“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.” John 21:17 NIV When we understand what Jesus has done for us – I mean really understand - when we think about the pain he suffered to save us, our natural reaction is to love Him and want to please Him. I can remember thinking about how I might do some[...]
On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3 NASB Over the last three months, we have been encouraged time and again to be BOLD. Bold in approaching our Abba father, bold in sharing our faith, bold and confident in our identity in Christ. I am sure we all can say Amen! It is how we want to live. However, sometimes for many of us, this is easier said than done. We do not always feel confident. I know sometimes I do not. Sometimes, fear gets in the way, and w[...]
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16 (NIV) You have everything you need to be all He has planned for you. You are amazing! I can still remember the joy of realizing I really was a daughter of a King and, as a daughter, very much loved. I was blessed with parents who loved me and could relate to a parent's love that remains steadfast through all situations. WOW! I was loved! By God Almighty! The earlier verses in t[...]
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” (John 19:26 NIV) One thing I know about the character of God, and therefore of Jesus, is that he loves each of us equally. There is no discrimination in the kingdom. So I have often pondered at the many times when John refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” I know some interpret that this was a special relationship because John was the youngest disc[...]
"What does scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'” Romans 4:3 NIV (also Genesis 15:6) Have you ever felt that it just wasn’t reasonable to believe something? Well, Abram (as he was then called) felt that way also. God had previously directed Abram to leave his homeland and go to a new land that God would show him, and God would make him (his descendants) a great nation. He acted on God’s promise and left his homeland, but he struggled to see how this c[...]
Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 ESV Elisha’s servant had risen early and gone out and found the city surrounded by Syrians. Naturally, he was quite frightened. He knew that the king of Syria had come for his master. The Syrian army was very powerful and had them surrounded and helpless. In fear, he ra[...]