November 13 – Holy Be Holy

“ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

In the first chapter of 1 Peter we learn that as believers we are call to be Holy. We know the word Holy. Some of us sing songs about God being Holy. The various churches label places and artifacts as Holy. God in the Old Testament has the People of Israel build a Tabernacle for worshiping Him. In it was the Holy Place and deeper in was the Holy of Holies. Holiness is important in God’s way and revelation in the Bible tells us He expects us to live holy lives.  In our verse today Peter gives us three of five ways to approach being holy. We are to prepare our minds for action. Get our thoughts in the proper order so we are to be sober-minded.  This means to be in control of what goes in and what comes out. This means not to mess around with things that intoxicate our thinking and crowd out or blur the things God wants us to think about. The third is to set our hope on the promise of the grace we have and will receive when Jesus Christ is revealed. That’s an end time event we’re to be prepared for.

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May 16 – Since, Therefore Do

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”  - Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)

It is good to know that the “If” in verse 3:1 actually means “Since” and the recipients of this letter are those in Christ because they have been raised with Christ. This letter written by the Apostle Paul to the assembly of believers in Colossae was written in prison, like the letter to the Philippians. But it has a very different message for us.  An important purpose Paul has in writing this letter, among others, was to refute the false teaching that was threatening this congregation of Christ followers. Also Paul was setting forth the absolute supremacy and sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ.  To encourage the members of the Colossae church to turn away from the false teachers in their midst.  Paul reminds them of their union with Christ. He also urged them to continue living in keeping with their position in Christ.  It is the promise in this verse that should motivate them and us to seek the better things where Christ is – in heaven at God the Father’s right hand.  Those better things are promised to all who believe the Gospel.  

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November 21 – Peace from Thanksgiving

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

We have a verse today that is likely very well known.  Most times it is used to teach us the value of not being anxious, or to not worry about anything.  This is not something that is done with ease and it takes a great amount of practice.  God provides the opportunities for us to practice by allowing challenging and difficult times to come into our lives.  Today we are looking at another part of the verse.  This part tells us what we can do to defeat being anxious and to replace the worry – by being thankful in all things when we pray and request help from God.  Being thankful for the opportunity to trust His promises, especially when we are struggling with worry and anxiety.  Thankfulness to God is a powerful and wonderful method of receiving help when we ask for it.  And the promise we have is this – the peace of God becomes the guard of our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  It is beyond all our ability to comprehend just how God's peace becomes our guard, but it is promised to us by God and it comes after we have prayed with thanksgiving for all He has done and will do.  

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September 18 – Truly Opened Minds

“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45 (NIV)

We have considered this verse before – especially during the days after our Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  The joys of His resurrection are available for us to consider anytime and not only during Easter time.  What Jesus did for the disciples in this passage, He can do for us every day.  Even though Jesus had taught them much during His time with them before his death, they were not fully comprehending what had happened.  We too might find times when we are not comprehending lessons from God's Word even though we may have studied it and heard it preached many times.  What Jesus did for these two, He is doing for us today.  He promises to open our minds so that we can understand the Scriptures.  Without His work of opening our minds, we will not be able to comprehend what the Bible is teaching us. We need Him to help us understand. 

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September 15 – Peace to Guard Us

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Our selected verse today may be very familiar to many who follow this blog.  Even so, each time we read it and consider what it says we are confronted with the promise it brings to us.  The promise here is in one word – a verb – which we want to focus on today.  It's the verb “guard.”  When we bring our concerns to the Lord with an attitude of thanksgiving instead of worry or anxiety, we are promised the peace of God to guard our hearts and our minds.  What is the guard for? Isn't it to keep anxious worrisome things out of our hearts and minds?  Yes, these undesirable things don't belong and God promises to give us His peace to guard against them entering our mind and heart.  This peace removes the anxious feelings and thoughts which are not desirable from our lives when we bring our concerns to God in prayer with thanksgiving.  That is a promise we can trust and be thankful for.

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May 19 – Beyond Our Imagination

“However, as it is written:  “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him — these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.”  1 Corinthians 2:9-10a (NIV)

For some of you reading this today, you find this verse very familiar. That is good because recalling these truths are good for our daily walk. We need to be reminded. If today's verse is new to you, that too is good because we all need to know the power and extent of what God has done and plans to do for all who have received Jesus Christ as Savior. Our God has great plans for each of us. He has plans for each of us for this very day as well as plans for us that extend into eternity. Our God is personal and is directly involved in each of our lives. The amazing thing is that His plans are beyond anything we can imagine or conceive.  If we think of the best thing that God might have planned for us we can rest assured that his plans exceed what we have just thought of. As we go through each day of our lives, one day at a time, God reveals those plans to us through the Holy Spirit. 

August 30

“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Hebrews 10:16 (NIV)

Our God has been careful from the beginning to let His creatures know what His will is and how He wants us to live. This process is what this verse is about. It is a quotation from the statement God made in Old Testament days. We remember that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. He also inspired writers to write his words on scrolls of parchment and he has preserved His words for us in books. That has been a wonderful provision to help His people know His will. But even more, He writes His word in our hearts and minds – a constant process and still going on.