Blog Archives - Bible Inspired

Illogical to the World

12/31/2020

"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" -Matthew 19:21 (NIV)

We often get the message from the world that we need more. We need to make more money. We need to spend more. We need to acquire more things. In the midst of all of these messages, there is the voice of Jesus telling us that we don't need more as long as we have Him!

Jesus gives advice that differs from and may seem illogical in the face of all we are told in this world. Instead of more "stuff", we need to focus on Jesus. He teaches us that instead of accumulating excess here and now, we need to be serving Him, helping others, and following His teaching. There are necessities in our lives, for sure, but as we are blessed, we need to share our blessings and help others by giving our time, talents, and resources!

It may seem illogical to the world, but we should focus not on accumulating "stuff" but on helping others!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for all of the blessings in my life. Help me to use these blessings to serve You and to help others. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Inviting Words of Truth

12/30/2020

"The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit." -Proverbs 15:4 (NIV)

There is a Russian proverb that says, "Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie." We do need to hear the truth, but sometimes we need to consider the way things are said when we want to have a positive impact. We need to be truthful, but in a way that invites people into the family of God!

We know that God does not tolerate lies. He cannot stand dishonesty. When we speak, we should speak the truth. However, we should speak the truth in God's love. With a focus on speaking the truth with love and care, we can invite people to be part of God's loving, forgiving family. We all need love. We all need forgiveness. We all need God's truth. As we speak to each other, let us tell the truth with a soothing tongue that invites people in without crushing the spirit!

Speak words and in ways that tell the truth and invite people into God's family!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your love, compassion, truth, and redemption. Help me to speak Your truth in ways that allow others to feel Your love and to become members of Your family. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Repent and Live!

12/29/2020

"For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!" -Ezekiel 18:32 (NIV)

I recently read a book that dealt with racism and its impact on individuals and society. When considering racism or any other wrongs, we cannot begin to make changes to right wrongs and sin in our lives and to truly live until we are willing to repent. We can grow from repenting and trusting in God!

God does not take pleasure in sin and wrongdoing and neither should we. When we see issues in the world around us, we need to reflect, repent, and submit our lives to God. When we repent and trust in God, we can learn from our wrongs and become better. With God, we can accept His forgiveness and we can truly live in Him!

Repent and live in God!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your forgiveness and the life You give. Please forgive me and teach me so I can live a better life in You. Through Jesus I pray, amen.

Get to Work!

12/28/2020

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." -James 2:17 (NIV)

The new year is approaching. A new year is often welcomed as a clean slate or a chance to make changes and start afresh. We have the opportunity to make changes in our lives, but to make a change, we need to act!

We need to have faith in God and in His presence and work in our lives, but we also need to act in ways that go along with our faith. Choosing to follow God is an action step. With the new year, we can recommit our lives to God and get to work living out our faith in our actions!

Have faith in God and get to work acting on your faith!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for all You do in my life. Help my faith to be reflected in my actions. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Belong to God!

12/27/2020

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." -Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

Catherine McAuley paraphrased Psalm 24:1 when she said, "We belong to God. All in us is His." Everything on the earth is God's. It is up to us to accept the invitation to be part of His family!

God created each of us and He cares for us. We have a purpose because we are God's creation. We need to draw near to Him and listen as He guides us in finding and living out our purpose. We belong to God and we can each serve Him in unique ways!

Belong to God and live out your purpose for Him!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for being in me and with me. Help me to know and follow my purpose for Your glory. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Birth to Belief!

12/26/2020

"And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'" -Acts 16:31 (ESV)

Each year we set aside one day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We remember God's gift by giving gifts to each other. We pause to reflect on what God and Jesus mean in our lives. We need to do more than celebrate. We need to believe!

We need to heed the words from Acts. We need to believe in Jesus, to share His love, and to encourage our families, friends, and loved ones to know God. From our belief in God, we need to act on His presence in our lives. We should show His love to others. With our belief in Him and His love in our hearts, we can be saved!

From the birth of Christ should come the belief that leads you to be saved, so believe!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your Son and His sacrifice for my sin. Help me to believe and be saved. In Him I pray, amen.

Keeper

12/25/2020

"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night." -Psalm 121:5-6 (ESV)

Christmas brings celebrations of the birth of Jesus. We celebrate a baby born in a manger, but He is much more than a baby. God is our keeper and Jesus is part of that plan!

The Lord is our keeper. We can rely on Him. From His birth to the cross, Jesus set examples for us. God teaches us, and He protects us and keeps us. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we can believe in Him and have faith that God will keep us through day and night, now and for eternity!

Believe and have faith in God, your keeper!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for keeping me and teaching me. Help me to always have faith and to continue to learn from You. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Through It All!

12/24/2020

"For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." -II Corinthians 1:5 (NIV)

Life changes us. In the midst of everything, we are growing and becoming stronger. We may not recognize it in the moment, but God is always at work. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we can join in sharing the events of His life that allow us to be redeemed!

The birth of Jesus Christ and our acceptance of Him as our Savior is a life-changing event. As His followers, not everything in our lives will be easy. We will share in sufferings. However, we are reassured by God's promises of eternity with Him. Our celebrations of Christmas can remind us that, in the end, we will see Jesus as we enter into God's eternal kingdom. We have Jesus with us through it all!

Jesus is with us through everything we face, so we can celebrate through times of suffering and comfort!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for being with me through it all. Help me to hold on to You through suffering and comfort. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Inside Out!

12/23/2020

"Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold." -Exodus 20:23 (NIV)

I was recently listening to a program where one of the hosts lamented the commercialization of Christmas. He referred to the large amounts of money spend to show the "Christmas spirit on the outside." His wish was that the Christmas spirit started on the inside of each of us and we didn't focus our time, energy, and money on decorating the "outside" without paying attention to what we have on the inside.

God is good and it is good to celebrate the gift of His Son. We can show this in exchanging gifts and hanging decorations. It is good to be festive, but we should not forget the reason for all of our actions. We should not allow our desire to look like we have Christmas spirit on the outside to distract us from God. We can be sure that all of our celebrations and actions come from God by inviting Him into our hearts and lives. We should have the spirit of Christmas on the inside and then allow God's light to shine out in our actions. This way we can be focused on the one true God and not on false gods of gold and silver or presents and decorations!

Allow God to fill you on the inside so your outside actions are focused on Him and not on false gods!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for filling my life. Help Your love, grace, and mercy to fill my heart and to shine out for other people to see and know You. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Are You Worthy?

12/22/2020

"Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me." -Matthew 10:38 (NIV)

There are different times in our lives when we are faced with the need to make a decision. Decisions always come with consequences, whether good or bad. As we consider and then move forward with decisions, we need to be prepared for the consequences!

We are called to follow God. We can choose to take up our cross and follow Jesus. When we make this choice, there will be consequences. There will be some that do not understand our choice. We may suffer in some ways here on earth, but we will also see rewards. The benefits of our choice to take up our cross will be eternal and far outweigh any earthly negatives. We can be worthy. We just need to choose to follow Jesus and allow Him to guide our lives!

Be worthy by making the choice to follow Jesus and trust His guidance in your life!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your Son and for the opportunity to follow Him. Help me to be worthy and to listen to the guidance You provide. Through Jesus I pray, amen.

Follow the Light

12/21/2020

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" -John 8:12 (NIV)

The Christmas season brings lots of light! We light the advent candles at church. We decorate our houses and Christmas trees with lights. We may even relax by the light of the fire. This may be a season of light, but we should not forget the true light in our lives!

The birth of Jesus introduced a new light to the world! The darkness of the world could not and will not overcome the light that is our Savior. As we celebrate, we need to embrace the light not just in this season but in all seasons and all parts of our lives. We need to follow Jesus so we do not have to walk in the darkness. As we follow Jesus from birth to resurrection to eternity, we can be in God's light now and forever!

Follow Jesus Christ and embrace His light throughout your life!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for the gift of Your Son. Help me to follow Your light in my life. Through Jesus, my Light, I pray, amen.

Know!

12/20/2020

"For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods." -Psalm 135:5 (ESV)

What does it mean to know something? We may understand something in our mind and be able to explain it. Other things we may know based on experience. There are also things that we may know from a gut feeling. There are different ways we can come to know and understand things. However, none is more important than knowing God!

God is great! He is all-powerful and all knowing. God knows each of us. He knows what we need and He is able to provide. God listens to our concerns and our praises. Above all of this, God wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. We can approach God. We can get to know Him through many different ways and we can know that God is greater and above all Gods!

Know God and invite Him into your life to know you!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for knowing me. Help me to grow in my relationship with You. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Celebrate & Believe!

12/19/2020

"They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.'" -Acts 16:31 (NIV)

As Christmas approaches, we may need to remind ourselves of the true reason for celebrations. It is not just about baking cookies, decorating, or giving and receiving gifts from each other. It is about the give of Jesus Christ!

We can celebrate the birth of Jesus, but our attention should turn from the birth of Christ to the redemption that His life, death, and resurrection provides for each of us. Our celebrations should not just be for a baby born long ago, but for God's plan to save us. We need to believe in Jesus Christ, from the baby born in a stable to His resurrection.

Celebrate the birth of Jesus, but be sure to believe in Him!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for the gift of Your Son and the redemption He provides. Please forgive me and redeem me through Him. In His name I pray, amen.

Fellowship

12/18/2020

"God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." -I Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

Circumstances this year may be different for many of us. We may not be able to have the same gatherings or attend events like we have in years past. However, we do not need to be without fellowship!

Even though we may not be able to have our traditional gatherings, we can find fellowship with Jesus. God is faithful and He has called us to be part of His family. We can find fellowship with Jesus Christ. We can experience Him in our lives. No matter where we might be this Christmas season, we can have fellowship with God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son. We can embrace the true meaning of Christmas and the hope that only Jesus can provide!

Fellowship with Jesus Christ and be filled with His hope!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for being part of my life and for the opportunity to fellowship with You through Your Son. Help me always hold to the hope that You provide. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Pray.

12/17/2020

"Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief." -Psalm 143:1 (NIV)

There are times when we do not know what to do. We may have trouble finding answers or have so many answers we don't know which one to choose. Whether faced with challenges or triumphs in our lives, there is one thing that we should do: pray.

We should always go to God in prayer. We can ask Him for guidance. We can cry out to Him for mercy. We can thank and praise Him for the blessings that He provides. When we pray, we can be certain that God is faithful. Because of His faithfulness, He will come and give relief. We just need to pray!

In all things, pray to God and be reassured by His faithfulness.

Dear God-
Thank You for hearing my prayers. Help me to be reassured by Your faithfulness as I wait on You. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Overflowing!

12/16/2020

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." -I Thessalonians 3:12 (NIV)

There are many things in our lives that do not go as we had planned. As the common saying goes, we can choose to view these circumstances and wonder if our glass is half full or half empty. Instead of thinking about a glass only being filled half-way, we should turn to God and allow Him to fill our hearts and lives with His love!

When we love God, He should fill our hearts until they overflow. Because we know God and are filled with His love, we can then spread His love to others. The more we spread love, the more our love will overflow and ripple out into the world. As God's love overflows from our lives, we can allow love to overflow from us and into those around us, setting of a chain that will continue to move through the world!

Follow God, love Him, and let His love overflow into the world around you!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your love in my life. Allow Your love to fill my heart and to overflow into the world around me. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Teach Me!

12/15/2020

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." -Psalm 143:10 (NIV)

There are many different ways to learn. As many schools have implemented in-person and remote learning, we have seen some successful and some unsuccessful methods of learning. Like many things, different students found different ways of learning to better meet their needs. Fortunately, when we consider our spiritual learning, God knows exactly what we need to learn!

God knows each of us. He is our creator and knows that we are unique and individual. Because He knows us, He is able to teach us in many different ways. We need to be open to the lessons that are provided in our lives. By talking to God and listening to HIm, we can learn and spiritually grow. As we get closer to God, we will do His will and follow the level path that He has prepared. We need to be ready to learn in all of the ways God is teaching us and then live out His lessons in our lives!

Be open to God's many ways of teaching you and then live His will for your life!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for all of Your teaching. Help me to learn Your lessons and to apply them in my life. Through Jesus I pray, amen.

Come Out of the Dark!

12/14/2020

"If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth." -I John 1:6 (NIV)

Walking through the dark is difficult. We know this. If we are trying to navigate the darknesss, it is good to have a light or know where the light switch is located. However, we cannot claim to have a light and see if we do not! This is true in our spiritual journeys, too!

If we are stuck in the darkness but claim to have a light, we lie. We do not only lie to others, we lie to ourselves. We cannot live in God's truth if we are deceived or lie to ourselves. Instead, we need to come out of the darkness. We need to walk toward and embrace God's light. When we seek God, we can live in light and truth and serve as an example for others!

Come out of the darkness and live in God's life and truth!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your light. Help me to always seek to live in Your life and truth. Through Jesus, the Light of the world, I pray, amen.

Know Love, Show Love

12/13/2020

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." -I John 4:8 (NIV)

There is a saying that goes, "We don't know what we don't know." This can be applied to many things in life. However, one of the most important might be knowing God in order to know love!

We cannot love if we do not know love. We are reminded in I John that to know love, we need to know God. God is love. He loves us no matter what. We can know love by knowing God and then we can show His love to all those we meet in our lives!

Know God, know love, and show His love to everyone you meet!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for being love and showing me love. Help me to share Your love with everyone I meet. Through Jesus I pray, amen.

Hold His Hand!

12/12/2020

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." -Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

As my daughter got older, she became more independent. As she became independent, she would want to do things on her own. She didn't want to hold my hand!

There are times when we want to be independent. God is reaching out, trying to hold our hand, but we try to avoid it. As we continue our journey through life, we will realize that no matter how much we want to or think we can do things on our own, we need God. He is ready to help us. We need to hold His hand and accept the help He gives!

Hold God's hand and accept the help He gives!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for being there to help. Please remind me that you are there and I just have to hold Your hand. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Walk in the Way of Love

12/11/2020

"And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." -Ephesians 5:2 (NIV)

Whether we realize it or not, people are watching us. They may hear what we say, but they will more likely believe what they see. When we choose to follow God, we we need to walk in the way of His love!

Living for God is walking in His love. We need to show His love to all people. We do not need to agree with everyone, but we should offer our help as service to God. We can encourage others to know and listen to God. For all of these things to happen, we need to be sure we are talking to God and listening to Him. When we do, we can put His guidance into action as we walk in the way of His love!

Talk and listen to God so you are walking in the way of love and putting love into action!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your love in my life. Help me to put Your love into action so others can see and know You. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Give!

12/10/2020

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." -Matthew 10:8 (NIV)

Christmas brings throughs of giving gifts. As we think about and prepare for giving, we also need to reflect on all that we have received. We are blessed in many ways, we just need to stop and appreciate our blessings so we can give!

God prepares us in different ways, but we are expected to share His love and to give to others. As we give, we should out of an appreciation for the blessings we have received. We should give in God's love and in His name so others can see God at work in this world and experience Him in their lives!

Give out of our blessings. Give so God's presence is felt by those around you!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings in my life. Help me to appreciate these blessings and to give so others can experience You as well. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Forever!

12/9/2020

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” -I Peter 1:24-25 (ESV)

Winter is arriving as the temperature drops and the snow starts to fall. In the midst of winter we may remember the green grass and blooming flowers of spring and summer. As the grass withers and the flowers wilt, we are reminded that many things in life are temporary, but not everything fades away!

We know that, like the grass and flowers, our bodies are temporary. Our time on earth is limited. Even though we know this, we are reassured by our everlasting God. We know that because He is forever, we can have eternal life. God's Word is true and lasts forever. Because of His promises, we can spend forever with Him!

Embrace eternity by accepting Jesus Christ and following God's Word!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your everlasting Word and for eternal life that You provide. Help me to rely on Your promises. In Jesus I pray, amen.

Love & Praise!

12/8/2020

"Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands." -Psalm 63:3-4 (ESV)

Some days we may get down, but no matter how down we may feel, we have plenty for which to be thankful! We should take time to count our blessings. As we reflect on the good in our lives, we can react with praise!

We can praise God for all that He does in our lives. He loves us. He forgives us. He leads and guides us. Because of all these things, our lips should speak praise. We can lift our heads and hands as we offer blessings and praise to God. God loves us, we should react with praise!

Because of God's love, we have goodness in our lives that is worthy of praise!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for all of the good in my life. All praise to You! Through Jesus I pray, amen.

Success and Blessings!

12/7/2020

"Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you." -Psalm 118:25-26 (NIV)

Where do you look for success? There are different areas of our lives where we may strive to be successful. Whether at work, home, or church, we may try to reach levels of success on our own. However, to find true success, we need to be sure we are pursuing God's goals!

We need to talk to God. We can ask Him to show us His will and goals for our lives. We can call on Him to save us and grant us success. When we go to God in prayer, study His Word, and listen to HIm, we can find blessings. God will bless our lives. He will show us success that we could never achieve without Him!

Call on God and allow Him to bless you and show you success!

Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your work in my life. Help me to call and rely on Your blessings and success. Through Jesus I pray, amen.