My Thoughts and Reflections

"He has told you, human one, what is good and what the  Lord  requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk  humbly  with your God." Micah 6:8 (CEB) As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that we receive salvation by grace through faith apart from works.  However, we do good works as a result of our faith.  It is out of our gratitude to God for the great and amazing things that he has done for us that we do good works in the world. In this passage, the prophet Micah is telling the people of Israel how God is calling us to live as a response to his goodness towards his people.  We should not get hung up on the word "require" because we know that as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, this is what we want to do whether or not is is required. Out of a response to God's goodness towards us, we are called to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with our God.  We are called to seek out justice in th...

"You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." Matthew 5:13 (NIV) How often I skip over this verse when I'm spending time reading Jesus' words during his "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew.  I often gravitate towards the verses that follow it telling me that we are the light of the world and that we should allow our light to shine before others so that they can see my good deeds in order to glorify God.  However, how often do I think of myself as the salt of the earth? When I do think about this, I am reminded about how I have been chosen by God to be who I am and where I am.  I can choose to be who God wants me to be and do what he wants me to do, or I can choose against that and become worthless!  I do not want to become like tasteless salt that is only worthy of being trampled on.   I want to be...

"I always put the LORD in front of me; I will not stumble because he is on my right side."  Psalms 16:8 (CEB) This verse is a recognition of the truth of God's guidance in our lives. A similar verse is one of my childhood favorites, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (KJV). As long as we put God first in our lives, we cannot fail and we will not stumble and fall because he will be right there at our side to keep us on the "straight and narrow." How good is it to know that it is impossible to fail in life when we place God at the front of our lives? I believe that this is great news that cannot be repeated enough!  This truth applies to all aspects of life, especially parenting. As parents, it is our responsibility to model this truth to our children and to teach them to do the same in their own lives. It is important to not be deceived into thinking that this is a promise for an easy life, for easy parenting, or for a...

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty"  Psalm 91:1 (NIV) In this world full of evil, sin, violence, sickness, and death, have you ever felt unsafe, unprotected, and unloved?  It is very easy to feel lost and vulnerable in a world that is full of the consequences of our original sin in the Garden of Eden when humanity first decided to walk away from God and become gods to themselves.  This world of sin is a result of each and everyone of our own sins and the sins of those who came before us.  Yet, there is hope. In this Psalm, we are comforted with a promise that whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  Whoever runs to God seeking protection will ultimately find it.  Each person will find rest and safety.   Originally in the Old Testament, they would have took this to mean finding shelter and safety in the Lord's tabernacle or in the te...

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD."  - Psalm 150:6 (NIV) The final verse of the book of Psalms is a call to all living creatures to praise the LORD.  The whole psalm calls all living creatures in heaven and on earth to praise God for all of his acts of power and for his surpassing greatness.   Trees, birds, "beasts of the field," and the fish have been praising God today; have you praised God yet today? As Christians, we have so much to be thankful to God for.  God has forgiven us of all of our sins, rescued us from the penalty of our sins, which is eternal death and separation from God, and he has also opened up a way for us to have a personal relationship with him now and for eternity!  These are surely some acts of power and of surpassing greatness. Not only has God forgiven our sins and promised salvation to us, but he also has performed many great and wonderful acts in creation and for his people thro...

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 15:5-6 (NIV) After Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into each of his disciples at Pentecost, he expected his followers to not only spread the good news of the gospel to those in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, but he also expected them to model the same lifestyle as he did while he was on earth. Part of that modeling included maintaining the same attitude that Jesus had, an attitude of endurance and encouragement. During Jesus' ministry, he commanded his disciples to love each other with the same love that he showed for them. Part of loving each other with the same love of Christ includes lots of encouragement. It is hard to go through the day without either needing some encouragement or seeing the need in those wh...

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  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 10:9-10 (NIV) Jesus is the gate, but to where?  Jesus is the gate to eternal life with God!  Many times throughout Jesus' ministry, he told his followers that there is only one way to be saved, and that is through him.  Later, Jesus tells his listeners that, "I AM the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).   Today's verse is another reminder of who Jesus is and what he came to do.  He isn't like the thief who only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the full!  So what does this mean for us? If we have entered through the gate that is Jesus Christ, if we have placed our faith in him and belie...

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest of those who have died. Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ.”  - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (CEB) For most people, Easter has come and gone. We are now focused on the season of spring and the coming of summer. However, we are still in the season of Easter. We are in the middle of the time celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and the life he lived here on earth before his ascension. Easter hasn't come and gone, but it is still just as much Easter today as it was on Easter Sunday! On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the foundational truth that our faith is grounded in, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! Jesus got up and walked out of his own grave! How radical is that? We base our faith on the fact that God’s Son rose from the dead! He i...

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”  - 1 John 3:18 (NIV1984) Happy Valentine’s Day!  The day we celebrate love.  However, do you notice the narrow and shallow view of love that is often portrayed by advertisers and big companies on Valentine’s Day?  Love is portrayed as romantic (not a bad thing by any means!) and full of romantic gestures (again, not a bad thing!).  Yes, this is one very small and important aspect of love, but is that all that love is?   In John’s first letter in the New Testament, he is writing to encourage his readers and hearers to continue hold strong to their faith and to be people of love.  Why would they need to be people of love?  They need to be people of love because we are told that “God is love” (v. 4:8).  If we want to be known as people of God, we need to be people of love!   Now, how can we be people of love?  Not only are we supposed to ha...

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in  Christ God forgave you.”  - Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Have you found yourself, from time to time, holding onto some small grudge against someone?  I know that I have!  Whether it is between you and a friend, a family member, or some complete stranger who drives 20 mph under the speed limit or cuts you off, holding onto grudges is exactly the opposite response against an offender that God calls us to have!  Holding onto a grudge is the easy response to some wrong committed against you.  It is also poisonous to our souls! In this verse, Paul is passionately calling the Ephesian church to the ultimate “Christ-like” activity that we can do as Christians.  God is calling us to be compassionate towards others by forgiving them just like God forgave us.  God had every right to not forgive us and still has that right, but he chose to send his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, ...