Category: Daily Bread

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Let The Potter Reshape His Clay

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” ~ Jeremiah 18:1-6

I was just sitting here trying to fix a console I had bought a few months ago that wasn’t working. I had taken it apart. Cleaned it up. Bought a replacement part for it. Still nothing. And so I decided to give it another go tonight, and when I tested it, it flashed on the screen and then the screen went black, and I got really excited. It wasn’t fixed, but it was closer than it was before.

And as that excitement became more and more noticeable to me, it hit me, this is how God feels about us. See, I didn’t make that system. It’s not even one I had as a child. It’s not even a system I had growing up, but I can’t help but try to fix it. We aren’t just some random system God bought from someone who didn’t want us anymore, and now He’s trying to see if He can fix us up and sell us to make a profit.

No, God created us. He formed us in our mother’s womb. He knitted us together. He knows the number of each hair on our head. And when we fail. When we run from Him and make ourselves dirty, it seems unfixable. It seems like we’re too far gone, but God is still chasing us down. He leaves the 99 for the 1. He looks for His sheep, and when He finds us, He rejoices. I felt such excitement and joy when I saw that screen flash because I knew I was on the right track. I knew it was getting close. I can only imagine how much joy the LORD feels when we come home to Him. When we fall at His feet and say, here I am, LORD, have me. Use me. I am Yours.

Yes, we make mistakes. Yes, we are just dust. But to God, we are clay worth saving. To God, we are His people, and He loves us. Just as a father will always love his wayward child, so does our Heavenly Father always love us. He wants us to come home to Him, and when we do, He reshapes us. He renews us. He forgets our sin, our transgressions, for His own sake. He remembers not our past, but instead, He focuses on now and tomorrow. So, let us do the same.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let The Potter Reshape His Clay.

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Learn To Defend

2 Timothy 3:16-17

[16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is composed of 66 books, written by about 40 writers, over a time period of about 1500 years, yet there is no contradiction. Let that sink in for a second. 66 different books written by approximately 40 different writers over a time period of about 1500 years, and there are no contradictions. That is evidence that it is God-breathed alone. Think about it. A TV show written by a handful of writers in a room together will contradict themselves on the show in later seasons. Movie sequels will contradict the prequels. Yet, the Bible has no contradictions and has been preserved for over 3500 years.

People will deny these facts saying the Bible is full of contradictions, but when you read the context of those so-called contradictions, you will find that there actually is none. They believed their hypothesis was true before they sought out to prove it true, this tainting their search and clouding their judgment.

Peter tells us that we need to be prepared to give a reason we believe the things we do. In other words, we need to know our Bible and be able to defend our beliefs when they are attacked or questioned by the unbeliever. We need to know the reason one says Judas hung himself and another says his insides spilled out. We need to know why one says Mary went to the tomb and another says Mary and others went to tomb. Why one says one genealogy and the other says another. We need to know our Bible and we need to always seek the LORD for understanding of His Word, so that we might be prepared for any questions to our faith.

The Bible is without flaw or contradiction, as it is the Word of God. Why? Because it has but one author, the LORD God Himself who gave man the words to write. If the LORD God gave us His Word, the least we can do is learn it and defend it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Learn To Defend.

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Ovid’s Hate

Matthew 23:13, 15

[13]  But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. [15] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Luke 11:52

[52] Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.

Myths, religions, beliefs, etc., all interest me. What people believe and why they believe it always piques my interest. One ancient story that I find interesting is the ancient Greek story of Medusa. Medusa was one of three monstrous sisters with wings, scaly bodies, fangs, and brass or bronze hands. Hideous and frightening to look at, whose gaze turned its victims to stone. And most notably, snakes for hair. In the original Greek myth, they were always monstrous beasts. Hideous. Ferocious. Terrifying. But 700-800 years later, a Roman author changed Medusa’s story.

Ovid, an ancient Roman poet, wrote in his Narrative Poem “Metamorphoses” that Medusa was once a beautiful woman desired even by the gods. One day, Poseidon (Neptune), the god of the sea, raped Medusa in the temple of Athena (Minerva). Instead of finding comfort, peace, or empathy from the goddess, being that it took place in her temple, Medusa was cursed by Athena (Minerva). She turned the locks of her hair into snakes and turned her gaze into a petrifying gaze that turned those who looked upon her into stone. So, why the change?

Ovid was exiled by Emperor Augustus around 8 AD. Because of this, he took gods who were originally just, wise, and trying to do good by the people, and turned them into the villains of the story. His anger and chip on his shoulder, stemming from his exile by the emperor, led him to distort the gods’ very depiction, character, and desires. His story is the one portrayed today, not the original. It’s the one used by women in the feminist movement. It’s the one society knows, yet it’s not the original. To this day, it is used to show why gods are all evil at their root and/or even the idea of a loving god is folly.

One man changed the legacy of the gods for millennias. Today, in the church, this happens as well. People who have been hurt push their ideologies into the Word of God. They distort characters, peoples, the gods of old, and the LORD God Himself. They allow their own thoughts, opinions, and feelings to influence their judgment. To influence their understanding. So, they lean not on God or His intention of His Word. They lean solely on their own understanding, desires, hurts, and hearts.

When we do this, we corrupt the Truth. We distort God’s Word for ourselves and others. We become a hindrance to those seeking the Truth and a pitfall to those who hate the same way.

Dear LORD, thank You that You are a forgiving and merciful God. A God that loves and gives Himself for His people. One of patience, mercy, and grace. Please forgive me for distorting Your Word. For allowing my feelings, pain, hurt, heart’s desires, and hate to confuse and distort my understanding of Your Word. Please forgive me. If I have led others away with any false belief, please forgive me and show them the Truth of Your Word. Teach me Your Truth and not my own. Hear my plea for understanding and wisdom, for You give to anyone who will ask and seek diligently. Teach me, oh LORD. Hear me from Heaven. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Pray For Your Persecutors

23  A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly. ~ Proverbs 12:23

Posting videos online comes with people hating you for absolutely no reason other than they ultimately hate God but can’t get to Him, so you’re the next best thing. We recently got a span of sixteen hateful comments from two random people (hiding behind fake names) having a conversation about how much they hate “Christ-tards” and our God. One explained that God had to be evil to create something as cruel as winter because only the rich can enjoy it, and the poor homeless people suffer. The absurdity of the messages just kind of blew my mind. How silly they sounded while thinking they were wise and enlightened beyond their years. The other made claims of how evil God is and how God Himself claims to create evil in the Bible.

These kinds of comments no longer anger me but genuinely confuse me. If you hate a religion or group of people that much, why are you watching their videos and going out of your way to let them know you hate them and their God (which, by the way, they claim they don’t believe in)? It makes no sense. There’s no reasoning in it. But that’s what happens when you allow hatred and ignorance to consume you.

Hatred is blinding and numbing. It blinds you to the Truth so that you can dwell in the lies that stir and flame the hatred within you, so you never truly realize you are even ignorant in the first place. When hatred gets a hold of you, there’s little wisdom and understanding can do to help. Now, it’s up to the LORD to change your heart. It’s up to the LORD to soften your heart, but He’ll never do it against your will. He will never do it unless you want to know the Truth and not your own twisted version of it.

What a slippery slope hatred is. One that leads to death. One that few are able to return from. Debate and Truth cannot help alone, but coupled with prayer and faith, anything is possible. That is why we love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us, and we bless those who curse us. We do not return railing for railing, but instead we turn the other cheek, and we love, even when it’s difficult and feels impossible, we love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For Your Persecutors.

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Don’t Burn The Harvest

37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” ~ Matthew 9:37-38

35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. ~ John 4:35

There’s a term Christians use that I’m really not a fan of, and it’s the term abomination. It’s like it’s an arsenal for attack to make sure that one sinner knows how much more of a sinner they are than all other sinners. Like, look how much God hates this sin above all other sins. When in reality, the word abomination is used to describe multiple sins in the Bible, not just same-sex relations.

When we try to isolate sin and rate it as more evil than another based on our own opinions and feelings, that is when we begin to misuse Scripture to cause hurt or harm to another. When we do this, shame and self-hatred begin to consume others. Identity begins to be destroyed, and a lot of times it causes great division between them, God, and the Church. Our goal is to change lives for the better. Our mission is to win souls for Christ. Not to burn the fields, but to harvest them.

The fields are white onto harvest. Their hearts are yearning for the Truth. So many are seeking and never finding because we, as the Church, as the body of Christ, do not do our job as followers of Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Burn The Harvest.

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Prepare Today For Tomorrow

[33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

When I was a child, one of my favorite movies was Matilda. As I get older, the more I liked the musical version of Matilda, as well. In it is a song called, “When I Grow up.” In the song, all the children sing about how easier life will be when they grow up.

They’ll be tall enough to reach the branches you can’t as children. Smart enough to answer questions you need to know the answers to before you’re grown up. Strong enough to carry all the heavy things. Brave enough to fight the creatures that you have to fight beneath the bed each night to be a grown up.

This to such a sad song when I think about it. The world only gets harder as time goes on, as you get older. There’s never a point in time that we suddenly have no more cares of worries in the world. These children’s outlook on adulthood is very much like One new Christian’s ideas of Christianity, like somehow being saved will stop and end all troubles. An unrealistic and unbiblical outlook of life.

Just like adulthood, a Christian, especially a seasoned Christian, faces challenges that are difficult. That don’t necessarily have a clear answer. That take a lot of hard work and effort. That you don’t just wake up and know one day. Challenges and obstacles that take practice and preparation, time and building in order to overcome.

You’ll never just wake up are day and be good enough. You have to work at it duly Grow Train up yourself. Prepare before the obstacle comes.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare Today For Tomorrow.

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Live For The One Who Remembers

12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun? ~ Ecclesiastes 6:12

Life is a really weird concept when you think about it. Every single one of us is born just to one day die and soon after be forgotten. Very few are remembered throughout the centuries, but the majority are forgotten. Their lives, stories, names, and faces are all forgotten. Lost to time. A bleak and depressing understanding of life that makes you ask the question, “What’s the point?”

When we leave life there, it honestly seems very pointless. Purposeless. A speck of dust sailing through the wind. Here one day, gone the next. But that’s not the end of the story. We aren’t just born to die and then one day forgotten. No. We are never forgotten by our Creator. Weare so important to Him that our very hair on our heads is numbered by Him.

Our words, thoughts, actions, and legacy are never forgotten by Him. Yes, man may forget us. Our bones one day turned to dust. Our names forgotten and our graves lost, but our souls, if we delight ourselves in the LORD, will forever dwell in the arms of the LORD Most High.

Yes, man will forget us, but the LORD God our Creator, Savior, and friend never will. Therefore, live your life for the one who will never forget you. The one who will never forsake you. The one who loves you like no other.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live For The One Who Remembers.

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Don’t Sleep On God’s Plans

Genesis 5:28-29

[28] When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son [29] and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”

From Adam to Noah is ten generations. Lamech (Noah’s father), when his wife gave birth to Noah said that he would bring relief to the people. Lamech didn’t know how, but he knew something was special about Noah. Something was different about this newborn baby. Lamech’s spiritual eyes were opened, and he was in tune with the Spirit.

Noah ended up being the sole reason eight persons survived the flood. Survived the punishment of God upon sinful mankind. Noah not only fulfilled his father’s prophecy about him but he fulfilled being the tenth from Adam.

See, 10 is the number of covenant. It is Noah whom God makes a covenant with because of his righteousness and obedience. It’s because of Noah that God made a covenant with all on the earth that He would never flood it again.

Noah truly lived up to his name, the prophecy, and his place in his generation. Are you? Are you living up to what the LORD has laid out for you? Yes, it’s difficult because of distractions, temptation, etc. but is that truly an excuse? Noah lived in a time that was so evil and wicked, filled with temptations and distractions that God destroyed all of them except for eight people. Noah’s day and age was difficult as well, but his desire was to please God, not please man.

Today, ask yourself, who am I trying to please? Others? Myself? God? Whose plans for my life do I want to follow? God’s or man’s? God has plans for our lives, but so does mankind. But God’s plans are for our good and not our harm. Plans to give us  and a future.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Sleep On God’s Plans.

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Don’t Just Read

Matthew 1:17

[17] So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew uses fourteen generations. He makes a big deal about it, so I started paying attention. 14 is the Hebrew 10 and 4. 10 is the number of covenant, and I believe 4 is the number of division or separation (kinda like sanctification).

See, in Hebrew, there aren’t separate symbols for numbers and letters. The numbers and letters share the same symbols. Each letter equates to a number; this is where the Hebrew Gematria comes from.

14 in Hebrew is also notably connected to the name David, which is who Matthew was trying to show them Jesus was the son of. David’s name is 14 in Hebrew Gematria. I thought that it was interesting that Matthew showed them that Jesus was the Messiah (the Son of David) through the numerology of their own language.

Everything in the Bible has a purpose. There’s nothing written just to be written. Just to fill the page. Matthew was showing that Jesus’ very own genealogy states He is the son of David. The rightful heir to the throne. Three sets of 14 generations from Abraham to Jesus, showing He is the promised offspring of Abraham. Two sets of 14 generations from David to Jesus, showing He is the rightful heir to the everlasting throne promised to David’s descendant.

Each and every letter has meaning in the Bible. God has written it, now it’s up to us to seek out the meaning of these things.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Just Read.

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Give Thanks For A New Year

Proverbs 27:1

[1] Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

James 4:13-14

[13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— [14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Another year has come and gone. 2025 has come to an end, and today marks the first day of 2026. As we start the new year, let us give thanks to God for bringing us this far. So many didn’t make it to the new year that those of us who did should make sure we start out the year right, with thanksgiving that the LORD hasn’t just given us a new day, but a new year.

Let us not waste the first day of the year. Today, let us make a conscious effort to go before the LORD with thanksgiving and praise for all that He has done for us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Give Thanks For A New Year.

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