Tag: Daily Bread

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Grow As Wheat

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul tells us that the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But the darker the night, the brighter we Christians must shine.

See what Jesus said, “but while men slept…” (Matthew 13:25a KJV).

The men mentioned in the parable are the workers in the field, who represent us, the Church. Therefore, that verse could read like this:

But as the Church slept, the devil came in and sowed weeds amongst the good seed.

The Church has fallen asleep, and the enemy wreaks havoc wherever he pleases.

You see, the weeds are the children of the devil, who masquerade as wheat, and the wheat is the Church.

But we will know them by their fruits. They will say things like:

“Oh, Jesus would be right there holding her hand as she gets an abortion.”

“Or Jesus would be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Or they express their discomfort…, to say the least…, with some of the things that Jesus said, especially His exclusive claims about salvation.

The first female priest in the Church of England said, “I sometimes wish Jesus hadn’t said some of the things He said.” And it was not said in a positive light.

These people are weeds that the enemy has slipped in and sown amongst the wheat that drain the light and fuel the darkness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grow As Wheat.

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Live By Your Belief

17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD. ~ 2 Chronicles 30:17

This word consecrated means to be dedicated to service and loyalty to God, and so involves proper conduct (as prescribed) of any person or object so dedicated. That means, there is no hidden sin in them. For David said that if he had cherished iniquity in [his] heart, the LORD would not have listened (Psalms 66:18).

But when we repent and turn from our sins and forsake our iniquities, God hears, and when He hears, He will answer. But if we don’t and we come to the LORD’s table— unrepentant, Paul said we can get sick and even die. Therefore, if just taking communion while living in sin can lead to death, how can we believe our actions have no eternal consequence.

Regardless of what you believe, how you live your life on this earth matters. It will directly impact your eternity. It will directly impact whether or not you spend eternity with Christ Jesus. See, if you are living a life of sin that isn’t pleasing to God, then regardless of whether or not you believe, your soul is indeed in jeopardy.

Therefore, don’t just believe and leave it there. Walk by faith. Live your belief. Don’t just give the LORD lip service. Believe and live by that belief. In other words, if you believe that Jesus died and has been raised again, then live that way. If you believe He is coming back, then live like He will be here tomorrow. Don’t just believe it, live like you believe it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live By Your Belief.

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Trust In Your Buckler

5 Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. ~ Proverbs 30:5

This means that faith in our God is not just belief—it’s trusting Him to cover you, to absorb what would otherwise destroy you.

A buckler, on the other hand, is a small, usually round shield used for close, hand-to-hand combat to deflect blows, parry sword strikes, and facilitate offensive maneuvers. How does that relate to God being our Buckler?

Just as the buckler was a close personal shield, so is our God a close personal shield who deflects spiritual attacks, danger, and harm before they can overwhelm us.

God is our ever-present protector in the spiritual battles of life. He shields us from attacks, gives us wisdom to parry temptations, and empowers us to stand firm and take action in His name. Like a buckler held in the fist, God is intimately close, moving with us and defending us in every moment of the fight.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Trust In Your Buckler.

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Cherish Your Freedoms

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Today is the day we set aside to remember our brave men and women who served honorably in our military, whether in a time of war or in time of peace. Today is their day.

We remember your service, and we thank you for serving your country honorably. Your sacrifice does not fall on hard hearts. I realize it is not a light matter to serve one’s country.

I myself went straight from high school graduation to boot camp. While all my friends and the majority of my graduating classmates celebrated our graduation by taking the summer off, I was shipped off to boot camp, where I celebrated my 18th birthday.

So, again, thank you all for your service! Your service is very much appreciated. Without sacrifice there is no freedom. And freedom does not come cheap. Freedom is never free. Let us not let their sacrifice die.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cherish Your Freedoms.

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Live It

Matthew 5:14-16

[14]  You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Eric Metaxas wrote in his book, Bonhoeffer, that German church leaders believed aligning with the Nazi state could restore the church’s influence or German national strength, but in reality, they were surrendering the church’s independence and mission.

He highlighted how the German Church didn’t respond with immediate resistance, not because the evil wasn’t apparent, but because it seemed gradual, respectable, and even regular at first.

Just like during the lockdowns, pastors were arrested and fined for not complying. Likewise, pastors and church leaders were arrested under the Nazis for noncompliance.

During the lockdowns, churches were not allowed to gather for worship because it was believed that doing so would spread the disease. Yet, at the very same time, massive nationwide protests erupted across America, with an estimated 15 to 26 million protesters taking to the streets. And what was done…? There was widespread property damage, riots, looting, arson, and clashes with the police.

What am I saying? What is the point? Our freedoms are fleeting. Our right to worship and serve God is being threatened. Now isn’t the time to give up the little bit of power we have left. Now is the time to stand up for your faith. To speak out for Christ. Pray diligently and fast with earnestly seeking the favor of God.

We don’t give up our freedoms and rights for a possibility of power or authority. How can we have power or authority without rights and freedoms? We can’t. Our job as Christians is to be Christ to the world. We do that by teaching, preaching, and living the Gospel.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live It.

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Let The Waters Flow

[14] The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, [15] his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ~ Revelation 1:14-15

This is John the Apostle describing His vision of Jesus. Now, what I want you do understand is that John isn’t describing physical characteristics, but spiritual ones. For instance, Jesus died, rose, and ascended into Heaven around 33 years old, and according to the Pharisees reaction of Him, He did not have white hair. He didn’t look old. This is a spiritual description of Jesus. John was looking into the Spirit.

So, what’s so special about His description? John describes Jesus voice like the voice of many waters. I was speaking with someone one day about the meaning of this, and they were fully convinced that the voice of many waters meant that Jesus had a deep voice. Here’s the problem, the book of Revelation actually defines what this means.

15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”

Revelation 17:15

Jesus’ voice is the voice of many waters because Jesus isn’t bound to one language or people. We are to go make disciples of all nations, regardless of language, people, or nations. We are called to spread the good news about Jesus.

We don’t have to learn Hebrew or Greek in order to read the Word of God because it is not bound to any one language. It is by the Spirit that we understand. The language it is translated into doesn’t matter, as it does not change the words.

Therefore, go, make disciples of many nations. Spread the good news. Share the Gospel.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let The Waters Flow. 

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Seek Consistently

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” ~ Luke 11:5-10

It’s the three-strand cord explained in obscurity. So, I will decipher it for you. Now, the friend asks his friend for a very specific number of loaves – three… to be sure.

Jesus said that the friend will not get out of his bed to give him what he asks for because he is his friend… but because of his incessant asking and his continual knocking, he will give him all that he needs – this friend is super persistent.

Now imagine, if the friend had let his head drop, his shoulders slump, and had turned around and walked away. He would have been out of luck. He would have left there empty-handed.

And I’m very much afraid that that is what happens to a whole lot of us Christians. We don’t persistently knock. We won’t continually ask. We fail to consistently seek.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Consistently.

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Do Not Shrink Away From Offense

6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. ~ Matthew 11:6

Jesus’ words, teachings, commands often offended people. The Jews picked up stones to kill Him more than once, and nothing has changed today. Just the very mention of the name of Jesus gets people uptight and offended. So what are we to do? Do we dim the light to make the darkness feel more comfortable for Bubba in the back row Do we soften the truth so that those… who love lies… won’t be offended?

Look, we are not called to make Jesus palatable—we are called to proclaim Him as LORD. We are not called to edit the Gospel—we are called to preach it, in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

We are not called to win the world by becoming like it—we are called to shine as lights in this world of darkness, holding fast to the Word of Life (Philippians 2:15–16).

The world may call His words “harsh.” The false teachers may call His commands “unloving.” But we know that His words are life. His truth is freedom. His Gospel is power. So, how can we do anything but preach the Gospel as recorded 2000 years ago?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Shrink Away From Offense.

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A Weighted Bread

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the LORD, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

The physical manifests in the spiritual, and the spiritual has either rewards or consequences. Now, let us consider the significance of what Paul just said. Two words jump out at us as we read that:

  1. Unworthy
    • Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD.
  2. Discerning
    • 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This is the only time that those two particular variations of those words are used in the New Testament. However, the lemma for discerning is used several times. But as it is, Paul is saying that this is a very solemn time. It’s not a time for fun and games, and playing pattycake. It’s a time to inspect yourself and ask the hard questions that require honest answers.

Am I living a Christian life? Am I sexually pure? Meaning I’m not sleeping with someone who is not my spouse. I’m not engaged in pornography or illicit behavior. Am I mixing the occult with the things of God? Am I walking in love, righteousness, and holiness? Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? A sin that nobody knows about— but me: Hatred? Lust? Any ungodliness at all?

This is the time to search your heart and ask as David asked in Psalms 139:23-24. An introspective evaluation must take place. Otherwise, Paul is suggesting that eating and drinking in an unworthy manner, along with not discerning the body of Christ, will make you terminally ill and eventually cause you to die.

Subsequently, the other side of the coin is that if you do eat worthily and discerningly, you will receive life. But not just life, but life more abundantly, because Jesus is “The Bread of Life.” Meaning, you will receive the three-strand cord of Jesus’ atoning and redemptive work as described by the prophet Isaiah 53:5. The atoning work of Jesus gives us unlimited access to the Throne of Grace.

Thank You LORD for giving me the opportunity to approach Your Thone of Grace without fear but in confidence. Thank You LORD for Your sacrifice that has given me this opportunity. Please search me. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might be convicted within myself of all sins I have given into. Please help me to see them and overcome them. Open my eyes to their dangers and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Help me to take Your communion only with a pure heart and a right spirit within me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Forsake Que Sera Sera

48 That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, 49 “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. 50 And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. 52 For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” ~ Deuteronomy 32:48-52

It’s now been 40 years since the people of Israel left the land of Egypt. Moses has died and Joshua has received the heavy mantle of leading the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, The Promised Land. How did we get here?

Moses led the people of Israel in the wilderness faithfully for forty years. Neither their clothes nor sandals wore down (Deuteronomy 29:5). Yet Moses never made it into the Promised Land. Why? Throughout their time in the wilderness a Rock followed them in order to provide them with drinking water as they journeyed 40 years. The LORD told Moses, speak to the Rock so water may come out of it, but instead Moses struck the Rock. Not once, but twice. And the LORD told him that because of his actions he would die on Mount Nebo. He would never step into the promised land, but only see it from a distance.

This wasn’t just disobedience. This was anger driven disobedience. Moses had, once again, let his anger get the best of him, and the LORD had had enough. So, instead of leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land he had to go to the top of Mount Nebo, in the Land of Moab and die a premature death. His body wasn’t ready, but that physical act of disobedience caused a spiritual reaction that ended up costing him his promise and his very life.

Just because God has a plan for your life doesn’t mean that you will see that plan be fulfilled. It is up to you to make the right decision and take the right steps. God has done His part. He planned good things for you and gave the plan to you. It is up to you to follow it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forsake Que Sera Sera.

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