Good morning!

Several years ago, I focused on reading Proverbs. More recently, I had been re-reading Psalms as a part of my evening prayers before bed. I have found these two books to be powerful as so much applies to living in a way that helps me walk with Jesus. Here are a couple verses from Proverbs for you to consider…
 

• Proverbs 3:18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.
• Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

 
I had very little knowledge of Proverbs other than this scripture came from Solomon after God granted him his request for wisdom, discernment and right knowledge. So it was interesting that I ran into a short devotional that focused on a couple of the Proverbs I have recently read as seen above.
 
How often do we in our work (paid or volunteer) and life pray for wisdom and discernment – God’s wisdom and discernment?

So how can or do we become wise – wise in the sense of having access or understanding of wisdom in a godly sense, from God, through the Holy Spirit?

In the first verse above, wisdom is referred to as a tree of life to those who embrace her – who hold her tightly…interesting but what is underneath that?
 
I was impacted by this thought as shared in the short devotional I read. There is an old Jewish saying that says when you read the Bible it becomes “a tree of life to those that lay hold of it.”. Scripture, the Word of God. This ties to the second Proverb. The Lord gives wisdom – from His mouth…scripture, the Bible, the Word of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. All wisdom comes forth from our God.
 
So is there a formula for becoming wise? Having wisdom and discernment?

As believers there is if you trust scripture, God’s Word. Right here in Proverbs we are told – if we commit, dive deep, spend time, hold the Word tight, listen as we read scripture, follow the connections that scripture provides between then and now, allow the voice of God to be heard…wisdom and discernment will be in us – we will have knowledge and understanding.
 
And not only that, we will be happy or maybe better yet happy is understood as we will have joy. Are you joyful this morning?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that for each of us we realize that spending time in God’s Word is worth the investment of time, time that God has given us, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into wisdom and discernment. In our daily lives. In our work purposed by God. In everything we do and say or do not do and do not say. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

This blog is based on the scriptural references that come from the fifth video called Do You Know What God Has Done for You? in a series of six by John Piper called the Good News of Christianity.
 
This blog doesn’t focus on necessarily the content of this video or the series (although I recommend – links provided above), but rather on my thoughts on some of the scripture shared in this fifth video. This video and the four previous have impacted my understanding of my relationship with Christ – from the standpoint of understanding the depth of what has been done for us.
 
I am sharing this today because of how rich and frequent the assurances and promises are provided by God of what He has done on our behalf. None of this is possible through our own self-reliance. And this just scratches the surface of His love for us, shown through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
 

• Do you ever ponder, in moments of reflection, the depth of God’s love?
• Do you ever think about what it really meant for Christ to take the walk to the Cross?
• Is it possible to understand how much God wants us to come home to Him?

Read these verses below – what do you hear God sharing with you? After each set of verses I give a thought or two…

• 1 Timothy 1:14-15 “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”

 
Here Paul is sharing how rich the gift he received acknowledging that this is a gift he did not deserve. Paul considered himself the worst when it came to being a sinner. He is clear though that God’s grace, through love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the reason we have salvation – Jesus came to save sinners – and I am one of those sinners He came to save…wow!

• John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

 
Again, we get God’s confirmation of the reason Christ was sent – to save the world through Him. But not only that we hear the depth of His love – He so loved the world, He gave his only Son. Amen. And the love continues – if we believe – we do not die, we live. In eternity. With Him – all of Him – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

• Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 
Jesus Christ came not to be King in our worldly conception of that idea. He came to serve us. And that service was special almost beyond belief (I say almost, because I believe)…He gave His life for many, He paid for me, He paid for my sins, He loves me so much, He is saying I am worth it – I am priceless. And, that is not all. As He is seated at the right hand of the Father, He continues to serve us, to serve me – as an intercessor on our, on my behalf!

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”

 
Here we get an understanding of what Jesus did for us, why He did it and what / how He did it… why – for our sins (which only He could atone for); what / how – He died, a terrible death on the cross, isolated from the Father, nailing our sins to the cross, only to be raised on the third day to the right hand of the Father finishing the work that makes our salvation possible. Would we sacrifice ourselves for one person, let alone many, so that they could live? How deep is our live for others?

• Isaiah 53:5-6 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

 
In this prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God through the prophet Isaiah, clearly shares the pain of what Jesus will take on our behalf – if you doubt God’s love just consider this passage which also includes the promise of our healing through Jesus Christ.

• 1 Peter 2:24 ““He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.””

 
With a reference to Isaiah regarding our healing we see both the depth of His love for us and the promise of healing.

• Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

 
Over and over we see, hear and read about what Christ did for us, the depth of the love. If that doesn’t cause you pause, to think about the path God is painstakingly creating for our way home to Him then maybe we need to read scripture some more, spend time with faithful friends, spend time in prayer and quiet reflection. If it does give you pause and joy sing in praise to God, for He has truly blessed you!

• Ephesians 2:4-7 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

 
Such rich truths – His great love for us, makes us alive in Christ (when we come to know Him), despite our sinful pasts, showing God’s mercy and grace, giving us salvation, so we can join Him and Christ in heaven…

• Romans 6:22-23 “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 
More truth and promises – we are set free from sin, we get the benefits in this of holiness and eternal life – not by ourselves – that would be of little value J - but to live in the presence of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit…

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 
This one is interesting – Christ’s perfection, required to provide the saving sacrifice, takes on our sin which allows us to become the righteousness of God. Me interpreting here – but I think our salvation through Christ, glorifies God (which is how I read become the righteousness of God) – our surrender, our accepting of the gift of salvation – glorifies God.

• Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

 
We are no longer condemned but are made right before God through Jesus Christ. We are free – not in the way the world understands free – but free from the dark, to live in the light.

• 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”

 
Did you get a sense for your answers to these questions?

• Do you ever ponder in moments of reflection the depth of God’s love?
• Do you ever think about what it really meant for Christ to take the walk to the Cross?
• Is it possible to understand how much God wants us to come home to Him?

 
These references just underlines the significance of the what Christ did for us (there are so many more) – His life, death and resurrection made us right with God and alive again, through the Holy Spirit when we knelt down and accepted Him as our savior.
 
    Love, sacrifice,
         longing for us to come home.
             To Him.
                 Forever.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that in our quiet times of reflection each of us might find God’s truth in the presence of His love in our life, gaining a complete understanding that through the Your sacrifice, Jesus Christ, God is showing His deep desire for each one of us to come home to Him! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

​

Good morning!

Here it is the second half of October with this 2025 passing by quickly. It has me thinking about new birth and a birth that is celebrated on Christmas that occurred over 2000 years ago.

“Never be afraid of being a broken thing… Unless a seed breaks, there is no life. – No new life, no rebirth, no transformation happens without being broken first. When you’re in over your head stressed, you can touch the depths of God.” (from a devotional blog post – do not remember which one but this truth struck me)
 

• I do not know about you, but I am a broken man, made new in Christ.

 

• I do not know about you, but 2025 has been a broken year – broken in maybe more ways than we can count, like most years we live out.

 
So do you think God has been present or absent in 2025? Is he at work bringing new life out of all this brokenness of has He just walked away from us?
 
If God is unchanging and we can trust His Word, then I walk away from this year filled with renewed HOPE – not that things are going to be better and less broken in the here and now – my HOPE is in Jesus and that He still is walking with me, still in me, still transforming me, still sanctifying me – regardless of what has happened so far in 2025.
 
If I take my eyes off of Jesus and spend all my time marinating in the brokenness of this world, my brokenness, my pain and suffering, I make myself vulnerable, exposed to the father of lies, to Satan, who would love for me to never turn my eyes back to Jesus.
 
Satan would like for me fall off the narrow path, to lose sight of the Light.
 
I choose to see Jesus in all the brokenness I see this year. The more I see brokenness the more I know Jesus is present – Jesus works in the messes and brokenness. He is not hanging out in sterile, perfect and clean places – He is with us in the difficult, suffering and dirty situations we can find ourselves in.
 
So there is HOPE and His name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He was with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the beginning and “all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”. See John 1:1-5.
 
So God is with us (Emmanuel) to bring new life and HOPE:
 

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

 

• Ephesians 4:24 “… and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

 

• John 3:3 ‘Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”’

 

• 1 Peter 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

 

• 1 Peter 2:24 "He Himself [Jesus} bore our sins in His body on  the tree [cross], that we might die to sin and live [be reborn] to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed."

As I ponder the coming of Christmas, I spend a lot of time thinking about the amazing birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – what sweet thoughts these can be. This year is no exception.

However, we know the story does not stop here. AND that is really good news for each of us. For Jesus Christ in His incarnate birth as a man, came so that each of us could have rebirth, bringing us into His loving presence, made possible through His death and resurrection – and for us this makes possible, out of our brokenness, God’s transformation of us and our brokenness for His good purposes (see Romans 8:28 referenced below).
 
The birth of Jesus Christ reminds all of us that we have a Savior, we have Hope, we have Good News. Additionally, in that belief, choosing the path to follow Christ, allows God to take our broken lives, our weariness, using it as a tool to create beauty that shines the Light into the world.
 
We are promised by God that we are reborn, a new creation. Without our brokenness as used through Christ there is no newness.
 
So as the quote suggests, let’s remember God is in all things, allowing our lives to glorify him – in our lives trials it is possible to get a sense of God’s depth – His amazing love for us. This thought points me to remember Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
 
As we transition towards Christmas then into the new year it seems perfect to reflect on the miracle of rebirth, new life, transformation at the hands of God through the Holy Spirit…not our work but God’s work if we let Him…He is the one in control – of this year, next year and eternity.
 
My prayer for each of us this weekend and as we look forward to Christmas and the new year is that we remember that as the calendar page is turned, we, each of us, remember the truth of God’s hand in our rebirth, that we are new creations in Christ Jesus…! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick
​

Good morning!

A few years ago I did a series on God’s attributes. One in the series was on God as gracious. The idea of God offering the grace He did through Jesus Christ in order that I (all those that receive Him) might live in eternity with Him is almost heart-stopping – it is truly beautiful.
 
So I am revisiting this attribute this morning - this one in particular shines a beautiful light – the light of having been made new – and right before God. So this attribute is an action word – we mostly treat it as a noun – we received God’s grace when we were saved…but this attribute – gracious – implies action, something that involves effort, pouring something valuable out of oneself to another…personal, really personal!
 
If any of you believe you are saved and now are a child of God through His Son’s death on the Cross and His resurrection three days later, you know God’s graciousness. I know God’s graciousness. And since that saving moment in my life, God’s graciousness continues to grow. It hasn’t been a one-time thing.
 
And graciousness is a relationship building attribute. Relationships flourish when covered in grace – when we are gracious to each other – pour ourselves graciously into each other’s lives, strong relationships are built.
 
Graciousness, as an action, breaks down walls, opens doors for us to nurture and build bridges to harder to know and love people or taking steps to loving our enemies…
 
That brings questions to mind – in that God takes an active doing role in bringing his graciousness into our lives –

• Do I see God’s graciousness present in the world?
• Do I see it in my life?
• Is God filling my life – pouring out His graciousness into me?
• If the answer is no, maybe I should ask myself - what steps can I take to build bridges using this godly attribute – using it as an action not a noun – to SHARE God’s grace with others?
• Might living graciously in relationship to others open my eyes to God’s graciousness. If the answer is yes, how can I take that graciousness I am receiving and pour it back out into others’ lives?

Gracious

Most of us are familiar with the idea that grace is unmerited mercy / favor from God which we received through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Put another way, mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.
 
So as commented above, do I pass on this blessing actively as a verb into the lives of others around me?

• Psalm 84:11-12 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”
• Comments: You can see parts of how God is gracious described in these verses – God s gracious providing warmth and protection, giving the gifts of favor and honor – not withholding anything good for those whose walk is blameless…our walk becomes blameless before God when we were/are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. This expression of graciousness is ours when we trust our God. How do I use the graciousness God is giving me in relationship to others?

 

• John 1:12-14 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
• Comments: Part of God’s graciousness is that when we received Jesus Christ, and believed on His name, it was an act of adoption by God. Graciously we have been made children of God. As we see here, Jesus came full of grace – grace and graciousness from God made available to all of us through Christ’s death and resurrection on the Cross – He came to save with grace – not to condemn.

 

• 2 Timothy 1:9-10 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
• Comments: Paul shares here that God’s graciousness belongs to Him – that we receive it and it is His doing not ours or of our effort – and we receive it through Jesus Christ – which was God’s plan before the beginning of time…but we are then called in the great commission to share this immense gift – not that we can bestow God’s grace or graciousness – but we can imitate that graciousness in our lives with those around us whoever they might be…so the light of Christ shines into the world – because showing grace or acting graciously is wrapped up in loving others - with God's love and truth.

 
I saw a YouTube video a few years back of Penn Gillette (of Penn & Teller fame). Penn was sharing that he was given a Bible and had the Good News of Jesus shared with him by, I believe it was Ray Comfort, a Christian evangelist. Penn is an atheist, but his comment in the video was this (a paraphrase) - If you really believe eternal life is available through belief and living for Jesus Christ, how much do you need to hate someone not to share this with others.

Not sharing would be an example of not being gracious (as an action word) as God has been gracious to us, an example of not loving others by sharing the truth that God has shared with us and has been demonstrated through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we turn from just being the recipients of God’s grace into being His givers of graciousness to all those around us, to all those we encounter, so they too have a taste of God’s grace which we received through You, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Often in scripture God exhorts His people to be strong, to be courageous, promising us that he will be present – for His people to trust Him and not be afraid. For example:

• “Be strong and courageous! God Himself will guide you and be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:7-8

 
And - because of the sacrifice of Christ and His resurrection, because of His promise of the Helper, when we have received Jesus as Lord we have these promises for example:

• John 14:25-27 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

- Or-

• 1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

 
Each of us are in that unique place that God has placed us. We have challenges in our daily life and all that is going on around us. Things that make us afraid, anxious, unnerved, things that are painful and hurtful.
 
Of course, if you are like me, you might think that if I am in the right place, things will be easy and simple…and we know that is far from the case.
 
Here we can see in the old testament, the promise of God the Father walking with us, guiding us as we live in this world encountering the challenges that entails…And then we see this promise of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Savior, which is that He will walk with us through the Holy Spirit, giving us His strength and presence – providing strength we do not have in of ourselves that we might walk as light to those around us – and we can do this without fear and with His courage, a gift of the Spirit within us.
 
Be humble, yet stand tall in Christ and God will be with you.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that as the world closes in on us, as we face daily difficulties and pains, that in it all, we know your strength and courage that we receive through the presence of the Holy Spirit within us – and there we find the peace You promise us! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

I am not quite sure when I stumbled on this but really liked it and wanted to share it with you this morning. This sharing speaks to the power of scripture, of the Word of God. Of course we know this from John 1:1- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John is talking about Jesus here and Jesus is the Word become flesh.
 
A Biblical commentator shares a long list of ways God’s Word impacts us. It begins with “the ministry of the Word, because God meets us in His Word and the Holy Spirit works powerfully through the word of God. This spiritual work of God’s Word goes far beyond the basic educational value of learning the Bible.

• God’s Word brings true health, fruitfulness, prosperity and success to what we do (Psalm 1:3).
• The Word of God has healing power and the power to deliver from oppression (Psalm 107:20, Matthew 8:8, Matthew 8:16).
• God’s Word cleans us. If we take heed according to God’s word, our way will be cleansed (Psalm 119:9, John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26).
• The Word of God, hidden in our hearts, keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11).
• God’s Word is a counselor. When we delight in God’s word, it becomes a rich source of counsel and guidance for us (Psalm 119:24).
• God’s Word is a source of strength (Psalm 119:28).
• God’s Word imparts life. It is a continual source of life (Psalm 119:93 and Matthew 4:4).
• God’s Word is a source of illumination and guidance. When God’s word comes in, light comes in. It makes the simple wise and understanding (Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 119:130).
• God’s Word gives peace to those who love it. They are secure, standing in a safe place (Psalm 119:165).
• When the Word of God is heard and understood, it bears fruit (Matthew 13:23).
• The Word of God has inherent power and authority against demonic powers (Luke 4:36).
• Jesus Himself – His eternal person – is described as the Word. When we are into the word of God, we are into Jesus (John 1:1).
• Hearing God’s Word is essential to eternal life. One cannot pass from death into life unless they hear the Word of God (John 5:24, James 1:21, 1 Peter 1:23).
• Abiding – living in – God’s Word is evidence of true discipleship (John 8:31).
• God’s Word is the means to sanctification (John 17:17).
• The Holy Spirit can work with great power as the Word of God is preached (Acts 10:44).
• Hearing God’s Word builds faith (Romans 10:17).
• Holding fast to the Word of God gives assurance of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:2).
• The faithful handling of the Word of God gives the ministers of the word a clear conscience. They know that they did all they could before God (2 Corinthians 4:2 and Philippians 2:16).
• The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is equipment for spiritual battle, especially in the idea of an offensive weapon (Ephesians 6:17).
• The Word of God comes with the power of the Holy Spirit, with “much assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
• The Word of God works effectively in those who believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
• The Word of God sanctifies the very food we eat! (1 Timothy 4:5).
• The Word of God is not dead; it is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. The Word of God can probe us like a surgeon’s expert scalpel, cutting away what needs to be cut and keeping what needs to be kept (Hebrews 4:12).
• The Word of God is the Christian’s source of spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).”

 
The references are hyperlink so you can look at the actual Word as you read each bullet point. I challenge you to go and read each one as you meditate on what this commentator shares about each reference. Let God speak to you, as He does, through His Word.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we keep ourselves fully open to hear, really hear, understand and live God’s Word out in our lives! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick