“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (NIV) How do you live […]
“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” 1 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) Have you ever been offended by someone who was acting selfishly? A self-centered person can quickly become toxic and infect those in their sphere of influence. It is possible to call yourself a […]
“I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 7:35 (NIV) In Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, he emphasizes the relationship that stands above all other relationships. Paul does not demean the value […]
“And that is what some of you were. 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.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV) How would God reverse the curse sin produced? What would God do to restore fallen humanity? The most […]
“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 (NIV) God pursued you with His redeeming […]
“For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” 1 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV) Hypocrisy corrodes the connection we make with a lost […]
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV) Who was more important in the kingdom of God: Paul or Apollos? Both were devoted to God’s mission of reaching others […]
“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) Watching a 3-D movie without 3-D glasses can be very frustrating. The images on the screen appear blurry […]
“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” 1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV) The Christian life is not about your story that you invite God into. The Christian life is about God’s story that He invites you into. What are you doing with the standing invitation issued by […]
“‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.’” John 10:14-15 (NIV) Is intimacy with God your top priority? Are you nurturing the life of Christ in you? Respond to the Good […]
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 (NIV) Who is the most loving person in your life? Where have you received the highest level of unconditional love? Perhaps someone specific comes to mind. It may be a person whom is now in heaven or someone […]
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9 (NIV) Continue to live in Him so that you will not live in sin. As a child of God, when you choose to […]
“He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8 (NIV) As a fully devoted follower of Christ, you combat three enemies. You combat the devil’s agenda, the world’s appeal, […]
“But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” 1 John 3:5-6 (NIV) Jesus established your new identity by removing your sins. […]
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” 1 John […]
“And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” 1 John 2:28 (NIV) Did you know that Jesus is coming again? It is so easy to settle into the cadence of a busy life and become numb towards the reality of […]
“‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’” John 10:10 (NIV) God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Satan hates you and has a deceptive plan for your life. Satan’s agenda is to deplete you […]
“‘I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.’” John 10:9 (NIV) Has your life on this broken planet delivered what it promised? Have you ever been disappointed with your life? God never intended for this world to satisfy the longings of your […]
“‘I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.’” John 10:9 (NIV) In Bible times, the shepherd would lay down at the entrance of the sheep pen in order to provide protection and security for the sheep from the threat of beasts of […]
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 (NIV) Are you a recipient of the Light? When you turned from your sin and turned to Jesus alone for salvation, you […]
“’You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they […]
“And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” Jonah 2:10 (NIV) Where would you be if God were not the God of second chances? You would be without hope and without a future. God will not only pursue you with His redeeming love, but He also gives you a second […]
“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.” Jonah 2:1 (NIV) If you spent three days and three nights inside a great fish that God provided, you would probably place that in the category of a life changing experience. Your entire life would be marked by that one experience with God. You […]
“Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.” Jonah 1:4 (NIV) God gives you the freedom to choose to obey His will or to reject His will. You can run from God or you can run to God. If you […]
“But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.” Jonah 1:3 (NIV) Our natural proclivity is to do life our own way. We […]
“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out.” Luke 8:22 (NIV) God will get you to the other side. His plan for you is personal. God designed you with His purpose in mind. You are not an […]
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35 (NIV) Have you ever wondered what Jesus said about Himself? His self-disclosure gives us insight into the relational velocity available to us. Understanding His identity […]
“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’” John 15:5 (NIV) God will never ask you to do anything without equipping you to do it. God has an assignment for you to complete […]
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) Which fruit is most lacking in your life? If patience is lacking, then God will often allow challenging circumstances to come into your life to develop that particular […]
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NIV) What are you displaying for a watching world to see? You are chosen, holy, and dearly loved by God. Display the garments you have been given in Christ. As a child of the Living […]