Acknowledge Transgressions

Eve and Adam ate from the tree and when accused, they denied all responsibility. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. As a result, all three parties were cursed.... I wonder what would have happened if Adam, Eve, or the serpent had repented? David had his share of issues but was quick to repent. He received forgiveness.

Scripture of the day:

Psalms 51:1-3 (KJV)
Psalm 51
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions:
and my sin is ever before me.

Challenge:

Ask God to show you the forbidden fruit on your plate. Repent. Ask for/receive forgiveness. Move on.

Hole-y

Scripture of the day:

John 20:27 (KJV)
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:and be not faithless, but believing.

Jesus' hands still had the holes in them...

The body of Christ had the "imperfection"

The church has its "imperfections"...

Yet those "imperfections" were purposely placed there by God to bring glory to Himself and to strengthen our faith.

Thought of the day:

Let us not be harsh or hasten to criticize the church... Christ is the head and has things under control.

Daily Bread

Scripture of the day:

Matthew 6:11 (KJV)
Give us this day our daily bread.

God gives us daily bread but I feel like a lot of it goes to waste... we can't eat it all because we fill up with other junk... Let us try to focus more on God's bread and less on worldly satisfactions.

The Blood

One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (John 19:34 NLT)

Blood AND water flowed out?

Water is in blood. So separate water...water that did not mix flowed out of The Lord.

Water cleansed us and was used as a symbol for baptism. The blood cleanses us now... Jesus showed the coming of this new covenant by blood when he turned the water into wine.

So why both water and blood?

The two are witnesses of his Christ-ship

And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross —not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. (1 John 5:6 NLT)

Another perspective...

A lot of times I hear people referring to what a lot of people are doing as watered down Christianity. Modern day Christians are missing this and that and it really isn't as powerful as it should be.

I think water and blood flowed out of Jesus to say to us... Hey, the blood is strong. No matter what is around it or near it...

It won't blend in.

It won't dilute it.

The blood will never lose its power.

Arson

Moses saw the bush burn and not be consumed. The 3 Hebrew boys were thrown in the fire. God went in there with them and they did not burn... Jeremiah said its like fire shut up in his bones... And thanks to God's promise, we have his fire in us now...

Scripture of the day:

Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. (Acts 2:3, 4 NLT)

Evangelical Challenge:

Take it to the next level.. It's not enough to see the flames, or be in the flames, or even have the flames in you... Ask God to help you set someone else on fire!

Let it Go

Destroy this temple and in 3 days I'll raise it up.

.... The Jews asked for a miraculous sign.. Jesus responded... destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up. Yes, resurrection is miraculous, but there's another sign in that statement. Love.

If someone threatened to destroy me or something of mine... I would respond... Hurt me, I'll hurt you back, but Jesus said, destroy this temple and in 3 days I'll raise it up... That's like saying... Bust my windshield and I'll go buy another one... Or slap me and I'll take a Tylenol.. Take from me and I'll go buy another one.

The Word challenges us to not make ourselves whole when we are wronged, but to bless our offender.

We see Christ doing this... Destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up... Say I'm not God and in 3 days I'll show you I am (mercy and hope for the nonbeliever)... Take life from me and I'll give you everlasting life.

Scripture of the day:

"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. (Luke 6:27-30 MSG)

Evangelical challenge:

Go out of your way to bless someone who wrongs you.