New Testament

Old Testament Books
New Testament Books

Matthew 5:17 ~ "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

Jesus did not get rid of the Old Testament.
His mission was not to get rid of the Law.
The mission was to get rid of our sin, and make us perfect regarding the Law. 4/18/18

Matthew 6:33 ~ "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

I am the worst about trying to follow rules and making sure others are following them. I've always liked rules.
But rules are hard. You have to not only know the rules, but more, you have to understand the rules.
But ALL the rules can be covered with understanding that by chasing God, His righteousness, and His Kingdom you are also keeping His Law. 4/20/18

Matthew 11:28 ~ " Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

So many of us try to be "good enough," to gain approval from God, but the better you become the more you realize God's standard is even higher.
Jesus gives rest from this, even though you will still strive to be more like God everyday, Jesus made it possible. 3/10/18

Matthew 16:18 ~ "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Peter had just affirmed that Jesus was the Christ, God's Son.
This truth is unflinching and the rock that the Christian church is built on.
And the "gates of hell shall not prevail..." too many times we let hell bring the fight to the church, but the church should be taking the fight to hell. 4/15/18

Matthew 18:18 ~ "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

Jesus is not a runner-up in power, therefore there's no good reason for Him to be runner-up in your life. 2/25/18

Matthew 25:31 ~ "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne."

As a follower of Jesus, this is what I have to look forward to.
Non-believers should look on this day with horror. 4/17/18

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,"

This is not optional. This is not only for ordained ministers. This is as much your command as it is Billy Graham's.
We have no excuse. This is what followers of Christ are called to do, and Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." 1/22/18

Mark 16:15 ~ "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.""

In order to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation we must GO and not delay.
Notice this is not a request, but a command. It is not optional. 1/26/18

Mark 16:18 ~ "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

"WHOEVER" not few, or some or most, but this is open to WHOEVER.
If you hear the gospel you are eligible, but it's up to you at the end of the day. There is nobody else to blame. 5/1/18

Luke 4:18 ~ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,"

I want to fit this description. 4/21/18

Luke 14:1 ~ "One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully."

They watched Jesus closely, but not so they could imitate His actions. Rather they were looking for reasons to attack Him, or expose Him as a false teacher.
Similarly, you and I are watched by the lost for a variety of reasons.
Some are looking for something to attack us with, some are curious as to why we are different. Still, others are genuinely interested in learning more about Jesus, because of the life we live.
Bottom line: Live for Jesus, because people are watching us, and what they see could impact eternity. 1/27/18

John 1:1 ~ "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

The Word is explained as Jesus Christ in the next verses. Jesus was with God in the beginning, He was not created.
God back and look at Genesis 1:26 and God says, "Let us make man in our image." (emphasis added)
Jesus didn't come to be as the little baby born to Mary, He Was, He Is, He Will Be.
Or as He said, "I AM." 1/28/18

John 1:3 ~ "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Jesus is quite literally the Word of God in a human body.
Jesus was with God in the beginning when earth was created.
As creator He has power and authority over His creation. 4/14/18

John 1:7 ~ "He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him."

Jesus, put the Word of God into a living example for us to see what following God looks like.
And, His example was IMPRESSIVE. More than that, it was earth changing.
He was the witness about light and truth, but men loved darkness instead of the light. (John 3:19)
4/7/18

John 1:9 ~ "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world."

Jesus came to allow everybody to see the truth. That does not mean that everybody acknowledges Him as truth, but He gives them the opportunity to do so.
It's up to us to let the world know about the Light. 2/20/18

John 1:12 ~ "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"

Don'y miss the obvious... "Him," "His," and He.
The focus is not on your nor me, but it's all about HIM!!! 2/18/18

John 1:14 ~ "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

This verse goes really well when read after John 1:1.
God's word took a human form, to live out the standard God set.
He didn't have to do this, but He chose to accept the limitations of man in order to provide salvation for us. 2/28/18

John 1:29 ~ "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

If He can take away the sin of the entire world, surely He can handle yours. 4/10/18

John 2:15 ~ "And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables."

Jesus took the time to make a whip, before He showed His anger at the people around Him.
This was not Jesus flying off the handle, but it was His example of appropriate use of righteous anger.
Appropriate... Controlled... Righteous... Anger
4/30/18

John 3:3 ~ "Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”"

We are born slaves. Slaves to instinct, passions, and desires... Sin.
Nobody who is in captivity to sin can gain eternal life. It is only the ones who leave that bondage and become servants of a new master... Jesus.
And Jesus is a much more kind servant than our former master. 2/26/18

John 3:5 ~ "Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

Jesus was very clear and consistent in His teachings.
Clearly you must be born again to inherit eternal life WITH God. 4/8/18

John 3:16 ~ "“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Probably the most famous verse of the Bible, perhaps so used that we ignore it now.
God loves us.
He made great sacrifices for us.
Believe in Him.
Eternal life will be granted.
It's so simply, but so profound. 2/12/18

John 4:24 ~ "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Don't have so much emphasis on the traditions and aspects of "playing church."
God is truly worshiped based on the heart of the worshiper. 3/26/18

John 5:24 ~ "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."

So Simple and what Great news!!! 5/6/18

John 8:32 ~ "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The verse before tells what we must do to know the truth. Abide in the words of Jesus.
Jesus is the truth and He frees us from sin, but many don't realize they aren't free.
Go tell them. 3/20/18

John 8:44 ~ "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

It's really simple. When Satan opens his mouth a lie comes out.
He desires to corrupt the things God created, including you and me.
Satan+open mouth=lies 4/25/18

John 10:10 ~ "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

How many times does Jesus have to tell and show us that He is working for our best interest before we believe Him?
This may not be what we consider "our best interest," but ultimately He is working for our good.
It just may take a while before we understand it. 2/27/18

John 13:34 ~ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

It's easy to talk about, but much harder to do.
If you follow Jesus, you will do what he said and did.
And, He Loved Big.
Let's do the same. 3/25/18

John 14:1 ~ "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me."

Jesus deserves and demands our faith. It's not optional, it's fully required. 3/7/18

John 14:6 ~ "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.""

Another of the most famous verses in the Bible, and it is also very clear.
If you want a relationship with Goad and eternal life with Him, Jesus is the answer you are looking for. 2/13/18

John 14:15 ~ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

A common thing today is for "Christians" to want to avoid hell, but ignore the commands of Jesus.
It doesn't work that way. He becomes your Savior and LORD, there isn't a menu to choose what you like about Jesus.
If you love Him, you will do what He said. 3/22/18

John 14:16 ~ "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever"

The Holy Spirit is often left out of the conversation when we talk about God and Jesus.
But every time Jesus spoke of Him, Jesus placed great importance to the work the Holy Spirit would be doing.
We need to rely more on the Holy Spirit to do His job, and work along with Him. 4/2/18

John 14:26 ~ " But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

Don't let fear of messing up stop you from witnessing or defending your faith.
Trust God and the Holy Spirit to help you through it. 5/5/18

John 16:13 ~" When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

The Trinity is hard to understand, but even without understanding it fully we can learn a great deal.
God, Jesus, nor the His Spirit claims superiority in their relationship.
Instead, they all point to the other two as more significant than themselves. We should follow their example much more than we do. 4/22/18

Acts 1:8 ~ "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus did not say, "you might receive power," or "some of youwill receive power." He clearly said, "you will."
When the Holy Spirit comes on you, there is no denying that you are HIS!
Now if you are His, you have received the Holy Spirit. And, if you've received the Holy Spirit it is your job to be His witnesses.
What are you waiting for? 1/29/18

Acts 2:38 ~ "And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Once again there is no "you might get the Holy Spirit," or "some of you will get the Holy Spirit," or even "most of you."
His wording is plain. Repent of your sins, be baptized, receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes as well.
Therefore if you are His, you have the Holy Spirit. If there is no Spirit in you then you are not His. 2/16/18

Acts 4:12 ~ "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The bottom line is: you can look as long and far as you want to, but you aren't going to find another salvation.
Jesus... Period. 3/1/18

Acts 17:11 ~ "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

Everything you hear, read or see from a pastor or anybody else teaching on the Word of God, you should go to the scriptures to make sure the message lines up with God's Word.
If the message doesn't line up with God's Word, disregard and dig deeper.
Never, Never, Never take somebody's word that "The Bible says..."
This is one of the reasons having a copy and knowing it inside and out is so important. 4/16/18

Acts 20:28 ~ "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood."

Pastors are not to take their calling lightly and the church is to understand their pastor's elevated calling to lead them.
The heart condition of both is key to a thriving body of believers. 4/23/18

Romans 1:16 ~ "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Christians have the best news of all time, but many are afraid of sharing it because...
- We don't want to offend
- We know we aren't living like we believe it.
- We are shy/scared
- And sadly, because we're too busy and forget.
Take your pick of excuses, and they still won't outweigh the importance of sharing the gospel. 3/13/14

Romans 1:18 ~ "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."

God's existence is written all over everything we see.
The amount of faith required to believe in the absence of God is no less than the amount of faith to believe in God.
It really comes down to where you place your faith. 4/11/18

Romans 3:10 ~ "as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one"

It's why we need Jesus, because we couldn't and can't be righteous alone.
Only through Jesus to we become righteous. 5/2/18

Romans 3:23 ~ " for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

We may not like this being pointed out to us, but the truth can't be avoided.
Not once have I had to teach my child to do wrong. Why? Because ALL sin and fall short. 1/30/18

Romans 5:1 ~ "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The good things you do for God are not what saves you.
Your faith in Jesus Christ saves you, and because of what jesus did for you it compels you to work for Him.
But, don't be confused, your good works for the kingdom of God are RESULTS of your salvation, they are not what caused you to be saved. 3/11/18

Romans 5:8 ~ "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

There is no test or list of work requirements to earn God's love.
He already loves us, even while we are in the worst part of our existence. 2/23/18

Romans 5:12 ~ "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned"

Adam chose himself over God, in doing so he ensured the "sin-gene" would be passed to each of his descendants... you and me.
We sin, we die, we need help.
God sent Jesus, help given, death conquered, sin's debt has been paid... all by Him. 3/9/18

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

We have earned and deserve death, but with the greatest display of mercy, Jesus stepped in and offers us life. 2/15/18

Romans 8:1 ~ "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Jesus = Life.
Jesus takes your sin and covers it... COMPLETELY.
If you are in Jesus you are no longer condemned, but confirmed. 3/15/18

Romans 10:13 ~ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It's not complicated... 3/19/18

Romans 8:28 ~ "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a]for those who are called according to his purpose."

The key is how you understand "good."
This verse is not about wealth, health, and prosperity. Rather, it is all about God and HIS plan for you.
Although the plan may not seem good at that exact moment, trust Him, and know ultimately it is good. 2/19/18

Romans 10:9 ~ "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I like how this verse doesn't say, "confess Jesus as Savior," or anything similar to that.
Where most people are most concerned with the "get out of hell" part they miss a very important aspect of Christianity.
You are accepting Jesus as Lord and He is to be the commander of your life, not simply your fire insurance. 2/14/18

Romans 10:17 ~ " So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

We HAVE to take the gospel to the world.
To sit back is unacceptable, and it is allowing people to die and go into eternity without Jesus as their savior.
If a man dies and is never told about Jesus, and doesn't learn about Him from a miracle that man dies GUILTY of his sins.
And we sit back and hope somebody else will do it.
Aren't you glad whoever led you to Jesus didn't sit on the best news in the universe?
"GO TELL" 4/19/18

Romans 12:1 ~ "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

We belong to God, and because of that we owe Him our everything, even that which we hold most dear. 2/22/18

Romans 10:9 ~ "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I like how this verse doesn't say, "confess Jesus as Savior," or anything similar to that.
Where most people are most concerned with the "get out of hell" part they miss a very important aspect of Christianity.
You are accepting Jesus as Lord and He is to be the commander of your life, not simply your fire insurance. 2/14/18

Romans 12:2 ~ " Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Don't choose a path simply because it has the least resistance.
Make the choice because it's God's will and therefore the right thing to do. 3/6/18

Romans 13:1 ~ "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

Humble submissiveness, to our rulers and leaders. It's hard, and we don't like it.
BUT, that is one of the many things Jesus taught us by His example. 4/27/18

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ~ "9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

This verse is thrown around a lot recently because of its outright declaration that homosexuality is a sin.
BUT, the very people using it for that reason ignore the extremely long list of sins included in the verses around it.
I doubt there is a person on the planet that could look at this list and walk away blameless.
These verse are not to point out the sins of one group of people, but to point out the sins of every person.
And by pointing those out, the verses point us to the only way back to God and that is through Jesus. 1/31/18

2 Corinthians 5:17 ~ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

When you accepted Jesus and Lord and Savior, a transformation began in your life. Jesus took you, who was a slave to sin and made you into a new person, free from sin, and in service to Him.
The old excuses of, "I'm only human," and "everybody sins," don't work for us. We are new, no longer tied to sin as we once were, but chained to Jesus. 1/20/18

Galatians 2:20 ~ "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

As believers in Jesus we have to sacrifice the idol of ourself, and become His.
We want to do things our way, but when you come to Jesus you give that up to a very large extent.
By being His you are agreeing to do things His way, and His ways are not normal for us. 2/1/18

Galatians 5:22-23 ~ "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

I have never seen a law pass to make people stop doing the things on this list.
So what's stopping us? 3/2/18

Ephesians 2:1 ~ "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins"

We must never forget that we were already dead, in line for eternal separation from God, but He stepped down to rescue us.
We were not "mostly good" before we accept Christ, we were inclined toward evil.
Nobody had to teach us to lie, instead we had to be taught honesty.
We committed high crimes against God, and He offers us a pardon anyway. 3/28/18

Ephesians 2:8 ~ "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God"

God's mercy and your faith. God does the work, and you believe He has. There is no great achievement that you must do to be saved.
It's only up to you to accept the gift. 2/2/18

Ephesians 4:11 & 12 ~ "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ"

Jesus didn't leave us to figure everything out on our own, but He gave us people with certain gifts, who could help us learn and put that learning to action.
Always to build His kingdom not our own. 3/8/18

Ephesians 6:10 ~ "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might."

We don't have to be strong on our own, or rely on own power.
It's His power and strength we need to rely on.
And, have faith in Him to take care of us in EVERYTHING. 4/26/18

Philippians 2:5 ~ "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus"

Always be considering what is best for others. Don't make decisions simply because it's what best for you.
Have a "Me Last" mentality, which is really to say... aa Jesus Mentality. 4/9/18

Philippians 2:13 - “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Don’t be confused about how things work for us believers, God is not here for us to use to work for our wants, desires etc, but we are His to work for His desire, will, plan, and pleasure. 12/5/17

Philippians 3:13 ~ "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,"

This is one of my favorite verses. So many people, me included, have the tendency to get caught up in their past. Those who accomplished something good lean on that good deed, and those who have done bad are crippled by that mistake.
GOOD or BAD we must let go and strive for what's ahead and never be satisfied with where we were. 12/8/17

Philippians 4:6 ~ "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

It's a lot easy to tell people to do this than it is to do it yourself.
The older I get the harder it is for me not to worry. It's as though the more I learn, the more I know that could go wrong.
It is hard, and gets harder up to this point in my life, hopefully I will eventually learn enough to become wise enough to hand all my worries right over to God. 4/12/18

Philippians 4:11 ~ “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

It takes faith, but this is essentially what Job 2:10 and Job2ten is about, giving God honor, praise, glory, and ourselves in all circumstances.
It doesn’t matter what we are going through, it’s temporary and God has eternity in mind. 12/11/17

Philippians 4:13 ~ " I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

This verse has become one of the most quoted, especially among athletes.
It is important to look at the ver before it to get the context of what Paul is saying.
Paul says, " I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."
If you're asking God for strength to accomplish something, are you also submitting to His will to be brought low? 3/27/18

1 Thessalonians 2:3 ~ "For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive"

The message we a given to tell the world has not been made to sound pleasing or convincing to those who are lost.
The message comes quite simply from The Truth.
Take care not to "sweeten" the message you've been given charge of, but always make sure it is in line with the original message Jesus gave. 2/4/18

2 Thessalonians 1:5 ~ "This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering"

Most people are concerned when they are going through hard times, but a better concern would be when you aren't going through difficulties.
Could it be that the enemy has no reason to trouble you, because you're already out of the game? 2/5/18

1 Timothy 3:4 ~ "He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,"

The members of your house are your first responsibility. Before you go out looking for more, excel with those closest to you. 1/19/18

2 Timothy 2:15 ~ "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

Christians have been given a great task. We are expected to take the gospel to the world.
When believers stand before God there will be an audit of sorts, inspecting to see how you spent your time, resources, and heart into the spreading of God's Word.
Be sure that you stand before God, not ashamed, but as somebody who worked diligently to carry the good news. 3/14/18

2 Timothy 3:16 ~ "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,"

Notice that Paul doesn't say, "some scripture," he says ALL is the Word of God.
The problem comes when men use scripture to fit their wants, desires, and schemes, but look at what scripture is good for.
Teaching, to express disapproval, to correct, and to train people how to be like God.
It's not for gaining money or power for yourself. 1/21/1

Philemon 1:4 ~ "I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers"

We all have people in our lives that contribute so much to our happiness and joy. But, how often do we tell them how appreciated and loved they are?
Today take the time to tell that person or those people in your life how much they mean to you. They deserve it! 1/24/18

Titus 2:11 ~ "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people."

Jesus came to offer every person on the planet hope, love, and eternity.
We have to take it to the world.
But, Jesus is not only for people who look, act, talk, and think like us. 4/24/18

Titus 3:5 ~ "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,"

It is such a strange concept that we can do nothing to save ourselves from the consequences of our sin. We can do nothing to come to God.
It is only because of what He has done that we are able to come to Him.
God created us, Jesus died and was resurrected for us, and the Holy Spirit draws us. 1/23/18

Hebrews 4:12 ~ "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Rely less on your reasoning or creative skills to bring people to Jesus.
God's Words and the Holy Spirit are much better equipped for it.
Don't underestimate the use of God's Word to win people to Jesus. 4/4/18

Hebrews 11:1 ~ "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Faith is one of the hardest things to describe and comprehend.
Some people have used the example of "knowing/trusting" that a chair will support your weight, and I suppose that works to a degree.
But faith is more than believing or knowing Jesus is the Truth in your head. It's believing, knowing, and trusting so completely it moves to to act on it. 1/25/18

Hebrews 11:6 ~ "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

You can't find God unless you have faith.
You can find evidence of Him in people around you, in nature, and even science
BUT, there is a level that you must accept by faith that He is God of the Universe. 5/4/18

Hebrews 12:1 ~ "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us"

What's holding you back from living your life to win people to Jesus?
It could be quite a few things: fear, laziness, apathy?
The one I would guess most of us struggle with is distraction. There is so much to do in a day that we get distracted from the only thing that is eternal... people. 4/13/18

James 1:9-11 ~ 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

We don't seem many rich people boasting about humility, but then again we don't realize that if we are reading this from our home we are some of the richest people in the world.
This verse is a good reminder of what happens to all the things we work so hard to obtain.
Don't become so caught up in advancing at work and socioeconomic status that you lose sight of Jesus.
Never lose sight of things that are eternal and things that are temporary. 12/14/17

James 2:10 ~ "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it."

It is not enough to keep most of God's Laws, nor is it enough to be better at keeping His Law than most people.
It doesn't even matter if you keep the "big" commands and only slip on the "small" ones.
Once you break the smallest command of God, you are a Law breaker, in need of a Savior.
See more about this by going to The Question.

James 5:16 ~ "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Throughout the Bible we are told, reminded and given examples of the power of prayer.
Yet, many times we fail to use our greatest power.
When in doubt, pray. When things are good, pray. When things are bad... pray.
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) because the prayer of a righteous person has power. 4/5/18

1 Peter 2:15 ~ "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people."

Do good. By being different from the rest of society you are setting yourself apart, and because you're doing good (or godly) things people will have a hard time criticizing you and your faith. 1/19/18

1 Peter 3:15 ~ "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,"

There is only one way to do this truly and effectively and that is to read God's Word.
And for somebody to ask us for a reason, we need to live His Word. 1/18/18

1 Peter 3:18 ~ "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit"

And He can do the same for us, killing our lives of sin, but giving us life in spirit. 2/11/18

2 Peter 3:9 ~ "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

Some wonder why God doesn't go ahead and throw some vengeance on their enemies and wipe the enemies of God off the map.
First, understand that all of us were once enemies of God.
Second, God wants all to come to Him, which is expressed through His patience by not destroying those against Him.
Instead of wanting God's revenge on the lost, go witness to them, and maybe more can be added to His kingdom. 1/21/18

1 John 1:9 ~ "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

We can't do anything about our sin.
This is a very hard lesson to learn, but it is something we must give over to Jesus and allow Him to do His work. 2/6/18

2 John 1:6 ~ "And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it."

If you are not obeying Jesus's commandments you need to do a self check-up to see if you actually converted to Christianity. The New testament is very clear, especially John's writings, if you love Jesus you will keep His commands.
The commands are simple, if not very easy. Love God and Love People. 2/7/18

3 John 1:4 ~ "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

This would be a dream come true for my children to be walking in the truth, and I think that our Heavenly Father is just as pleased, if not more so, when He sees us walking in Him. 2/8/18

Jude 1:4 ~ "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

Grace, when fully understood, will not be taken advantage of.
Then again, if you are trying to take advantage of grace your heart is most likely not right with God. 2/9/18

Revelation 3:20 ~ "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

Jesus does the work, He comes to you, He beckons for you to allow Him in, but He will not force you.
It is your choice to make, but He is waiting... 2/10/18

Readings and the Thoughts that followed