There has been one verse that has been running in my mind all week: Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.” (John 7:6 NKJV) This statement comes on the tail of one of Jesus’ largest public miracle – the feeding of the 5,000. Following that miracle, you can see a chain of events in John 6. I recommend reading it in its entirety – but I will provide the readers digest version here. We see Jesus make some very bold statements throughout John 6 that He is the bread of life and whoever seeks after Him will be redeemed. These statements perplexed many and offended others resulting in somewhat of a dissension in the ranks. John 6 tells us that many of His disciples turned away and stopped following Him. His own people rejected Him. This statement in John 7 is …
Author: Paul
It is so refreshing to know that we have a God who desires to do something new. Not something ordinary and mundane – but something new, unique and astounding. Read Isaiah 43 verses 16-21, I have it here in The Message translation – but read it in a few different versions: This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves, The God who summons horses and chariots and armies— they lie down and then can’t get up; they’re snuffed out like so many candles: “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’ —the coyotes and the buzzards— Because …
God desires to bless you. It is as simple as that. He desires to bless you and make you a blessing to others. No need to overcomplicate it – the word declares we need to grab ahold of that promise! One of the scriptures that I have taught on in the past starts in Psalm 67 verse 5: 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Pay particularly close attention to verse seven. Why is it that the ends of the earth shall fear Him? What is causing that fear? What leads to it? The answer: His blessing on us. That means, His blessing must be so great that others will take notice and …
Have you ever been so consumed with life that you forget to pause and worship the One who made it all? Especially during those tough seasons? I know I am guilty of this! And sometimes…a simple act of worship is all that is needed to make the walls come crumbling down. Awhile back I wrote about Joshua and the plan that God gave him in order to overtake the walled city of Jericho (click here and read that post). No matter how many times I read the story starting in Joshua 6, I always seem to take something new away from it. No matter the season you are in, you can learn a lot from that chapter. What I really love about it all is that there was no great military strike, no convening of the military commanders to develop a plan of attack. What brought down the walls was …
There always seems to be a million things going on in our lives. We are always being pulled in so many directions with so many distractions. It simply becomes hard to maintain focus. And worse yet, when we feel the call to take a step of action or step of faith, it seems that all logic and reason comes against our plan. Take a look at Ecclesiastes 11:4: He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. The Bible spends a lot of time discussing the idea of sowing and reaping. You definitely do not need to be a farmer to understand the analogy and the foundational truth that if you never plant anything, you will never receive anything. With that in mind, I think this verse speaks to the idea that there will always be an excuse of “why not” to …
Earlier this week we started with the first two truths we can take away from the story of Joseph: 1. It doesn’t matter where you find yourself, God will show you favor! 2. When you are favored, everyone around you will be benefit! This brings us to the next stage in Joseph’s journey and another promise. During Joseph’s time as a slave in Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused of a crime and thrown into prison. I would think it in a public vote, prison would not be a place that many would chose to go. Yet, Joseph knew that God was with him and favor yet again followed him (see Genesis 40). We see in Genesis chapter 40 that while in prison, Joseph interprets the dream of Pharaoh’s cup bearer. When the cup bearer was released, Joseph asked him, this man of power, to remember him. He didn’t and …
A few months ago I wrote a post entitled “Preparing From Where You Are” and in it we spoke about the idea of seeing your season as a time of preparation. I briefly mentioned Joseph in there, but this week I spoke to a group specifically about his story and the items we can take from it. Sometimes it is easy to brush over this familiar story, but I believe there are four very important truths that we can pull from it. Today, I will share the first two and I will post the other two on Sunday. The story starts in Genesis 37 where we see Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers following his proclamation of the dream he had. No one can disagree, this is not an ideal place to be. However, immediately we see the first truth come to life: 1. It does not matter where you …
The story of David and Goliath has much to offer. Every aspect of it offers a unique lesson to pull away. There is one that I want to focus on today: David’s reaction to Goliath. A lot can be said by how a person confronts a challenge. Challenges can come in many different forms, fashions and sizes. We all face them. It is a fact of life – there will be challenges. Let’s set the stage a bit on David and Goliath. Here come this giant of a man into the picture defiling the armies of Israel calling for a fight to determine who will serve who. 1st Samuel 17 spends a lot of time talking about the sheer size of Goliath. It does a good job describing him as what truly is a large fearsome man. Take your scariest UFC fighter of today and multiply it by a factor …
We have a garden in our yard, however, there is one big problem with this garden: I do not have a green thumb. Maybe it’s lack of knowledge on how to care for it, my lack of attention to it, or maybe I can blame it on the desert heat…but one thing I know is true, untended seeds do not grow. That is simple enough. When it comes to growing anything in my garden, it requires time and attention. You must apply the right amount of nutrients, water, and effort otherwise all you will end up with is empty fruitless dirt. God has provided each and every one of us with seed. He has entrusted us with talents and gifts that we are supposed to use for the purpose of advancing His Kingdom. So how exactly do we “tend” to those seeds? In John 15, I feel that Jesus outlines …
2012 is now something of the past and 2013 is already in full gear. There is something refreshing about a new beginning, a clean start and that is exactly what the New Year represents. A time to re-chart the course. For me, 2012 started with obstacles and challenges and finished with victory and breakthrough. For my wife and me, I know our single most amazing breakthrough of the year is that we are finally expecting our first baby! Our son will be arriving in a few short months and the journey that God brought us through to arrive at this point is nothing short of miraculous. I know I wrote briefly in a previous post about our struggle, and I will write the full testimony shortly and post it here – but the years of trying, the struggles and the sadness are now behind us and God has truly shown …
