Hey there! I just wanted to start by saying that I hope that you are having an awesome day! For Purdue Students, it's the monday before spring break! But of course, all the professors think it is necessary to put a test the week before spring break so for most of us, including myself, this week is going to to be stressful. So i just wanted to provide everyone with a little study break perhaps, and more importantly a quick refresher about God! Let's do it!
So the title of todays post is Feed My Sheep. Not literally. For one that would be very creepy and two I do not own sheep so good luck with that one. Before we really start getting into the good stuff, I wanted to open things up with an awesome video I found on youtube (and for those of you out there wondering, no I did not go to youtube and search for sheep videos. I had already seen this one.)
WATCH THIS AWESOME LINK BEFORE YOU CONTINUE READING.
Who knew you could have so much fun with sheep? Major props to those guys though. Last week, I posted something called chasing, and I just gave a brief intro into the question, "What are we chasing?" A lot of times, I think that we get caught up in the world and we end up chasing something that we know can never bring us an everlasting joy like Jesus will. That was a quick recap of last week. This week, I want to turn our attention to this verse:
John 21:17 "The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.""
So here Peter is, standing around talking to Jesus, and Jesus pops the question on him, "Do you love me?" First of all, this is a big question coming from anybody, but coming from Jesus, the Savior of the Universe, God's own son, this is HUGE! And to add insult to injury, Jesus goes on to ask the same question two more times! So now Peter is dejected and just like of course! I've said it twice before what are you looking for. And it's really interesting what Jesus's response is. He doesn't say, "Good, just making sure," or "Haha got ya I know you love me." Instead, He simply says, "Feed my sheep." I can picture the other disciples or anyone else who heard this exchange looking around scratching their beards. What sheep is Jesus talking about? And what do you feed sheep? But in these three words, Christ gives us so much. It is a command on how we should live our lives, and not just any command, but if you delve deeper into it, you can really see where Christ was coming from.
Oswald Chambers, a christian author, rights a devotional called My Utmost for His Highest. I got the idea for this blog from one of his devotions, but I thought that the concept was so true that I had to share it with anyone who was willing to read it. Jesus calls us to feed his sheep. Well who are his sheep exactly? I can't sit here and tell you exactly who the sheep you are supposed to feed are, but I can tell you that Jesus has some pretty extraordinary sheep. Not every sheep is going to be pristine, white, and flawless. Oswald Chambers describes these are sheep in this way. He says, "some sheep are going to be unkempt and dirty, some are awkward and pushy, and some have gone astray." However, God loves each of them nonetheless and His command for us to feed them. We are to practice God's overflowing love and carry out His commands, regardless of who the sheep is or what it has done.
When we look at is this way, we can clearly see that the love that we are supposed to be practicing, the love of God, doesn't focus on any prejudices or attitudes that we bring to the table. We have all of these preconceived notions about who people are supposed to be, act, and live, that sometimes we allow these notions to get in our way from practicing God's true love. This kind of threw me for spin because so many times, I think that I try to show God's love to somebody, but in most cases, it is always within my own bounds. THE LOVE OF GOD KNOWS NO BOUNDS! It does not judge, it is holy and pure, and it is something that we should strive for everyday.
I have to get going now, and I hope that some of this makes sense. Think of how much of a better place we could make your environments if you were constantly aware of trying to demonstrate the true love of Christ. I want to leave you all with a verse that I read today that really made me excited and got to me.
Romans 8:37 - "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
We are conquerers in Christ. Have a great day and a great rest of your week!
Your brother in Christ,
JD
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Chasing
As I was at Brunch Bunch this past Sunday, I had the opportunity to talk to two of my friends about my plans for the future and some of my goals I would like to see accomplished. We talked about what the balance was between having our own goals and completely trusting in God's plan for our lives, or if there is even a balance. Coming into college, I had all of these goals and plans for this career/lifestyle that were being more fueled by my personal desires, and since then, I've really tried to align my desires with those of God, and to try to follow the path that he has for me. This isn't always easy, because it's not like God has this neon sign pointing here that say, "This is the way to go!", but with faithful prayer, I think that we can learn what God has planned for our lives.
So one of the responses that got raised at brunch about this conversation was, "How do we know what God wants us to do?" As I said in the line before, obviously prayer has a huge part in it. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 calls us to "Pray Continually." If we look back through the bible, the people who seemed most in line with God's calling were the ones who talked to him the most.
I think that one of the most important things to realize is that even though God didn't highlight and define the specific path that we are supposed to follow, He still instructs us on how we should live our lives. In 1st Peter 1:16, God says that, "for it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy."" This is such a strong command, that packs so much into so few words. With this statement, God basically tells each of us the standard to how we should live and conduct ourselves.
This got me thinking. Are we really pursing God and attempting to "Be Holy?" or are we trying to match up to the worlds standards, while being a generally good person? So I guess the question of this becomes, what are you chasing. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Passion Conference this past January, and Louie Giglio spoke one night about freedom, and what it meant to have true freedom. So many of us are trying so desperately to obtain this sense of freedom, and in that desperate search, we begin to fill our lives with things that we think will give us that feeling. The way that Louie described it was imagine if we had this chain that we carry around with us. The chain is our desire to get this "true sense of freedom" that the world does such a good job of telling us we need. We go around attaching our chain to different ideas, to other people, or to relationships. The list is endless, but what it boils down to is that most of us are so willing to attach ourselves to anything besides Jesus. And I guess my question is, why do we chase after things of this world, when Jesus is the only one who can break all of our chains and set us completely free.
Why do we need the world now when we are given a paradise in Heaven?
Along with God calling us to be holy, he also calls us to be perfect. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect." At first, I was a bit put off by this verse, because the bible very clearly says that we are all sinners, and that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. So why would God call us to do something that He then goes on to say is virtually impossible because we are all sinners. After a lot of thought and talking with some friends, I think that God had to call us to perfection. If He called us to anything less, eventually, someone somehow would reach that level. So He calls us to perfection, not because he is trying to make life impossible, but because with Him, life is possible and that is what we should be striving for. A perfect and holy lifestyle.
That's all I have for right now, but as you go throughout this week, try to stop and think about what or who you are chasing. If the answer to that question is anything but God, then try to identify what you have latched your chain around and begin to break the hold that is separating you from a satisfying life in the pursuit of God.
We are a house of Worship.
JD
So one of the responses that got raised at brunch about this conversation was, "How do we know what God wants us to do?" As I said in the line before, obviously prayer has a huge part in it. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 calls us to "Pray Continually." If we look back through the bible, the people who seemed most in line with God's calling were the ones who talked to him the most.
I think that one of the most important things to realize is that even though God didn't highlight and define the specific path that we are supposed to follow, He still instructs us on how we should live our lives. In 1st Peter 1:16, God says that, "for it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy."" This is such a strong command, that packs so much into so few words. With this statement, God basically tells each of us the standard to how we should live and conduct ourselves.
This got me thinking. Are we really pursing God and attempting to "Be Holy?" or are we trying to match up to the worlds standards, while being a generally good person? So I guess the question of this becomes, what are you chasing. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Passion Conference this past January, and Louie Giglio spoke one night about freedom, and what it meant to have true freedom. So many of us are trying so desperately to obtain this sense of freedom, and in that desperate search, we begin to fill our lives with things that we think will give us that feeling. The way that Louie described it was imagine if we had this chain that we carry around with us. The chain is our desire to get this "true sense of freedom" that the world does such a good job of telling us we need. We go around attaching our chain to different ideas, to other people, or to relationships. The list is endless, but what it boils down to is that most of us are so willing to attach ourselves to anything besides Jesus. And I guess my question is, why do we chase after things of this world, when Jesus is the only one who can break all of our chains and set us completely free.
Why do we need the world now when we are given a paradise in Heaven?
Along with God calling us to be holy, he also calls us to be perfect. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect." At first, I was a bit put off by this verse, because the bible very clearly says that we are all sinners, and that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. So why would God call us to do something that He then goes on to say is virtually impossible because we are all sinners. After a lot of thought and talking with some friends, I think that God had to call us to perfection. If He called us to anything less, eventually, someone somehow would reach that level. So He calls us to perfection, not because he is trying to make life impossible, but because with Him, life is possible and that is what we should be striving for. A perfect and holy lifestyle.
That's all I have for right now, but as you go throughout this week, try to stop and think about what or who you are chasing. If the answer to that question is anything but God, then try to identify what you have latched your chain around and begin to break the hold that is separating you from a satisfying life in the pursuit of God.
We are a house of Worship.
JD
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Day 3
January 25th, 2011
Today was a challenge, but it was good nonetheless. I am determined to live my life in a manner so that other people can see the gospel through me. Yet sometimes, that is so hard to do. Case in point would be my physics lab today. Nothing seemed to be going right, and we got really behind schedule. I could have used the situation for His glory; however, I let my frustration get the best of me. This was my biggest struggle today, and it is something that I definitely need to get better at. Today's reading was from Mark 13 and Acts 9. These are both great chapters, and they are really different from each other. Here are my highlights:
Mark 13
Mark 13:10 'And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.'
One of the questions that I always like to ask myself is 'If the rapture came now, would I be ready to go?' I live trying to make sure that the answer to this question is yes. This verse really hit me and made me realize that it isn't necessarly if I would be ready to go, but if 'they' would be ready to go. There are so many people who have never even heard of the name of Jesus Christ, and if we believe in a literal hell, we can't sit and be idle, when those people will end up going there.
Mark 14-25 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’[a] standing where it[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken
This was crazy! I never really knew all of the terrible things that would happen right before Jesus comes.I can't imagine having to wear my faith through these sorts of trials, and that scares me. Would my faith hold up?
Mark 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'
This is a really cool way to end this chapter. After Jesus goes through detailing all of the terrile things that will happen, and just after he gets done telling us that no one, not even himself, knows the end of time date, he gives us one very simple command. Not to guess, speculate, or prepare, but simply to watch. In everything we do, watch for His glory, His presence, and His power.
Acts 9
Acts 9:5 '"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whome you are persecuting," he replied.'
I just thought this verse was neat because Saul specifically asks 'Who are you Lord?'. So he knows its the Lord, but he still asks. I think that that is a really cool thought. Also, you see Jesus answering him not indirectly or any other way, but by simply saying 'I am Jesus.' Those three words have so much power.
Acts 9:15 'But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel."'
This IS SUCH AN AWESOME VERSE. First of all, you have God's command to Ananias: 'Go!'. That is awesome in and of itself. Then I love the idea of the chosen instrument. God has a plan for each and every one of us. God chooses us as his instruments to join in the symphony around us, bringing praise and glory to Him.
Acts 9:31 'Then the church throughuot Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.'
I really liked this verse, especially the very last part where it describes the churches as living in the fear of the Lord. I need to make sure that I live in the fear of the Lord everyday!
Acts 9:40 'Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes and seeing Peter she sat up.'
Okay so not only does Peter raise someone up from the dead here just by telling her to get up, but I really like the first two ideas of this verse. One, Peter makes everyone get out, because he knows that he needs his time with God. Secondly, Peter gets on his knees in prayer. This is how it should be done!
Closing verse for the day:
John 15:16 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.'
~Goes along with the instrument idea.
Closing prayer for the day: Pray that God would use you as His instrument, and that you would live in the fear of the Lord.
JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
Today was a challenge, but it was good nonetheless. I am determined to live my life in a manner so that other people can see the gospel through me. Yet sometimes, that is so hard to do. Case in point would be my physics lab today. Nothing seemed to be going right, and we got really behind schedule. I could have used the situation for His glory; however, I let my frustration get the best of me. This was my biggest struggle today, and it is something that I definitely need to get better at. Today's reading was from Mark 13 and Acts 9. These are both great chapters, and they are really different from each other. Here are my highlights:
Mark 13
Mark 13:10 'And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.'
One of the questions that I always like to ask myself is 'If the rapture came now, would I be ready to go?' I live trying to make sure that the answer to this question is yes. This verse really hit me and made me realize that it isn't necessarly if I would be ready to go, but if 'they' would be ready to go. There are so many people who have never even heard of the name of Jesus Christ, and if we believe in a literal hell, we can't sit and be idle, when those people will end up going there.
Mark 14-25 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’[a] standing where it[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken
This was crazy! I never really knew all of the terrible things that would happen right before Jesus comes.I can't imagine having to wear my faith through these sorts of trials, and that scares me. Would my faith hold up?
Mark 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'
This is a really cool way to end this chapter. After Jesus goes through detailing all of the terrile things that will happen, and just after he gets done telling us that no one, not even himself, knows the end of time date, he gives us one very simple command. Not to guess, speculate, or prepare, but simply to watch. In everything we do, watch for His glory, His presence, and His power.
Acts 9
Acts 9:5 '"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whome you are persecuting," he replied.'
I just thought this verse was neat because Saul specifically asks 'Who are you Lord?'. So he knows its the Lord, but he still asks. I think that that is a really cool thought. Also, you see Jesus answering him not indirectly or any other way, but by simply saying 'I am Jesus.' Those three words have so much power.
Acts 9:15 'But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel."'
This IS SUCH AN AWESOME VERSE. First of all, you have God's command to Ananias: 'Go!'. That is awesome in and of itself. Then I love the idea of the chosen instrument. God has a plan for each and every one of us. God chooses us as his instruments to join in the symphony around us, bringing praise and glory to Him.
Acts 9:31 'Then the church throughuot Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.'
I really liked this verse, especially the very last part where it describes the churches as living in the fear of the Lord. I need to make sure that I live in the fear of the Lord everyday!
Acts 9:40 'Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes and seeing Peter she sat up.'
Okay so not only does Peter raise someone up from the dead here just by telling her to get up, but I really like the first two ideas of this verse. One, Peter makes everyone get out, because he knows that he needs his time with God. Secondly, Peter gets on his knees in prayer. This is how it should be done!
Closing verse for the day:
John 15:16 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.'
~Goes along with the instrument idea.
Closing prayer for the day: Pray that God would use you as His instrument, and that you would live in the fear of the Lord.
JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
Monday, January 24, 2011
Day 2
So, today was not the best of days. For starters, it was super busy. It seemed like all of my homework and stress came crashing down today, and I wasn't really ready for it, so it offset my mood a bit. But I know with God's grace, and his strength, I'll do better tomorrow. Anyways, I continued my reading tonight, and so I would just like to share a couple of things that I took away from the scripture tonight.
Mark 12
Mark 12:25 'when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.'
I really liked this verse, because it gave me a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. I have known that in heaven, we are going to worship God, but I didn't really consider that nothing else would have any relevance at all, such as marriage. It's an awesome way to think about it, and it makes me even more excited for heaven.
Mark 12:37 'David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with delight.'
What an awesome example of how we are to go after Jesus Christ. Mark says that the people listened to him with delight. When do we ever sit with God and simply listen with delight to what he has to say. Why do we always seek advice from everyone around us besides Him? He should be our go-to-guy.
Mark 12:44 'They all gave out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty.'
Tithing has never been one of my strongest suits; however, I think that this verse hits it nail on the head. It's not hard to give out of your wealth. What is hard is to give when you don't have anything, when that gift will cause detriment to your person. That is the true essence of giving.
Acts 8
Acts 8:16-17 ' because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.'
This verse is tricky, because I think that many of us believe in receiving the Holy Spirit by baptism. But here in Acts, it clearly defines that the Holy Spirit came as a result of the laying on of hands upon the people. How powerful is that!
Acts 8:35 'When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.'
This verse is sooo cool for two reasons. The first is that the Spirit of the Lord simply takes Philip and teleports him to a new place. The second awesome thing about this verse is that even though Philip disappeared, the eunuch felt strongly enough to go on his way. He knew what he believed in and from now on out, he didn't need anyone to lead his life but God.
Well that's all the thoughts I have on todays scripture. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you can get something from it!
Closing verse for the day: Acts 8:35
Closing Prayer idea: Pray for focus on God and his glory.
JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
Mark 12
Mark 12:25 'when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.'
I really liked this verse, because it gave me a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. I have known that in heaven, we are going to worship God, but I didn't really consider that nothing else would have any relevance at all, such as marriage. It's an awesome way to think about it, and it makes me even more excited for heaven.
Mark 12:37 'David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with delight.'
What an awesome example of how we are to go after Jesus Christ. Mark says that the people listened to him with delight. When do we ever sit with God and simply listen with delight to what he has to say. Why do we always seek advice from everyone around us besides Him? He should be our go-to-guy.
Mark 12:44 'They all gave out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty.'
Tithing has never been one of my strongest suits; however, I think that this verse hits it nail on the head. It's not hard to give out of your wealth. What is hard is to give when you don't have anything, when that gift will cause detriment to your person. That is the true essence of giving.
Acts 8
Acts 8:16-17 ' because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.'
This verse is tricky, because I think that many of us believe in receiving the Holy Spirit by baptism. But here in Acts, it clearly defines that the Holy Spirit came as a result of the laying on of hands upon the people. How powerful is that!
Acts 8:35 'When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.'
This verse is sooo cool for two reasons. The first is that the Spirit of the Lord simply takes Philip and teleports him to a new place. The second awesome thing about this verse is that even though Philip disappeared, the eunuch felt strongly enough to go on his way. He knew what he believed in and from now on out, he didn't need anyone to lead his life but God.
Well that's all the thoughts I have on todays scripture. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you can get something from it!
Closing verse for the day: Acts 8:35
Closing Prayer idea: Pray for focus on God and his glory.
JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Day 1
So today, I am going to pick up where I have been reading, and that is in Mark and Acts. I set out to read a chapter of each book a day. So today, my reading was Mark 11, and Acts 7, and woah! There is so much packed into these two chapters! I want to go through and just highlight some of the things that stuck out to me. By the way, I have a NIV bible, so bear along if your version is not the exact same!
Mark 11
Mark 11:2 'saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one had ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.'
This verse in and of itself is really cool, but the part that stuck out to me was when it describes the donkey as one 'which no one had ever ridden.' When I think about this, it's such a neat image, the fact that Jesus, the Savior of the Earth, chose to ride into Jerusalem on a beast that no one had ever ridden, both symbolizing his divinity and humility. Awesome image!
Mark 11:14 'Then he said to the tree, 'May No one ever eat fruit from you again."'
This verse is definitely weird, and in context with Mark 11, it doesn't really seem to fit in. However, for me, it served to sort of remind me of just how powerful Jesus is. Also, this verse serves as a turning point in Mark 11. From verse 14 to verse 19, we see this anger displayed through Jesus, first at the fig tree, and then at the merchants in the Temple. It's like this verse is a gateway into another side of Jesus that we don't often see: His anger.
Mark 11:24-24 'I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'
Now this verse is some powerful stuff. We have the image of THROWING mountains into the sea, and then we have Jesus telling us that if we believe in what we ask for in prayer, we will receive it. Just like that. This definitely helped me see my prayer life with a new sense of vigor.
Acts 7:25 'Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.'
So up until this point in Acts 7, we have Steven standing before the Sanhedrin and brushing them up on a little bible history. However, this verse really stood out to me, because I think that sometimes today, I feel the same way. I think and almost expect that the people around me realize that God is using me to help them. However, a lot of people don't realize that. And truth is, I need them, as they are the ones who teach me.
Acts 7:49 '"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?"'
Okay so this hit me like a bulldozer. Especially the line where God asks 'What kind of house will you build for me?' I get chills just thinking about it.What kind of house am I building? Hopefully one that is sturdy.
Acts 7:52 'Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-"
There ya go Steven! Steven flips from talking about the history of the bible to this accusing outburst! The part that really stood out to me was when talked about persecution. As Christians, Christ says that we will be persecuted as he was, but how many of us, especially in the United States really undergo this persecution, these trials? It's definitely something to think about!
Closing verse for the day: Isaiah 45:22 ~ "Turn to me and be saved all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."
Prayer idea: As Acts 7:49 said, ask God what kind of house you are building for Him.
~JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
Mark 11
Mark 11:2 'saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one had ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.'
This verse in and of itself is really cool, but the part that stuck out to me was when it describes the donkey as one 'which no one had ever ridden.' When I think about this, it's such a neat image, the fact that Jesus, the Savior of the Earth, chose to ride into Jerusalem on a beast that no one had ever ridden, both symbolizing his divinity and humility. Awesome image!
Mark 11:14 'Then he said to the tree, 'May No one ever eat fruit from you again."'
This verse is definitely weird, and in context with Mark 11, it doesn't really seem to fit in. However, for me, it served to sort of remind me of just how powerful Jesus is. Also, this verse serves as a turning point in Mark 11. From verse 14 to verse 19, we see this anger displayed through Jesus, first at the fig tree, and then at the merchants in the Temple. It's like this verse is a gateway into another side of Jesus that we don't often see: His anger.
Mark 11:24-24 'I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'
Now this verse is some powerful stuff. We have the image of THROWING mountains into the sea, and then we have Jesus telling us that if we believe in what we ask for in prayer, we will receive it. Just like that. This definitely helped me see my prayer life with a new sense of vigor.
Acts 7:25 'Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.'
So up until this point in Acts 7, we have Steven standing before the Sanhedrin and brushing them up on a little bible history. However, this verse really stood out to me, because I think that sometimes today, I feel the same way. I think and almost expect that the people around me realize that God is using me to help them. However, a lot of people don't realize that. And truth is, I need them, as they are the ones who teach me.
Acts 7:49 '"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?"'
Okay so this hit me like a bulldozer. Especially the line where God asks 'What kind of house will you build for me?' I get chills just thinking about it.What kind of house am I building? Hopefully one that is sturdy.
Acts 7:52 'Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-"
There ya go Steven! Steven flips from talking about the history of the bible to this accusing outburst! The part that really stood out to me was when talked about persecution. As Christians, Christ says that we will be persecuted as he was, but how many of us, especially in the United States really undergo this persecution, these trials? It's definitely something to think about!
Closing verse for the day: Isaiah 45:22 ~ "Turn to me and be saved all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."
Prayer idea: As Acts 7:49 said, ask God what kind of house you are building for Him.
~JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
Intro
Hello! Welcome to Carry His Name! This blog is something that I feel like the Lord has put on my heart to write and committ to, and so every day, I am going to be sharing my thoughts on the scripture that I read for that day, and any opportunities that I had to carry His name forth for that day. I'll share a bible verse for the day and one thing to pray for. I pray that God gives me the strength and the determination to keep with this, and that He uses this in ways that I could never even imagine.
JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
JD
2nd Corinthians 4:6
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