Key Episode Scripture: Genesis chapters 6-9 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I […]
Read More For 40 Days: Day 1: The Clean Slate Initiative: Context40 days is the best part of five weeks, just a few days short of six. Imagine what you could get done in that space of time … According to some, if I started a habit and consistently did it on a daily basis for that period of time, it should be well embedded in […]
Read More For Forty Days … PreludeThe day reminds us of what He did. He worked for six days and rested on the seventh. The day inspires us to know what He will do. He worked to redeem us so we could enjoy the Rest. We depend on Him thoroughly from start to finish. We rest to show our dependence on […]
Read More JJ24 #57: A People At RestI was reading a headline that said that a church figure suggested an individual was a “committed Christian”. The context was that the individual was going into a top political position in his country. It was as though the church figure who made the comments wanted to commend this individual and reassure us that because […]
Read More JJ24 #56: The Life Renewed – A People RemindedOne of the most intriguing aspects of Jesus’ life is His profound political influence, despite His complete abstention from direct involvement in the political systems of His time. When Jesus informs Pilate that He is a King and His kingdom was not of this world, the encounter reinforced something about His work the three and […]
Read More JJ24 #55: The Renewed Life – A People ReorientedWe did not belong to this world’s decaying system, to an inharmonious state with our Creator and each other. As long as we operated in those places, it was no wonder all we ever faced was despair. God paid the price to return us to Himself. God broke down the walls that prevented the needed […]
Read More JJ24 #54: The Renewed Life – A People RestoredTo God and to each other in that order. There’s a rightful excitement about being redeemed. However, the matter of being reconciled brings another dimension to the renewed life. There’s a sense in which the redeemed is about what God does for us in paying the price to purchase what belongs to Him. The sense […]
Read More JJ24 #53: The Renewed Life – A People ReconciledYou belong to me. Some are uncomfortable with that phrase. The possessive aspect sounds restrictive. It sounds like ownership. Nobody owns me, is the response to that. My parents didn’t raise me for someone else to “possess” me, is the reaction. I’m my own person, I can do what I want, is the retort to […]
Read More JJ24 #52: The Renewed Life – A People RedeemedI would be sound asleep and wake up refreshed. Few things in life are as invigorating as waking up fully rested and refreshed to get on with what needs to be done. When I have those experiences, I think about a life renewed. One of the powerful things about new life in Christ is that […]
Read More JJ24 #51: The Life RenewedAnd God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Exodus 20:1-2 ESV) Some people believe this applies to them because they are Christians. It’s interesting. What we can agree, though, is that this was said to […]
Read More JJ24 #50: The Rest and Belonging
Life With CD 