Includes...
Today is Pentecost, a reminder that we have the Holy Spirit with us. Yesterday my daughter and I were talking about how in the whole history of the world the ability to print books and make copies of things is pretty new. It used to be that if you wanted to make a copy of a book it had to be hand copied or scribed. I believe scribing books is an ancient secret to accelerated learning that has been lost.
But reading books and scribing is not always the key. What really counts is an encounter with the author.
1 Peter 1:20-21 says Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. 21 For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along(moved) by the Holy Spirit.
In a time when books couldn't easily be printed or copied the author of God's word came and lived on the inside of us. On the day of Pentecost, we see Peter stand up and quote large portions from the...
Today we are taking communion over 2 Corinthians 8:7-9 where the apostle Paul tells the people to excel in the grace of giving. If giving is a grace, then we need God's help to excel in it. Today's communion is a time of gratitude that God can cause us to excel in everything and that Jesus became poor for our sakes. And we are asking God to help us excel in the grace of giving.
2 Corinthians 8:7-9 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
Yesterday I had a workout partner join me for my Daily Workout and I was reminded of...
Here is this week's Yearly Cycle Update.
Pentecost is coming up in a couple of days on June 5th. Jesus told the disciples to wait for the gift that God promised because they would be clothed with power from on high. Pentecost is a reminder for us that God's power is available all the time. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit and he helps to navigate us and guide us into all truth. Before the power was available the people were unified and in one accord. This progression is very important... unity makes the power available.
Some good Bible stories to read this week with parallels to Pentecost would be...
Recently we have been making some decisions as a family about school for our kids. We prayed about it and sought God, but we didn't have a clear answer from him. But after discussing it we were all in agreement about which direction to go and it seemed good. After this I was reminded of Acts 15, where there are three different times when the disciples made decisions by following what seemed good.
In my experience sometimes we will pray and not have a clear answer from God, but one path will seem good. I think this is another way he uses to lead us.
In today's communion we are asking God to teach us about how to make decisions with him and how/when to follow what seems good.
Here are the scriptures from Acts 15...
Acts 15:24-28 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them t...
In 2 Samuel 3 it's finally time for David to become king. He had been anointed as a boy to be king, but then he was on the run from King Saul who was trying to kill him for years. Finally, Saul dies and it is time for David to become king, but before that happens there is fighting between David and the House of Saul.
Abner, who is the military leader for the House of Saul finally decides that it's time for David to become king and he says the following in 2 Samuel 3:9-10...
May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath 10 and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.”
This pattern of transfer and establish runs through the whole Bible and I believe it is very important for us because Jesus has released us from darkness and transferred us into the light. But, once we are positioned in the light we must get the New Covenant e...
Here is June's message and the video for this month contains the new format with some action steps to take for the month.
I view every month like an opportunity for a fresh start.
Here is a short summary of what we go through in the video...
Here are the different filters to choose from...
Abundant Life - God is doing continually good for me and I do continually good for others.
Soul - I am growing in positive emotions and using negative emotions as feedback
Body - My body is God’s temple.
Finances - I am seeking God’s kingdom first by valuing relationships over money and being a good steward.
...Lately the word "Earnest," keeps jumping out to me in my Bible reading. To be earnest means to be serious about something. Over the last year I have done a lot of real estate work and in almost every real estate deal there is what is referred to as an "Earnest Money Deposit," which is sometimes called a good faith deposit. In real estate deals some people say that until the earnest money put down, there is no deal.
When it comes to earnest deposits in real estate some people put down very small deposits, but I have also seen people put down huge deposits, even the whole purchase price. The big deposits show the buyers seriousness about the purchase.
Ephesians 1:13-14 says...
And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge(earnest) of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.
God has given us the Ho...
Several years ago I had a wisdom tooth that kept having issues. Eventually the tooth was removed but after the tooth was removed I kept having issues like the tooth was still there. So I began to seek God about this and he gave me something to do. I felt like he told me to, " Tell the phantom symptoms to leave."
So I said... "Phantom symptoms leave in Jesus name," and immediately the symptoms left.
Recently God reminded me of this concept of phantom symptoms. The other day we were outside playing with the kids, but I was having some allergies...sneezing and a lot of snot! I used to have real bad allergies, but usually they aren't too bad anymore. But, we have huge pine trees near our back yard and they were putting out so much pollen that our blacktop driveway was yellow a few days ago. After suffering with the allergies for a while I felt like God told me to...Tell the phantom symptoms to leave.
So I told them to leave and immediately the symptoms left again...
In our walk with God I think one of the most important skills we can develop is the ability to make quick course corrections, if we are ever getting off track. Everyday life throws stuff at us to try to knock us off of God's path, but the good news is that if we ever get off track through God's grace we can get right back on track quickly again. And I have learned that when we get off track but turn around, it only accelerates us and helps us know God's grace that much more.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that God is patient with us and helps us navigate through life. We are asking for his help to become skilled at recognizing if we are ever off track and to help us get back on track quickly.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
Tracking our progress over time is one of the best way to stay on track. Are you keeping a record of your workouts and progress?
I am praying for you.
Daniel
The hem of the garment seems to be an important theme that runs through the Bible.
In 1 Samuel 15:27 Saul tears the hem of Samuel's garment and Samuel tells his it means that God is going to tear the kingdom away from him.
In 1 Samuel 24:5 David is conscience stricken because of cutting off the hem of Saul's garment.
In the gospels the woman with the issue of blood says, "If I can just get to Jesus and touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed." She breaks through the crowd, even though she wasn't supposed to be there and gets healed by touching the hem of his garment.
In today's communion we are asking for wisdom and understanding into the significance of the hem of His garment, what it means for us, and how we practically apply this today.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
I like to start the weight lifting section of my workouts with snatches, which are a speed exercise. This helps to activate and wake up the body for the other lifts that are to come. I...
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