Author: Alissa

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God does not allow temptations arise to torment us, or to cause us to mess up.  Instead he allows them into our paths so that we might learn, so that we might grow.  He promises to always give us a way out of that temptation.  But we must be willing to look for it, we have to try- not just cave at the slightest hint of pressure.  Our way out will be there, even if it sometimes means literally running away as Joseph did from Potipher’s wife.  His promise says we will have the strength necessary not only to look for our way out but to find and take it.  Whatever temptation finds us will not be more than we can endure. 

~May the Lord bless you and keep you today!

“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground… Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did… And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:1-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today’s point doesn’t require a lot of deep thought on my part, the Bible is pretty straightforward on this one!  God filled his word with examples for us to follow or, in many cases, examples for us to not follow.  He lays out clearly the warnings of the consequences that will result from disobedience so that we are without excuse when they come due.  His chosen people were constantly getting into trouble, despite the wonders they had witnessed and being baptized as followers.  Rather than trying to put a pretty face on his chosen ones and allowing the scribes to sweet the bad under the rug and only highlight the positives of their people’s history, God ensured that their repetitive and varied disobedience made its way into his Word that it might be passed on through generations for all time to come so that hopefully we can learn from the mistakes of others rather than make them ourselves.  Pay attention to these examples.  While we are made righteous by the blood of Christ when we accept him as our savior, we should never diminish the seriousness of sin.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Spend some time in the Old Testament and you will quickly see how seriously God regards sin, we should take it just as seriously. 

~May the Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace today

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:24‬ ‭NASB‬‬

We are not supposed to just go through the motions, showing up on occasion to participate when we need something to do or we think it sounds entertaining enough.  Following Christ is supposed to be work, something we dedicate ourselves mind and body to.  We are supposed to train like an athlete who’s only dream is to go to the Olympics!  How are we supposed to win if we don’t practice often, if we don’t work at it, always striving to dig deeper?  Our prize will be so much greater than some trophy or medal so we should be that much more motivated to win- after all, our winning means saving lives, saving souls.  Such high stakes should make us dread losing, just the thought of it should break our hearts.  RUN hard!

~May the Lord bless you and keep you today!

Job 38-41

I was reminded recently of the power and importance of simply taking time to WORSHIP God and praise his name, making no requests, making no demands, just giving him the glory he deserves.  One of the ways I wanted to do that was to pray through some of the worshipful scriptures in the Bible and ended up rewording Job 38-41 into a prayer.  Join with me in worshiping our Creator!

All glory to you God who laid the foundations of the earth, who determined its dimensions and laid its cornerstone!  Blessed are you who birthed the sea and contains the mighty ocean inside its boundaries.  Praise be to you who commands the morning to appear and spreads daylight to the ends of the earth robing the world in brilliant color and bringing an end to the night’s wickedness.  Glory to you O Lord who has all wisdom and knowledge.  Only you realize the extent o the earth, only you can know where the light comes from, where the darkness goes, where are the storehouses filled with snow and hail, where lies the path to the source of light and where the wind makes its home.  Almighty God you created the channels for the rain, laid out the path for the lightning.  You alone can make rain fall on barren land to satisfy the parched ground.  You alone can create the rain and the dew, the ice and frost.  We give praise to you who directs the movement of the stars, guiding them across the heavens and through the seasons.  O God you wrote the laws of the universe and use them to regulate the earth.  It is you who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind.  You alone have wisdom enough to understand all the needs of the earth and its creatures.  You alone have the ability to satisfy those needs.  You are aware of every detail of our existence, you have placed each of us in our place and endowed every creature with its abilities and gifts.  Blessed is the giver of wisdom and understanding!  Glory to you God who granted speed to the ostrich, strength and beauty to the horse.  Your wisdom makes the hawk soar, your command raises the eagle to the heights to make its nest.  All of nature obeys your command!  God you are a God of strength and justice with a voice like thunder, cloaked in glory and splendor, honor and majesty.  O Lord you humiliate the proud with a glance, walk on the wicked where they stand and bury them in the dust.  You are the creator of all, we are your handiwork- masterpieces of your hands.  You are God and no one can stand against you.  Who would dare try?  Everything under heaven belongs to you.  No one has ever, and can never, give you anything that you must pay back.  Before you we are nothing.  I give all glory and honor and praise to you Almighty God, the only one who deserves it.  Amen!

~May the Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace today!

“When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:20-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Paul is not saying here that we need to pretend to or even become a different person with each person or group we speak to.  He is not saying to change who we are or what we believe.  He is saying that we need to identify with people.  We need to walk IN THEIR SHOES for a while so that we can understand them, so that we can empathize with the struggles they face.  In doing so we will learn better how to share the truths of the Gospel with them and they may become more open to listening to the truths we have to share.  People need to know you care about them before they care what you have to say.  You will not save people by staying within your ‘click’ or by holding to the idea that you shouldn’t be seen in certain places with certain types of people.  We have to meet people where they are- just like Jesus did for us.

~May the Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace today!

 

“… We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:12‬ NLT‬‬

How often have we been so concerned about getting what’s owed to us, our fair share, or getting even, that we have hindered the message of Christ?  In doing so aren’t we showing those who are watching us that we love ourselves more than our neighbor?  It ultimately goes back to what we read the other day in ch.7 v.31- getting wrapped up in things that aren’t important.  If someone owes us a debt they can’t pay should we drag them into court, humiliate them and take them for all we can get?  Or should we show them mercy and grace like we were shown when Christ forgave our own debts?  There was a reason that Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile with someone, to give them not just your cloak but your shirt as well.  People do not see Jesus through us when we are too busy to help or talk, or when we strike back at those who wrong us.   Life will rarely treat us fairly, people will certainly not.  In a world of people who look out only for themselves and theirs, we are called to be different.  We are called to live in a way that causes people to pause and take notice in a good way.  We should use every circumstance to show Christ’s love to the people around us, if that means getting the short end of the stick on occasion then so be it, see it as an oppertunity rather than an abuse, USE IT!  There is greater treasure being stored for us in heaven and God will make all things right in the end.  Remember, introducing people to Christ is more important than anything you can buy or receive.  Let people see Him through you!

~May the Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace today!

“But be careful how you use your freedom. Be sure it doesn’t trip up someone who is weaker than you. Suppose you who have that knowledge are eating in a temple of one of those gods. And suppose someone who has a weak sense of what is right and wrong sees you. Won’t that person become bold and eat what has been offered to statues of gods? If so, then your knowledge destroys that weak brother or sister for whom Christ died. When you sin against other believers in that way, you harm their weak sense of what is right and wrong. By doing that you sin against Christ. So what should I do if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin? I will never eat meat again. In that way, I will not cause them to fall.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭8:9-13‬ ‭NIRV‬‬

I wouldn’t say that there are any really profound thoughts here today, just straight forward truths reworded a bit.  But this is one of those truths that can be a little harder to live out because our stubborn hearts tend to have a hard time giving up something we enjoy for the sake of another person’s peace of mind, especially when we know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with whatever it is.  At least I do!  Part of me wants to tell them to go jump in the lake!  But Paul explains that doing so causes us to sin against Christ.  So, we have to be mindful in the freedoms we enjoy in Christ so that we do not cause someone with a weak sense of right and wrong to stumble.  What you are doing may not be wrong but their underdeveloped belief system may still perceive it as such and by watching you do it, maybe even following your example, it could send them into a tailspin- or you may be looked upon as one of those ‘terrible hypocrites’ who so many use as an excuse to stay away from the church.  Be mindful of what you do, there is always SOMEONE WATCHING.  It’s better to give up willingly a little thing than to be the cause of someone’s fall.

~May the Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace today!

“Those who use the things of the world should not become all wrapped up in them. The world as it now exists is passing away.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭7:31‬ ‭NIRV‬‬

We cannot allow our possessions, STUFF, to define us.  They are things meant to be used while we are here; not treasured, not focused on.  Our identity should never be wrapped up in stuff because it will not last any more than this life will- most won’t last half that long!  The things that matter are the people around us, not their opinions of us or how impressed they are with our clothes, our cars, our houses.  Are we meeting their needs?  Showing them Christ’s love through our attitudes and actions?  Their souls, our souls, they are what matter.    They are all that will survive when the world passes away so let’s keep our priorities straight!  

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:1-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When Paul first came to Corinth he did not come confidently, knowing exactly what to say and what to do.  He came WEAK and AFRAID to share the gospel of Christ with these people.  He didn’t have all the knowledge or the clever words he might need to convince people.  But he went anyway, he shared anyway, despite his fear.  Paul trusted the Spirit of God within him to use him to accomplish God’s purposes.  As for us today, we will never have all the knowledge, we will always have fear about stepping out of our comfort zone and sharing Christ’s love with others.  But we have the same Spirit within us.  God will use us and bless our efforts if are just willing to try!

Thanks for dropping in!  The Bible is said to be alive and powerful.  Anyone who has spent time reading it has probably noticed something that they had never noticed before.  It speaks to us in different ways at different times through the same words.  Basically this site will be an online journal of sorts for my daily time in God’s word.  It is meant both to keep me accountable and to hopefully speak to anyone else who might read it.  I am not a Bible scholar or a preacher,  I only write what I feel the Holy Spirit shows me through the scripture

“But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬