Category: Bible Verse

Bible Verse · Devotion

The Cross

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For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

On Good Friday one of the pastors of the church we attend, spoke on this verse. He shared some powerful thoughts that I continue to dwell on throughout the weekend and today.

The cross… a symbol for the Christian that reminds us of the life that Christ gave up to save us from death. It reminds us of the eternal life we have in Christ. The concurring of death forever for those who are saved.

The cross…. something that was created for brutal execution and torture is now seen as a symbol of life for His believers.

The cross… seen as shameful, disgraceful, for the lowest of low now a sign of hope for eternity, a place where our King gave up his life for us.

The cross… used on the sixth day of the week to complete the work of saving the world, a reflection of God completing the world on the sixth day.

The cross… showing that the ways of worldly power is nothing in comparison to God’s power.

What was created to defeat God (Jesus being hung on the cross) is now the symbol of victory. We rejoice in seeing the cross for we, as those whom are saved, have the power of God, have eternal life, and hope as we serve Him in our everyday lives.

Bible Verse · Devotion

A Prayer

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I think as I read and study the Bible many of my thoughts on what I’ve read could be titled “A Prayer”. There are so many great prayers that we get to read of ancient people that God has used in mighty ways. They differ in their approach of the throne, and today I’ll take a look at the book of Nehemiah who’s book quickly moves to a mighty prayer that we all could easily put up on a wall and say every morning.

A quick background. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (at this point I’m glad I’m writing and not speaking because I certainly wouldn’t do that name any justice in correctly saying it!). A cupbearer was the person that would taste all of the King’s food first so that if it was poisoned, the cupbearer would get sick or die and not the king. This role was someone who the king had to trust and had a close relationship with since he had to trust that he had tried the food. Nehemiah was of God’s chosen people and, as the book unfolds, was the one that went back to Jerusalem after the remnant returned from exile to help rebuild the city wall.

Nehemiah is visited by a fellow Jew who had probably traveled four months to deliver his message… a message that would devastate Nehemiah. He (Hanani) tells him in verse 3 of the first chapter that the remnant (or those who returned from exile) are in “great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” In other words, he gives him a complete and honest assessment that nothing is going right. It doesn’t say in the chapter, but clearly Hanani is looking for Nehemiah’s help – probably (Kristal’s thoughts next) because of his position with the King he is hoping he can sway his employer to help the people of Jerusalem.

And what does Nehemiah do? He prays. Not just really quickly. Not just one time. It says in verse four for “days” but a pastor said it was probably for 3-5 months based on the month given in chapter one and then month given in chapter two. Months… he prayed for months. He fasted and prayed. He didn’t take an action, he didn’t try to solve the problem himself first, but instead he prayed first. He wanted to be sure whatever he did it was what God wanted him to do.

That right there…. wow. Such a lesson I need. So often I don’t pray first nor do I pray daily about the same issue again and again.

The prayer spans from verse 5-11. Seven verses. Only one of them actually asks anything of God. The other six remind Nehemiah of who God is (great, awesome, keeps his covenant), confesses his sins and those of the people (such an honest confess it is – “we have acted corruptly against you”), and brings out the history of God (mentions Moses and the reminder that God will bring back his people if they turn to him). Finally, Nehemiah ends with asking the Lord to be attentive to him and to give him success and mercy.

As I continue to grow in my walk with Christ, I know this daily prayer in all times of my life is what I need. To follow Nehemiah’s lead to go to him first. To remind myself in that prayer of who God is, confess my sins, remember the history of how he has always been there for his people… and then to place my needs before him. My reflection is that if I begin my prayers with these first three things, the practical part of my prayer will be formed knowing that God is going to be right there with me. He is attentive. He does want me to have success and mercy. I need to have this daily (often multiple times a day) relationship with him.

Bible Verse · Devotion

Spread the Gospel

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I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7, ESV

As a Christian it can be overwhelming knowing the ONE thing we are to do is spread the gospel. To tell everyone we meet the message of the cross. To lead them to the saving knowledge of the one true God. That’s no small feet.

But as Paul tells the church of Corinth in the above passage (the I refers to Paul), we only play a part in spreading the gospel. We might be a seed planter, like Paul, who is the first to share the message of eternal life with Christ – this free gift available to all. Or we might be like Apollos (a teacher who’s story is told more in 2 Corinthians), someone watering the seed, who continues to share the message and maybe fills in the blanks, give more information, or just encourages someone further along into excepting Christ.

Here is the thing, those rolls are important, BUT you see that next part in that list? It tells us that only God can cause that seed to grow. This doesn’t diminish our roll but reminds us that the power comes through Christ in us as we share the message. We have to do our part in the garden of saving souls, but ultimately, God takes what we planted and/or watered and grows it into a person who accepts the message of salvation and choose to follow him and receive the free gift of salvation.

As you plant or water seeds in your life and feel like it is falling on deaf ears, just that God is right there with and will grow those seeds. We might never get to see the growth, but God is faithful in doing his part.

Bible Verse

Mustard Seed Faith

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When I was a young girl my Mom had a rock on her night stand that had a Bible verse glued onto it. I am not sure where it came from or why she had the verse she did. Maybe a retreat that focused on the verse? As I sat on her bed and she did my hair I would read the verse and it became one I can still recite from memory. It brings back so many great memories of those moments with my Mom but it also has been a great reminder as I grew in my walk with Christ.

The verse is Matthew 17:20 which says “He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

The backdrop to Jesus speaking is the disciples asking why they could not cast out a demon from a boy. He told them it was because they did not have faith that they could do it and that their faith only need to be as small as a mustard seed. That is not much faith is it? Mustard seeds are only about 1-2 millimeters!

Mustard seeds are small but they can make a mighty plant (or tree/tree like bush). It seems to me, if I can have faith as small as a mustard seed that it will grow in me and my faith will grow as big as the plant multiplying into other seeds of faith for those in my life.

But I only need that small faith and I can move a mountain. Some days just the laundry seems like a mountain I need faith to move… but just those every day problems that come up I just have to have faith that I can handle that mountain. That God will be there with me to help move it. Maybe not take care of it or remove it, but just show me that I can handle the problem. We all have mountains in our lives that we need to apply a little faith. Challenges at school, marriage issues, wayward children, aging parents that need our help, bills…. the list could go on and on.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We just need to believe in God, in every circumstance, even without seeing evidence. This faith can start out small but will be mighty, we only need to take a step in that faith and watch what God will do with it.

Imagine if we all had this faith and shared about the mountains that we moved with others. That mustard seed faith would certainly grow and spread around the world.