Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Wednesday, November 29, 2023
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Studying your Bible is imperative, because what could be a more important read than God’s book? This verse from 2 Timothy drives that point home. And yet, many Christians largely ignore Old Testament in their Bible reading and skip straight to the New Testament. But when this verse was written by the apostle Paul, the New Testament didn’t yet exist; the “Scripture” that Paul spoke so highly of was all the writings from Genesis to Malachi, which together set the stage for everything that would come in the time of Jesus. The story of how God would save the world didn’t start in Matthew, but instead in the earliest pages of history. If you want to know Jesus better, you must look at the whole picture.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There are a lot of questions about the original world God designed. If there was no death and no sin, could accidents still happen? Did all animals eat plants? Did Adam and Eve get sunburns? However it worked, God said it was good: earth was a paradise where all of His creations would live in peace. That paradise was cursed by death, decay, and sin, but through Christ we’ll be in paradise again one day, just like the thief on the cross. You were born into an unfair world as a sinner, deserving death, but because you were made in His image, the free gift of God is yours if you accept Him and believe in the Son whom He sent.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Monday, November 27, 2023
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We are a mixed bag; sometimes we do good, and sometimes we do evil. Our spirit, dedicated to Christ, wants to follow His commandments and be a light in a dark world, but our selfish human nature wants to do the exact opposite. We will never able to do enough good to cancel out the sin in our lives, because what’s happened, happened, and we will most certainly mistakes again. But we can fight every day to outdo evil with good. There’s evil in the world, but God created us for good works. Be who He created you to be and do the things He created you to do.

Friday, November 24, 2023

Friday, November 24, 2023
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Peter emphasized how important it is for Christians to be unified by earnest love. Earnest love isn’t surface-level; it’s genuine and selfless, not seeking to gain anything, but to give instead. It’s doing good to your enemies, forgiving those who haven’t apologized, and reconciling with those who don’t deserve it. That kind of love was exemplified best by Christ, who even as He was being crucified, prayed that His tormentors would receive grace. Don’t simply be polite or pretend to be nice just to get by. Love the people in your life earnestly, echoing the love Jesus had for those whom He owed nothing.

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Thursday, November 23, 2023
2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Thanks be to God for everything that we have! For this country, for our families, our friends, and the food He has put on the table. Thank Him for this last year of life, with all its ups and downs that even now are being woven into God’s story. But most of all, be thankful for the inexpressible gift of Jesus Christ: God’s ultimate gift to mankind, which bought you freedom from guilt and shame, and eternal paradise with the One who loves you. When the Lord made you, He made you in His image, and the same breath of life that He breathed into Adam is in your lungs today. It was His love for you that held Christ on that cross, so that we could eat and drink and laugh at His table forever.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Wednesday, November 22, 2023
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The good things in the world… a warm house, a warm family, and warm food… they are all gifts. God meant for us to enjoy them, and be thankful for them, because good things were a part of His original design for the world. But Paul urged all followers of Christ to be thankful even when the going gets tough. After all, this life is a vapor… it’ll pass before you know it, and then a new Heaven and a new earth awaits! Enjoy all the time that God has given you, and all the gifts He has blessed you with, whether you have just one thing to be thankful for, or a hundred.