Friday, December 1, 2023

Friday, December 1, 2023
Galatians 5:14
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love and respect for other people, even if you don’t know them or like them, is what keeps the world going. It’s what keeps families together, friendships alive, and it’s what turns enemies into friends. If you and I can’t forgive one another over earthly quarrels, why would you ask for Christ to forgive you for an entire lifetime? The commandments God gave His people… do not lie, do not steal, do not covet… you naturally abide by them when you love the people in your life. And it’s not about who deserves what; at the end of the day, we all deserve the same thing. Instead, it’s about taking the love, mercy, and forgiveness Jesus showed you, and paying it forward to others.

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Thursday, November 30, 2023
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

What is right, and what is wrong? Who decides what’s moral or immoral? If you take God out of the picture, as most of the world does, there is no lawgiver to determine what is objectively good or evil. Morals would be an invention of mankind, varying from culture to culture, which would mean there is no gold-standard of right and wrong. Every action would be equally valid, and equally meaningless. This is the perspective that many in our world today hold, but the Living God makes it clear: woe to those who call evil good and good evil. It’s a mixed-up world out there, but everyone has a conscience that informs them deep down of what’s right and wrong, and on the day of judgement, no one will have an excuse.

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.