Was your cup filled today? If the words of God had special meaning for you, please share your reflections in the comments section at the end of each post. We would love to hear Christ's impact on you.

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:24-25 ESV) Nebuchadnezzar had made a statue of gold to be worshiped by all those in Babylon when “the horn

“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver an

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”   (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ESV) The Apostle Paul now turns his letter from practical teachings about giving with a cheerful heart to the matter of having to defend himself and

Heavenly Father, As we kneel at the foot of the cross, we recognize the depth of your love. We are slowly coming to realize the magnitude of Jesus's sacrifice. We see that you are all merciful and patient with Your flawed creation. In your love, You made a way for us. Christ is the way. We understand that while we were suspended over the pit. You chose to lift us, not discard us. As sinners in the hands of our angry God, You chose mercy. You continue today as you did in the b

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”   (2 Cor. 9:6-7 ESV) I think it’s clear that from the teachings of Jesus and from the New Testament letters that we bring honor to God by being a generous people. Chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians offer excellent teaching on this top

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV) Everyone loves a gift. There is no greater joy than opening a gift and finding something you need or want. Salvation through Christ alone is the gift that keeps on giving. You cannot outgrow it; it does not get smaller or decrease in value. It continues to grow within you. Better yet, it can be a surpri

“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me

“And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,   coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23 ESV) In these verses from Mark, Jesus is telling the apostles that what comes out of the mouth is what defiles a person. It reveals their true wickedne

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2 ESV) The days after the resurrection brought hope and reassurance, showing that everything had changed because of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Today, people may still wonder what happens after death, but the resurrection assures us of eternal life. In Daniel’s prophetic writing, he told us of the awakening of those dead;

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”   (2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV) I know that we are told that the Bible is “full of promises” for those who believe in Jesus. Still, it doesn’t get any plainer than this first verse from 2 Corinthians Chapter 7,  “Therefore, having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfe

What a Day of Rejoicing that will be, when we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory”. 1 Father, our hearts overflow with thankfulness for the eternal life you have given us. We acknowledge that we will one day “Sing and shout the Victory”, over death and the grave that your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus, has secured for us. This is the eternal confidence that each person who professes Jesus as their savior has, that one day “we will all see Jesus”. This promise from t

“ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,   in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,   because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV) 1 Peter 3:18-20, a text of profo

“ The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldier

“And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For h

“And when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread,

“And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (Matt. 21:23 ESV) The temple leaders had been at odds with Jesus and His teachings for the last three years. Here, on Tuesday of Holy Week, we find that they had finally had enough and confronted Him directly with his authority to perform miracles and to teach.  Remember,

“And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments? And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease. And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and f

Heavenly Father, I ask for forgiveness; For all the things I did not do and should have done; For all the things I did and should not have done; For the words I spoke and should not have spoken; For the words I failed to speak when I should have; For the rebellion I committed in Your presence; For the devotion I kept hidden when I should have been bold; For the indifference when I should have cared; For ignoring when I should have loved. You are the one living God, You are my

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?”  (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 ESV) 2 Corinthians is only 18 verses, but as you read it, you will see the importance of Paul’s exhortation, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness, or w

“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.” (Numbers 20:8-9 ESV) In the time of Moses and the Old Testament, God conversed directly with His creation. There should have been no confusion about what God wanted done by th