“Thou shall not covet,” Exodus 20:17 When I was growing up, like many people, I felt like the 10 Commandments were just God’s way of telling us what to do and in short, bully us. The older I get, the more I realize that the Commandments were not created to take life, but to...
“But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 I chose this particular Bible verse because this a really tough one for me to accept, but also embrace as well, as is expected of any teaching of Jesus. As Americans, we have been inundated with...
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5 God has been by my side since I was born, an identical twin, with two brothers, eight and ten years older. We grew up in an E & R church, on the Eastside of St. Paul. Three...
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If...
“Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord not for men. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 The wonderful new year of 2023 has brought joy and discipline to me. With me turning the big 14, I have a lot more responsibilities...
"You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you." Deuteronomy 3:22 Fear of the unknown and lack of trust in God's power are what ultimately kept the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for forty years, even after God had freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them...
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 Prayer is serious stuff, can differ, but can...
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 Everyone goes through hardships in their lives at one point or another and often the first thing we do is ask God...
“An angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” When...
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:12-13 There are countless ways that we are able to share with the Lord's people who are in need. One of the best ways is to simply ask...