As I think about the definition of leadership and examples of leadership (both good and bad) in the Bible, I wonder how I should really approach this with the men in the class on Tuesday.

Here are the Bible stories that have disjointedly occurred to me:

  • David and Goliath: Young David setting the example for the older soldiers and Saul.
  • David and the two opportunities he had to kill Saul.
  • David leading his men with the intent to kill Nabal (example of bad leadership).
  • David honoring Israel’s anointed king (both Saul and then Ishbosheth).
  • David not dealing with Amnon’s rape of Tamar (example of bad leadership).
  • Naomi leading her daughters-in-law after their husbands die.

I could go on and on with Old Testament examples, but David is a nice mix of good and bad. When it comes to the New Testament, the gospels give several examples:

  • Herod’s killing of the innocents (example of bad leadership).
  • Joseph caring for Mary and Jesus regardless of what it cost him.
  • James and John wanting to sit at Jesus’s right and left hand in heaven (example of bad leadership).
  • Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
  • Jesus telling James and John not to cast down fire on the Samaritans.
  • Jesus helping Martha understand what’s important.

Again, I could go on and on–especially about Jesus. Yeah, there are zero examples of bad leadership from Jesus. How could there be?

Father, help me to prepare to teach this class, and teach me through this. I’ve been struggling with my own leadership at work lately, and I feel like I could use these lessons as much as anyone. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see. Be glorified through me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 18, 2025 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →