Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Turn away So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Later in this chapter, the “desires of the flesh” are described, and first on the list: Sexual immorality. We have daily opportunities to choose to walk by the Spirit and turn away […]
Mon // Surrender :: Idols
Title: Gold statues Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. – Jonah 2:8 “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.” Are we just talking gold statues and ornate shrines here? Is this relevant today? Any […]
Sat // Build :: Kingdom
Title: Included in his kingdom But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33 Jesus often spoke about the kingdom of God during his ministry and continued to talk about it after his resurrection. He suffered, died, and rose from death so […]
Mon // Surrender :: Obey
Title: It will become easier This has been my practice: I obey your precepts. – Psalm 119:56 I’ve been a machinist for thirty years. I work eight hours a day, five days a week, sometimes Saturday’s, 52 weeks a year (except vacation). You do something for that long, you get pretty good at it no […]
Thu // Warrior :: Engage
Title: Our war For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12 We may carry the metaphor of “the sword of the spirit” too far – envisioning […]
Sun // Sacrifice :: Exalt
Title: Real Men exalt God Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. – Psalm 99:5 “Exalt” is not part of my conversational vocabulary. I looked at synonyms and got “elevate” and “glorify.” Not much help. How do we “exalt the Lord our God” in a way that feels natural […]
Sat // Build :: Encouragement
Title: Courage is something we receive Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” – Hebrews 3:13a Courage is something we receive. Most likely your courage was a gift from someone else – possibly years or decades ago, a father, a teacher, a friend or a coach encouraged you. Enabling courage in […]
Sun // Sacrifice :: Worship
Title: My broken life Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. – Romans 12:1b Our word “worship” comes from an Old English word that can be roughly translated “worth-ship.” What do my actions in this body (physical, mental, and emotional) show about where, […]
Wed // Grit :: Committed
Title: Don’t fully understand him Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this… – Psalm 37:5 The “C” word! Why do we fear this? Probably because when we make a real commitment, there will be times that the action it requires may run contrary to our current desires. Making […]
Tue // Fuel :: Prayer
Title: When we pray Pray continually… – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 In our culture “good thoughts” and “positive energy” are synonymous with prayer. But when believers in Jesus pray, we are connecting relationally with the Creator, the Savior and the Helper on behalf of ourselves and others. It’s also important to remember that thinking about praying, […]