1 John 5:14-15

In my 18+ years as a junior high teacher, I've had some version of the following conversation a bucket-load of times:

Student: I didn't know...
Me: Did you ask?
Student: Um, no?
Me: Then how were you supposed to know???
Student: I don't know...
Me: You need to ask, then you would know that you needed to (fill in the blank)

If I got paid a dollar for every time something like this scenario happened, I'd probably have enough money to pay for Christmas gifts one year! Well, maybe not that much, but it sure does seem like this happened all.the.time!

As I rehearsed and practiced the words of 1 John 5:14 and 15, this is what came to mind. 

Verse 14 states that if we ask anything according to God's will, He hears us. 

Lots of people get hung up on how they're supposed to know God's will. How are they supposed to ask according to His will, if they're not even sure what God's will is?

Easy. 
Ask. 

Ask while you pray. Ask while you read your Bible. Ask while you're speaking with other believers who may have walked a similar journey. 

Sometimes God makes His will crystal clear. 
Other times, our hearing God seems a bit...staticky and we have to do our best and make a step forward, trusting that God will provide feedback along the way so that we are able to stay on course. 

Verse 15 states that we can know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that God hears the things that we ask of him. I think that this is amazing because it's not just that God hears us with his auditory system, He hears us and will take action on our behalf. 

So the next time that you have something that you want to ask of our heavenly Father, be assured that He will hear you and He will provide an answer. 

Hebrews 4:16

Have you ever met someone and felt an immediate and unexplained kinship with them? The connection between you and your new friend provides the opportunity to relate in unique ways. 

About a decade ago, I was attending a fairly large church and looking for a small group Bible study to become involved with. The church had an online catalog of all the small groups that met and I chose to visit one that coincided with my demographics - single and thirty-something. 

Within minutes of meeting the existing members of the Bible study group, it felt as if we had known each other for years. We talked about ourselves and eventually our conversation turned to where we had grown up and gone to school. We discovered that two of us had attended the same high school - I was just a few years younger. While we didn't know each other back in the day, we realized that we had a few mutual friends. Our instant familiarity now made sense. 

There's something special about the people that you grow up with - even if you don't know them at the time. You share common experiences, mutual friends, and an general understanding of the community that helped shaped you as an individual. 

For my friends and I, we were able to share more deeply, quickly and our friendships are still some of the most important more than 10 years later. 

Hebrews 4:16 starts off with "Let us THEN approach the throne of grace with confidence..." What allows us to do this? What's the THEN there for? We need to back up and read verses 14 and 15 to be clued in. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence, because the one who sits on the throne is able to sympathize with weaknesses because He had been tempted in every way, we are, yet was without sin. 

Jesus is familiar with what it's like to live on this earth with all of it's guts and glory because He's done it Himself. Jesus is not a high priest who is oblivious to our situations. Our confidence comes from the knowing that He can relate to us. The mercy and grace that we are offered is because Jesus first walked in our shoes. He knows what we need, when we need it, how we need it and why it's needed. 

What an incredible gift this is to us! To know that our Savior is approachable because He can relate to our needs is such a comfort. 

So let this be your reminder that there is nothing too big or too small for you to bring before the Son of God. You will find all that you need to sustain you. Have confidence in this Good News.

Hebrews 4:12

By Kelvin Kay [Public domain, GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)],
via Wikimedia Commons

I have had several occasions to visit the National Archives in Washington D.C. to view the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights documents. If you've been there too, or seen one of my favorite movies, National Treasure, you know the security measures that are in place to protect these documents not just from theft, but from minuscule pollutants in the surrounding atmosphere. 

As Americans we believe that these documents written just over 200 years ago maintain some sort of authority over our lives. They spell out why we exist as a country. They define our freedoms and our rights. And as such, every law that exists in our country, every decision our Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government, whether or not we agree with them, is fundamentally tied to these documents. Men and women fight and die to keep the freedoms and rights these documents provide. In essence, these documents are very much a part of how we live out our lives within the borders of this country.

For the word of God is living and active.

The author of Hebrews reminds us that God's Word is living and active. If we place such high esteem on the Declaration of Independence, how much more should we esteem the Holy Scriptures? 

God's Word does not need security measures placed on it to be protected - by its very nature, it protects itself. It cannot be stolen and held for ransom. It's message will never fade. It's contents will never become irrelevant. 

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

When the Words of God are read and spoken, both our natural world and spiritual realms are changed. Our hearts and minds are transformed. The words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 uphold what is written here in Hebrews:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

Testimonies have been given countless times since mankind was created and the Word of God recorded of how powerful and life-changing Scripture is. I realize that I've shared part of what you're about to read just recently in another blog post but I'll go into more detail here.

Several years ago, I was going through a period of great anxiety due to experiencing lots of losses over a two year span. Some losses were greater than others, but one in particular, the death of a friend from cancer, really messed with my mind. My thoughts constantly centered around my own health and I became convinced of my own eventual decline and demise. My physical body even began to be affected with this type of thinking. 

If that weren't bad enough, one Saturday morning I woke to a message that felt like it was whispered into my ear, "You're going to die." When I became fully awake I KNEW that I was under a serious spiritual attack. I KNEW that what I felt like I heard was a big, fat lie. I KNEW that the only way to fight back was with Scripture. And so I read my Bible. Reading it silently was not sufficient. My circumstances demanded that my reading be aloud. My circumstances demanded that I read and read and read for most of the day. Whenever I stopped reading, those nasty, ugly lies started to swirl around in my mind. 

I reached out to several friends to let them know that I was dealing with something huge and to start praying, but it was the power of God's Word that got me through that hideous day. 

While I did seek medical counsel and was diagnosed and treated for the grief I was experiencing, nothing but the penetrating double-edged Sword of the Spirit was able to help me make a break-through with my negative thought patterns and provide me with words of Truth to live by. 

This is why, to me, memorizing Scripture is so important. It's life-giving! Anytime I need God's Word, it's with me so that I can be filled up. 

I know that many who are reading this have your own story to tell about the power of the Word of God. How your life has been changed because what is written in between, "In the beginning..." (Genesis 1:1) and "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" (Revelation 22:21). 

But if you are reading this and have yet to experience and come to believe for yourself that God's Word is living and active, I ask that you reconsider any doubts or disbeliefs that you may hold and read it for yourself. Ask questions. Open your heart to the possibility of being made a new creation. God longs to meet with you. God's greatest desire is for you to seek Him out. In response, He will answer. He will get to you faster than you can get to Him. 

God and His Word is alive! 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

It happens to me all the time. I'm in the middle of a conversation with someone and I'm trying to recall some factoid, but after 10 seconds or so, I whip out my phone to Google what my memory has failed to instantaneously provide.

I know many educators who think that if you can find the answer with a quick search, then it doesn't need to be memorized. Save the students' thinking power for more rigorous work.

I am not one of those educators. I believe that there is enough evidence to show that when we train our brains to memorize material, it helps build stronger neural connections so that we can apply the learned content to new learning situations. I won't go further into what I've learned about how our brains work, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll pass along a couple of resources. 

But what does memory work have to do with Deuteronomy 6:6-7? When I was meditating and memorizing these verses, it struck me that in order to have God's commandments upon my heart, I have to know them. Not just be able to look them up online or even in my Bible. No. I have to know them for myself in my mind and heart. If God calls me to have conversations with others about His Word, then I better have those Scriptures handy. 

While some may believe that memorizing anything, much less God's Word, is an archaic learning strategy, those of us who practice it can testify otherwise. There are clear benefits to impressing Scripture into our thoughts.

The book from which I am choosing my verses from, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart by Robert J. Morgan, gives seven benefits to committing Bible verses to memory:

1. It gives us clearer thoughts.
2. It steadies our nerves.
3. It allows us to have healthier emotions.
4. We have purer habits.
5. We have happier homes.
6. We have greater respect.
7. We will gain an eternal optimism.

I can think of additional reasons...

• Even if I don't have my Bible with me (or my phone) I have God's Word with me.
• I learn God's voice.
• I can more easily discern Truth from lies.
• I am more inspired and have greater vision.
• I am able to hold myself more accountable to being obedient to God.

Let's not loose the art of memorizing Scripture because a search engine can recall it for us. Let's continue to be intentional about hiding God's Word in our heart so that our lives are marked different by everyone with whom we come into contact. 

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Paul writes these words to Timothy towards the end of his life. Just a quick read of 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, leaves me with such an appreciation for what it means to have fought the good fight, to have finished the race, and to have kept the faith through it all. 

But the apostle Paul isn't my only example...I have personally known others within my own church family that I could confidently claim that they too will be awarded their crown of righteousness. 

It is my desire that those within my circle of influence would be able to say the same of me as the sun sets on my life. 

There is definitely so much more I could say about this...but today, I feel as though I just need to abide in it. Let my thoughts marinade in this truth. Let the choices I make today and in the next week be filtered through this hope. To be encouraged with this promise.

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 3:14-15

As I meditated and memorized these verses, I began to feel a kinship with Timothy. Both he and I have been taught the gospel since infancy. 

As far back as I can possibly remember, I have been taught about my Heavenly Father and His Son and the sacrifice that was made on my behalf and the hope of an established eternal Kingdom.

I have been taught this Truth by both of my parents and sacrificing adults throughout my childhood. I have been held accountable and encouraged in my personal walk of Faith by my Christ-following peers as an adult. 

I'm sure that I have been prayed for more times than I can conceivably comprehend. 

This life that I live, in the faith, is not one that I have managed on my own. It is because I have been surrounded and held up by trusted fellow believers since the day that I was born. 

When I consider this fact of my life, I am blown away! There aren't enough words to express my gratitude and appreciation to all who have invested in my faith during my 43 years of existence. 

I take to heart Paul's encouragement to Timothy, to continue on in what I have learned. It's as though Paul is also writing to me during this season of my life. 

Maybe I've bee watching too many spy movies lately, but I feel as though I'm awaiting my next mission from God. And while I wait, I am unsure of what to do with myself. So this admonishment to continue in what I have learned provides just enough guidance for me. 

I read, meditate, and memorize Scripture. 

I pray.

I serve.

I abide. 

Doing these things will thoroughly equip me for every good work (v. 17) that is to come in the future. 

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. 

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 2:15

I don't have a captivating story to share. I just have a couple of main points from 2 Timothy chapter 2 that jumped off the page as I completed my homework as part of the Summer 2017 #Entrusted Bible study authored and taught by Beth Moore.

The first big ah-ha comes from page 89 in the workbook:

"You may not be able to give it (your calling) a name until your race is nearly over. Until then, your calling is whatever - whatever He put in front of you right now."

The second ah-ha is from page 91 in the workbook:

"Your faithfulness is the key to somebody else's faith." 

Here is why these two concepts are important right now...I thought I had figured out what my calling was, but more often than not, I wonder. 

I keep serving in various capacities, because things need to be done and I have the capability to do them. But I wonder - is this it??? Because it doesn't feel like I'm working in my "sweet spot". I so often feel awkward and misplaced. 

Yes, I've done spiritual assessments and studied spiritual gifts. I know what those are and can tell you what those kinds of things say about me. But as for a way to exercise those skills...let's just say I feel like I'm plaid in a paisley world. 

So I am encouraged by the second quote. I serve because someone else's faith could be on the line. 

And I have to remember from what I wrote last week, that I do what I can do and then the Holy Spirit will provide a supernatural booster shot to my efforts. 

What does this have to do with this week's verse, 2 Timothy 2:15? I do what I'm asked to do, in order to show my self as one approved, as one who is not ashamed and who can be entrusted to correctly handle the word of truth. 

One day, I will understand how all the pieces of my service fit together. Until, then I humbly serve an Almighty God who takes my small offering and turns it into something worthy. 

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 1:14

You know how you can read Scripture a million times for yourself and nothing really jumps out at you? And then you have a great teacher help you pick it apart and you realize what you've been missing? 

That's how I've felt this week as I've gone through Week 2 of #Entrusted Bible Study by @BethMooreLPM. 

First off, I've never stopped to think and ask "What's the 'good deposit'?" As Beth explains, it's the Gospel PLUS our gifting. That's what has been entrusted to us...to me. 

The Gospel is all about Jesus Christ:

• What He came for
• What He fulfilled
• What He has done for us
• What difference it has made for me

This message is what needs to remain as pure today from my lips as it was delivered from the disciples' lips. 

The gifting is what is unique to each and every believer. And here was another "Ah-ha" moment for me, when Beth used the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 to explain our gifting. God has given me, you, all of us, a special skill set that is expected to be used as we minister. Here's the thing, while we can do good things with our skills, it is only with the administration of the Holy Spirit that we can do supernaturally good things with our skills - our gifting is multiplied, exactly like the talents in the parable. 

It is these two things that have been entrusted to us and it is expected that we guard these things will all of our might. 

In this first chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul writes that we should not be ashamed of the good deposit and that we will likely encounter suffering as we guard it.

So how has this changed my thinking? What does this mean for me moving forward? 

• It has renewed my sense of purpose with the Gospel. I see the connection now between the message within it and my skills to deliver that message.
• I'm encouraged to be more diligent in the areas in which I serve. And it gives me hope for when I am wondering about the effectiveness of my service, I can trust that through God's power my efforts will be multiplied. 
• Finally, I am reminded that I need to brace myself for the times when this 'good deposit' may come under attack. 

I recently watched a clip of Ocean's Eleven where the guys are using the EMP to turn out the lights on the Vegas strip annd all the different cons that they run in order to break into the vault at the Bellagio just to get their hands on $160,000,000. 

We need to have our 'good deposit' held close in our hearts like it was in this kind of vault, knowing that evil will try every trick of the trade to distract us so that we are not paying attention, hoping to rob us blind. 

So guard up my friends! 

-bethany.

Psalm 119:9-16

This Spring I was struck down with the Plague of 2017 - or what others may refer to as "the flu". I can't remember the last time I felt as horrible as I did for over a week. I literally spent four entire days on my couch. And what did I do to pass the time away when I wasn't sleeping? I binged watched Downton Abbey - all six seasons in a matter of one week. It was so good! I loved the characters and their stories and it was sad to see the show come to an end. 

Like reading an excellent series of books, it's easy to get sucked into the story line of characters and their fictitious lives - oftentimes, losing all track of time and responsibilities. 

Has anyone ever lost track of time while reading their Bible? I can't say that I have. Praying, sure. But reading Scripture? Sadly, no. 

So when I read the words of Psalm 119:9-16, I have to ask myself, do I "seek with all of my heart"? Do I "recount all the laws"? Have I ever "rejoice(d) in following (God's) statutes"? 

I can get lost in what is going to happen next with Lady Mary Crawley, but do I get lost in God's written word? Have I ever read and studied Scripture, like I binged watched a favorite show? 

I can memorize, meditate, and make blog posts on Scripture passages but I am challenged by what the Psalmist pens, because there is no way that I can compete with how he loves the Word of God and how I feel about it. 

Maybe I am going about this the wrong way. Maybe this particular part of Psalm 119 shouldn't necessarily be used as a standard to evaluate my faith, but rather I can use it as a prayer to guide my thoughts so that my heart will be transformed. 

Thanks for hanging in there while I figure this out...it's taken me a while to get these words memorized. Now it's time to move them 12 inches from my head to my heart. 

Blessings!

Joshua 1:8

It's near the end of May. Most colleges and universities have finished their graduation ceremonies. Many high schools are preparing to have their commencements in the next few weeks. Even junior highs, middle schools, and Kindergarten classes around the country are preparing to send their students off to the next phase of education. 

It was about this time of year, practically a decade ago, that I felt the need to have a special talk with one of my 8th grade science classes. This group of students was unique - it was my smallest class, only 23, with just four or five boys. Most of the remaining 18-19 were girls were popular among their peers; a few of the other young ladies hadn't yet socially blossomed. 

As what tends to happen every few years or so, I grew particularly fond of this group. And the talk that I decided to have with them came from a place in my heart that desperately desired for them to remember not the science lessons that I had taught them, but the message of staying true to themselves, not getting wrapped up in the peer pressure that would undoubtedly make itself known the first day of 9th grade. I wanted to remind them to be kind to each other; to keep in mind that friendships ebb and flow with changing interests; that they have the inner strength to do the right thing even when it's really tempting to just go along with everyone else. I wanted them to remember that they were smart and independent young people who could think for themselves and that they had a voice to share with those who would listen. 

I think I may have cried talking to these students. 

Thanks to Facebook, I'm "friends" with a few of the girls in that class. A couple of them are now young mothers and it's amazing to see how they are raising their own children. And whether or not the speech I gave them 10 years left an impression on them, they definitely left a mark on my heart. 

As I was memorizing and meditating on Joshua 1:8, this memory was brought to mind. Just like I had desired to give those young people one last encouragement before entering the sometimes scary halls of high school, God was encouraging Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites, to remember all of the things that he had learned by studying the Book of the Law. Joshua was about to enter into some battles and the opportunities to turn back and return to the wilderness would look mighty tempting at times. 

But God promises only what He can promise to Joshua and all 12 tribes - prosperity and success if, and only if, they follow God's lead.

There isn't much difference for you and I. God's promises of prosperity and success are still on the table, if we have a submissive and obedient mindset. 

May we always remain students of Scripture and may those lessons always be something that we recall in our daily living. 

Blessings <3,
-bethany.

2 Timothy 3:16

As a junior high science teacher, there were several misconceptions that students had regarding the air that we breathe in and out. 

One misconception was that air doesn't weigh anything. Even in junior high, students still think that in order for an object or substance to have mass you have to be able to hold it or touch it. So to provide evidence otherwise, I would take a balloon and put it on a scale and we would record the mass. And then I would have a student blow up the balloon, we would put it on the scale again, and we would measure how the mass changed - it increased. And so we would begin the discussion of how since the air inside the balloon had mass and it took up space inside the balloon, it was classified as matter. 

2 Timothy 3:16 states that All Scripture is God-breathed. What does that mean? 

Just like we require breath in order to form our words, the words recorded by the ancient authors were inspired by God himself. And just like air takes up space inside a balloon, these words should take up space in our hearts and our minds. 

The difference I would argue would be that instead of our hearts and minds being vessels that determine the space that these God-breathed words take up, we need to allow to be molded into new vessels by Scripture. 

Just as I would use classroom demonstrations to provide evidence in order to confront common misconceptions with my students, when we read, study, and meditate on Scripture, because of the power within it, Scripture begins to transform our thinking, reshape our attitudes, and our behavior is eventually made to reflect more of Jesus.  

This is why I am working on memorizing 100 Bible verses and then blogging about the verse. To memorize the words, it requires that I think about it them with intention for several days until they are remembered. I keep practicing the verses too. I use an app on my phone that tracks when it's time to review a verse. But it's not until I write about the verse that it really sinks in my heart and begins to transform my thinking. I literally have been asking God, "Ok, what do you want to say to me about this verse?" And usually as I am on a walk through my neighborhood, some meaning begins to develop. But it's not until I actually start typing that what I am supposed to learn for myself is revealed. And it's my prayer, that in some way, shape, or form, that because I opt to make my learning public, that you are encouraged or challenged or inspired too. 

So thanks for making this journey along with me! 

Be blessed today!

P.S. The app I use is called Remember Me (Apple Store - there are other apps available in Apple and the Google Play stores)

Romans 10:9-10

My husband is the only man, that I am not genetically related to, to whom I have ever said, "I love you." 

And because of that, the build up of actually getting the words to come out of my mouth was huge! 

You see, our entire courtship was long distance. We only saw each other once a month, a few days at a time. He knew and expressed his love for me in June. I knew that I loved him too - but I was so nervous about saying those three little words out loud, that I flaked out. And the plane ride home was awful because I knew I'd have to wait a few weeks more to tell him face to face that I loved him. 

And so those weeks s-l-o-w-l-y dragged on and then it was time to fly back to Texas to see him. And then, I had to figure out when and where I was to say those three words. 

We were touring the George Bush (#41) Presidential Library & Museum (romantic, I know) and we found ourselves in this spot.

And I figured it was just as good of place as any to tell the man that I loved, that I loved him. And it felt good to say it to him, because I could finally express what was in my heart. 

I could do and say all the loving things that I could think of, but it wasn't until I said "I love you" that those things were substantiated by a declaration. 

I think that it is why it is so important, that scripture calls us to not just believe in our hearts, but to confess with our mouth. To say to someone, anyone, everyone, that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That he died on the cross for our sins. That he was raised on the third day. And that some day soon, he'll return.

For when we confess to others what we believe, there's no going back. We are taking a stand, pledging our allegiance, and identifying ourselves with the most sacred and significant relationship that we could ever commit to - and letting others know about it. 

All of our actions, our thoughts, our beliefs, our existence hinges upon our confession, "Jesus is Lord". It makes it real, not just to ourselves, but those who have witnessed that confession. 

So if you haven't said it lately, or even at all, say it to someone. Confirm or reaffirm your faith today, and declare, "Jesus is Lord". 

Romans 5:8

Ugh. Today I have to tell you something that I really don't want to confess. So please be kind and gentle and understanding and forgiving as I share how God is working on me...

Last week I posted this on my Facebook page:

And it occurred to me yesterday on my (almost) daily 2 mile walk that lately, God has been telling me to "pull myself together", after all, I am a child of the Most High God. 

So here's the deal, a few weeks ago, I was reviewing another memory verse, Psalm 139:2-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Now usually, I focus on the "anxious thoughts" because, well, I tend to have anxious thoughts sometimes. But on this special day, my mind wandered over to the "offensive way" portion of the passage. And so I dared to ask God, is there any offensive way in me?

Me: God, is there any offensive way in me?

God: You want to know what I find offensive? I'll tell you what I find offensive - the words that come out of your mouth. 

Me: That?

God: Yeah, that. What about that other verse you've memorized...Ephesians 4:29-32?

Me: Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

God: Go on...

Me: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

God: Go on...

Me: Git rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

God: You want to be my witness? Work on this. You are my child. I love you. 

And so as I work on becoming more conscientious about the words that are coming out of my mouth, I am also processing Romans 5:8. 

Knowing that I am a sinner, knowing that I'd have imperfect issues, habits, behaviors, and thoughts...Christ still died for me. That is mind-blowing. He didn't die for me because I was already righteous or even a good person (Ro 5:7). He died for me precisely because I wasn't those things; because I needed him to die in order to be made right before God. 

God is a good, good Father (title of a great song by Chris Tomlin, by the way...) and there is no end to his mercy - not giving us what we deserve - and grace - giving us what we certainly do not deserve. 

His forgiveness is gentle and healing and draws us in to a deeper relationship with Him. 

His love cannot be measured or matched. And it is because of this love, that he disciplines his children. He instructs us and guides us, so that we can experience as the Psalmist writes, the way everlasting. 

So, if you happen to stumble upon this post and you haven't yet taken God up on his offer of eternal life because you think that you're not good enough, let me tell you that you'll never be good enough, but God definitely is. And that's all that matters. 

Let God love you and forgive you. Accept that you are one of the ones that Christ died for. Yes, even you. 

Romans 6.23

The wages of sin is death. Period. End of story. It's non-negotiable.

but (and I think that this is the best big "but" in the Bible)

the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

God has offered us an alternative to the consequences of sin. But it's only good if we recognize that it cannot be separated from what Jesus did on the cross on our behalf. 

Our eternal destiny is not some unsolved mystery. We know how it'll end - death or eternal life. There is no other option. And it's completely our choice. 

So if we reject death and elect living eternally, there are terms & conditions to which we need to agree:

1 - Accept that it is a gift. It's not something that can be bought. It's not something that is earned.

2 - Recognize that you are undeserving of this gift, that it is completely out of God's love for you that He is even offering to you.

3 - Accept that this gift is made possible because God's one and only Son paid for it with his life. 

Knowing these things, we humbly bow before God and with a contrite attitude we take and treasure this gift. 

In response, we vow to live lives that demonstrate our gratitude and the hope that we now possess. 

Romans 3.23

Continuing on my quest to memorize 100 verses recommended by Robert J. Morgan in his book, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, I'm now working on what is referred to as the Roman Road, a set of verses that provides a framework for sharing the Good News. 

This simple verse pretty much sums up our need for receiving Jesus as our Savior. There's no getting around the phrase, "for ALL have sinned". No matter how nice and kind and generous and compassionate we are, we are all sinners.

This concept, I don't think, is too difficult to accept. Sure, I easily acknowledge that I will never be perfect like God who is the essence of purity and holiness. And when I have had conversations with others about this, they agree that they're sinners too. After all, it's impossible to be perfect. 

And so many people want to have a comfortable agreement with God that living a "good" life will be "good enough" to spend eternity in the Kingdom. But the cold, hard truth is that it's not good enough.

But verse 24 gives us some much needed hope. It says, "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus". 

Translation: We are marked for good and made legitimate for free, at no cost to us, other than our belief that the debt Jesus paid on the cross was sufficient to set us right before God. 

This is the part that messes with people's heads, I think, because how can just believing this message be what God wants from us? How does that take all the wrongs in my life and make them forgiven? Having faith in Jesus can't be enough, can it?

It is. 

Over and over again in the New Testament we are instructed that faith in Jesus is all that is required to be washed clean of the sin that has accrued in our hearts and minds. 

This is what makes the Good News, so very wonderfully good enough. 

John 3.16

Like many children who grew up going to church, John chapter 3 and verse 16 was the first scripture that I committed to memory. And even if a person didn't memorize this text, if he or she watch any kind of televised sporting event, the chances of seeing a fan at the game wave a poster with the reference are likely fairly high. 

But I wonder for how many people, believers and non-believers alike, the regularity of seeing "John 3:16" that the message of what this verse is really about gets glossed over? I wonder this because if we really took it seriously, the world would be radically different for the way that we treated one another.

The world is made up of you and me, our families, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors, the clerk at the gas station, the teller at the bank, the plumber, the homeless veteran, the convict spending part of his/her life in prison, and the person who practices a faith that is completely different than yours.

Knowing that God sent his one and only Son to be the Sacrificial Lamb for each and every one of us, should change the way we see each other and treat each other. I shouldn't look at you as only what I see, but how God sees you - worth sending His Son to the cross for you.

I recently saw this video of Jose Antonio, 55, getting a makeover. He's been homeless for 25 years and life had taken a toll on him. 

In other videos of the same story, Jose goes to his local spots and starts talking to the people that he would regularly encounter and they didn't recognize him. And to be honest, who would? And surely people started to treat him differently because of the way that he looked. 

But let's remember that God loves the new hipster Jose Antonio, just as much as He loves the worn down Jose Antonio. And our love for others should be no different. 

If we really believed that God so loved the world, wouldn't we be less judgmental and more compassionate?

If we really believed that God so loved the world, wouldn't we be less stingy and more generous?

If we really believed that God so loved the world, wouldn't we be less afraid and more courageous?

These are just a few ideas, and I'm sure that you could add more. 

It's not that God so loved the world, but that he loves each of us, just as we are - no matter our circumstances or what skills, talents, or abilities, we have, no matter how many wrongs we have committed, His love is unconditional. 

Let's remember this with each person we encounter today.

John 1.14

When was the last time that something held your attention for so long that you completely lost track of time? 

A couple of weeks ago, I was sick, with what I referred to as the Plague of 2017. My head was so congested and I was hacking up a lung - I had just enough energy to tap my phone's screen to watch the next (and then the next, and the next - well you get the point) of Downton Abbey. Before I knew it, I had watched an entire season worth of shows in a matter of 10 hours. 

When I was really into creating scrapbooks, the designing, cutting and cropping, the placement of papers and stickers would absorb all of my attention and just like that - an entire Saturday would vanish.

When I was in elementary school I would shut my bedroom door and play with my Barbies for hours - literally sometimes from lunch to dinner during the summer time. 

One phrase of John 1.14 has been rolling over and over in my thoughts: "We have seen his glory". As I meditated on this verse and especially this phrase, I kept thinking, "What would it be like to be so consumed with the Son of God's glory, that I completely and utterly forgot about everything else?" 

Don't get me wrong, I've had moments of worship where this was true, but then like a dream, reality sets in and it's back to whatever it was that I was doing before with only the memory stamped onto my heart. 

Brother Francis, of "The Practice of the Presence of God" fame has written:

He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can.

And so this is my encouragement and challenge. Being captivated by the glory of the uniquely begotten Son isn't limited to a time and a place, it can be and is meant to be continuous. And in order to experience this, and dump the kinds of thoughts that only stir up trouble in my mind and heart, I must keep my thoughts on Christ, rather than on myself. 

If I can manage to do this, then the experience won't just be a fading memory, but instead a constant reality and awareness.

John 1.1-2

Photo by Bethany Ligon (2004)
Pont du Guard Roman aqueduct, France

The significance of John 1.1-2 is found in the first and last three words: "In the beginning" as it mirrors Genesis 1.1

Since the dawn of creation, God had it in mind that we would need a Savior. In fact, one version of these verses says, "In the beginning, there was God's grand design, that declaration was with God, related to Him as His project, and it was fully expressive of God Himself. It was with God in the beginning."

In education, we are told to plan with the end in mind; what is it that students should be able to do at the conclusion of the learning cycle? And so our daily lesson plans are constructed with the goal of getting every student to meet that objective. There are many considerations that are taken into account, most importantly, the students' prior knowledge and current skill level, not to mention time constraints and materials required. 

In His grand design, God took into account the same considerations. He knew the people that He would be calling into a relationship. He knew that some individuals would respond with a quiet whisper and others would need some tough circumstances to grab their attention. God knew that have some would be quick learners and those who would need more one on one individualized instruction. He knew the amount of time he had to accomplish this task and he knew what it would take to get it done. 

This brings me comfort in that there hasn't been any detail left unplanned for nor overlooked when it comes to God pursuing my heart. I can rest assured that He knows what He's doing, even when my own heart's vision and mind's understanding are lacking clarity. I can trust in His authority for every step that He asks me to take. 

It's been planned for since the beginning. 

Genesis 1.1

Several years ago I had the opportunity to travel in Italy. One of our stops in this beautiful country was to view the statue of David, by Michelangelo, in Florence. My first impression of this artwork, was how tall it was. The statue itself, from the top of his head to his feet is just under 17 feet tall and it stands upon a pedestal. My second impression was just how perfect this sculpture appeared to be. It is said that this piece of marble was a discarded block that sat unused for 25 years. Previous artists deemed it to be worthless because of the "flaws" that they observed. But when Michelangelo looked at this block of marble he saw the finished product, he saw David. (source)

CC Image: Michelangelo's David by Jörg Bittner Unna
on Wikimedia Commons  

When I read Genesis 1.1 I got to believe that in His omniscience God saw the entire expanse of the universe throughout all time before He even spoke it into being. Before there was the heavens, there was God. Before there was the earth, there was God. Before there was even time, there was God. 

This verse is the foundation of all the verses that follow it because God was, and God is, and God will always be. 

There is hope and promise in this verse. There is power and strength is this verse. There is peace and assurance in this verse. 

Can you image God's holy word starting off with any other declarative statement? Me neither.  

The next time you look up at the night sky, give praise to the Creator, the ultimate artist who took an expanse of nothingness and turned it into the wonderful and marvelous universe.