Bible Verse of the Week

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) "For we are all God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

It's so awesome to think about the fact that God created us to do good things... we are His masterpiece! And when we trust Him and put our faith in Him - when we rely on Him only, He shapes us and molds us and refines us. And He entrusts us to do the good things that He alone planned for us to do even before we were born! 

Are you trusting God today and letting Him use you to accomplish His purposes?

Bible Verse of the Week

Daniel 1:10-16 (ESV) "And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king." Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see." So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days..."

For those of us who have read this passage before, we know that after the ten days, Daniel and his men were stronger and healthier than the other youths. When I read this passage, I begin to ask myself this question: "How am I stewarding the body that God has given to me? Am I taking care of it? Am I treating it as a temple? Am I allowing myself to enjoy the rich things the Lord has blessed me with, while still being faithful to what the Lord has entrusted me?"

Bible Verse of the Week

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Reading this verse really got me thinking... "if God were my boss, would I ____?" Guess what? He IS my boss... and He is omnipresent and omniscient. That means He knows what I'm doing, when I'm doing it, and my motivation for doing it. My job is to work as if I was working for Him.

So if I'm a hairdresser, I should cut every person's hair as if I were cutting the Lord's hair. If I'm a business-man, I should show up to work on-time and prepared (let's be honest, we'd never want to be late for unprepared for a meeting with the King!) We are working for the Lord. And while the world may tell us that "it's ok to just ____", the Bible clearly tells us in these two verses that we are to work hard, doing everything as if we were working for the Lord.

Today, as we go through our day, let's pay closer attention to our motivations for what we do and how we do it.

Bible Verse of the Week

1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.

I'm sure entire sermons have been written about this one verse in Corinthians, so my short paragraph probably won't do this verse justice!

First, I love the way The Message translates verse 12 - it says "Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims."

There are several times prior to this passage where Paul repeatedly attempts to move people away from an attitude of "It's all about me" to a focus on the one who calls and saves them. What he is saying is that Christ does not set us free so that we can do whatever we want to do; Christ sets us free so that we can do whatever God wants us to do.

The trap of focusing too much on our own freedom is this: what we start to do freely (because we want to, like to, or whatever the reason) can become our master. So, for example, I can indulge in fatty foods and ignore a healthy diet - but the risk I take is that can begin to dominate my life - so that I am no longer free. Or I may love to shop so much that I eventually rack up tons of credit card debt - it can become such an addiction that you are no longer master over it - it becomes master over you. The Lord can set us free from these dominations, but even though we may be freed from these, the way back to health or a balanced budget will still be long and hard.

Let's examine our lives this week and ask the Lord to show us things that we have allowed to master us - let's ask Him for His grace in these areas - to set us free - and to give us strength to continue down the path of daily sanctification.

Bible Verse of the Week

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Our thoughts matter! Paul writes this verse to the Philippian Church and challenges the Philippians to live wisely. And that means taking every thought captive. When we spend time thinking about God's word, we can't help but focus on true, pure, and lovely things. What's one thought that you need to replace this week with something right, noble, and admirable?

Bible Verse of the Week

Nehemiah 6:9 "For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking 'Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.' But now, O God, strengthen my hands."

In this passage, Jerusalem was working to rebuild it's walls, and its enemies were trying to frighten them into quitting. I love this verse, because what is reminds me is that God has called me to do a work.  Whether it's my job or something else, discouragement will come. It's when we take on the tasks that God has called us to that others, namely the Enemy, will work against us.  People living in disobedience or even Christian mediocrity don't always respond well to those who are pursuing excellence. That's ok... shake it off, and continue doing what God has called you to do with greater determination!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bible Verse of the Week

1 Timothy 4:7-9 (NLT) "Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true and everyone should accept it."

This verse is pretty self-explanatory and yet so packed with truth! How's your spiritual "work-out" going? Are there areas where you need to "lift" heavier or "run" harder?

Bible Verse of the Week

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Earlier this year, our student ministry was going through a purity series. We were teaching our students the importance of guarding their hearts and their minds. It's so easy to get caught up in the things we see on TV - to think that it's all about how we look, what we own, how big our house is, how fast we can run, etc. And the truth of the matter is - we were designed for SO much more than that. When I was reading these two verses, a light bulb came on - my body is a temple. As a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in me. Wow. How often do I treat my body poorly - filling it with food that is unhealthy for me, eating to excess, or not eating enough. How diligent am I about working it out and keeping it strong so that I can continue to minister to those whom God has called me to, without feeling too tired or worn down to do so. My body is a temple - not just my mind and my heart, but all of it. What one change can you make this week to begin treating your body as the temple God designed it to be?

Bible Verse of the Week

Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

These were the verses I repeated to myself over and over again while we were preparing our daughter for the surgery that she didn't end up needing (refer to last week's verse for an update on her).  I knew that there was nothing that I could do - it was completely in God's hands. I had to trust that our surgeon and his team would do their best and that The Master Surgeon (God) would care for and repair my baby girl. Was that easy to do? Absolutely not!

When we're reading these verse, I think it's super-important to distinguish what Paul means by "anxious". You see, worry and anxiety are very different than concern and excitement. Being concerned about something and making plans to address those concerns (like retirement, saving for a new car, etc.) is not the same as anxiety. Anxiety and worry occur when our concerns become all-consuming and debilitating. It puts the focus on me instead of on God, and it oftentimes robs us of the joy of life's experiences (like when I'm so worried about how I look or how my house looks that I'm robbed of the joy and the rest of the fellowship of the friends who have come to see me).

So how do we stop worrying? Paul's prescription is this: be thankful, pray, and let God replace the worry with peace! We can be confident that God will always provide what is best for us (not necessarily what WE think is best for us, but what HE knows is best for us... remember, we can't always see the big picture!).  I'm so thankful that He is in control!

Bible Verse of the Week

Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

This verse held so true for my family this week. My 2-month old daughter was recently diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia. We were told that she needed surgery and needed it sooner than later. Well, our doctor came and got us 5 minutes after the surgery started and told us that he felt like our prayers had been answered. Long story short, what two different surgeons thought was a herniated or a weakened diaphragm was actually a much smaller area that was vacant of muscle. If you are like me, that doesn't seem any better, but the spot where the muscle is missing is very small, and our doctor expects the muscles around it to grow and fill the vacant space. He has told us that the current condition is asymptomatic, so we will schedule a few more exams to monitor her progress over the next 18 months, but are likely in the clear. No surgery!!

When my husband would pray for healing for our daughter, I was skeptical. The morning of her surgery, I asked the Lord to forgive my skepticism and to do whatever He thought was best. The Lord did immeasurably more than I ever could have imagined, and we were so blessed by His grace! Is there an area of your life where you are doubting God? Is there something that you need to turn over to His hands? He may not answer the way we would always like, but He is God, and He is Good, and He is able to do more than we could ever imagine!

Bible Verse of the Week

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

I just love these verses that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. Athletes undergo grueling discipline and must have self-control in order to win their events. If athletes can do this for an earthly reward that they can't take with them when they die, how much more so should we as servants of Jesus Christ work to be disciplined and self-controlled? For unlike the athletic crown, our victor’s crown will affect us forever and ever. Hearing Jesus say “Well done!” is no small matter. Think about that for just a moment. Only what we do for Jesus Christ will last... forever and ever and ever. Forever is a long time. And we only have a limited number of days to invest in eternity. In what areas of your life do you need to exercise self-control and discipline?  What is one change that you can make today?

Bible Verse of the Week

Philippians 2:12 "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."

"During a physical 'workout', you exercise to develop your body, not to get a body. When you 'work out' a puzzle, you already have all the pieces – your task is to put them together. Farmers 'work' the land, not to get land, but to develop what they already have." When you become a follower of Jesus Christ, He gives you new life, but you still have a responsibility to make sure that you are intentionally growing closer to God. The more you do that, the more of that new life you experience. You have a responsibility to actively follow Christ and grow in the salvation that He has given to you. Over the last few weeks, have you been working out your salvation with fear and trembling?  How can you do more of that today?

Bible Verse of the Week

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Don't give into the cliché saying of "just follow your heart, go wherever your heart leads you." YOU must instruct your heart and inform it with TRUTH... God's truth! Don't let an uninformed or misunderstood heart guide you... it'll lead you to sin most every time!

Bible Verse of the Week

Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

In this verse, Jeremiah is writing to a group of people in captivity to let them know that although they’re not where they would have expected and not where they would have asked God to place them, God has not forgotten them. He still has a plan for their lives. Even though He may not remove you from an uncomfortable situation immediately, He has a perfect plan! Trusting His plan this week.

Bible Verse of the Week

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

We were designed for a greater purpose - to glorify God in all that we do - with our work, with our free time, with our speech, with our thoughts, with our bodies, with everything!

My Fitness: Encouraging Scripture References

My Fitness Journey: Encouraging Scripture References

The following scriptures remind me that keeping my heart and body healthy is living in obedience to God’s Word.  These are a few scriptures that encourage me on days when I want to throw in the towel.

·         Proverbs 31:17 (ESV) She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

·         Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT) He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

·         Daniel 1:10-16 (ESV) And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

·         Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) 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. 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.

·         1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.

·         1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

·         1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

·         Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are all God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

·         Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV) 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, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

·         Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

·         1 Timothy 4:7-9 (NLT) Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true and everyone should accept it.

·         Hebrews 12:11 (ESV) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.