“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze.” Ex. 27:1-2 (NIV) When you think about relationships, […]
Author: Stephen Trammell
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Guard Your Heart
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Prov 4:23 (NIV) God loves you and has a plan for your life. Satan hates you and also has a plan for your life. God’s plan is for you to stay close and clean. Satan’s plan is for you to stay distant […]
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:17-18 (NIV) God values harmony in His family. Disunity grieves the heart of God and erodes the fellowship of […]
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Vital Link
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a […]
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God’s Grace on Father’s Day
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Cor 9:8 (NIV) How would you describe your dad? Think about his qualities. What made him special to you? How did he best […]
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Declaration of His Love
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Col 1:19-20 (NIV) God was pleased! His unconditional love prompted His pursuit of rescuing us from […]
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Give Proportionately
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Cor 9:6 (NIV) What will be different in eternity because of your life on earth today? Does it really matter how you live? Does it really matter what you give? Of course the answer is a resounding […]
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Yes on the Altar
“When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” John 6:12-13 (NIV) The lad came prepared to […]
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Leave Room for Mystery
“Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” John 6:10-11 (NIV) Do […]
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Bloom for God’s Glory
“Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” John 6:8-9 (NIV) What does your current situation look like? The disciples where perplexed by the challenge of feeding five thousand people. […]
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” Rev 22:12 (NIV) What motivates you to serve? Do you serve for immediate recognition or eternal reward? Who is calculating your service? Jesus is the Rewarder! As you live to please Him and serve Him, […]
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Josh 24:15 (NIV) […]
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Practical Unity & Serving
“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said […]
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” […]
“Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.” Zeph 3:9 (NIV) Serving produces spiritual growth. As you serve God by serving others you develop spiritual muscles. Spiritual growth produces serving and serving produces spiritual growth. God does […]
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Willing to Share
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Tim 6:18-19 (NIV) There […]
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Are You Rich?
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Tim 6:17 (NIV) Would you consider yourself rich? That question is rather ambiguous unless […]
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Being Stewards
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’” Mark 12:17 (NIV) What belongs to God? Everything! God is the Creator and the owner of the entire universe and everything on the earth. As His children, we are simply managers of God’s resources. God expects us to […]
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Blessed By God
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph 1:3 (NIV) You are God’s treasure. Can you imagine the Creator of the universe being the reason for your existence? You are not an accident. God purposed for […]
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Pray Strategically
“The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.” Psalm 98:2 (NIV) You may not have the opportunity to travel to every continent on the planet, but you can touch every continent through prayer. Choose to pray strategically by employing a weekly prayer plan for the continents. Pray for Africa […]
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Pray Continually
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) What if the content of your prayers this week were transcribed and put into book form and placed on the end table in a doctor’s office waiting room for others to […]
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Seeking God
“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.” 2 Chron 34:3 (NIV) What caused Josiah, at the age of sixteen, to begin to seek God? When you look at his family tree, you find that both his father, Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh, did evil […]
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NIV) Knowledge is needed to take things apart. Wisdom is needed to put things back together. When your life is coming apart, you need God’s wisdom to put […]
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11 (NIV) What are you passionate about? What are you giving your time, energy, and resources to? What gets the best of you? Your answer unveils your zeal. God placed zeal in you. Your passion is an expression of your spiritual […]
“So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, ‘Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the […]
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Adding Value to Others
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 (NIV) Be devoted. People matter to God and as followers of Jesus Christ we view others through the lens of God’s redemptive activity. Be devoted to demonstrating brotherly love to one another. You can add value to others by loving […]
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Sincere Love
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9 (NIV) Are you contagious in your Christianity? Your influence for Christ is propelled by sincere love. Love that is genuine, authentic, and without hypocrisy is the kind of love that makes your Christianity contagious. This kind of love originates with […]
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Protect Unity
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) God’s will is for you to believe in Jesus alone for salvation […]
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Practice Humility
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3 (NIV) Our tendency is to view ourselves from a distance and […]
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Renew and Render
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV) There is an immense gravitational pull to succumb to the allurements of the world. […]