Scripture Reflections

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself - John 6:15 Place yourself for a moment back two thousand years ago in the land of Roman-occupied Israel. Word has been spreading that a wonder-working rabbi from Galilee could possibly be the long-awaited Messiah! And you have finally just seen him for the first time. You sat at his feet and listened as he taught with an authority unmatched by

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. - Matthew 14:28-29 Everyone knows it is impossible to walk on water. But what about when God commands it to be done? What is more fundamentally real: The laws of physics or the Word of God? Surely most people in the world would say the laws of physics are more real. But the child of God defines reality i

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand - Matthew 3:2 The word "repentance" is a polarizing word to say the least. To some people it is no more than a dry and dusty old religious term. To some it is a hateful and hurtful word mostly used to tear others down. And yet to others, repentance is like a note of heavenly music bringing joy to the ears. What is repentance? The Greek word in the Bible is metanoia - a word made up of the prefix meta and noia which comes from the w

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing - James 1:2-4 Imagine a battalion of soldiers commissioned by the king to go map uncharted territory of a newly conquered land. In order to create a detailed map, these soldiers would need to familiarize themselves with every part of the ter

If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.” - Num 32:5 At this point, the children of Israel have been traveling in the wilderness for nearly 40 years. They have arrived at the Promised Land given to them by God Himself. All that is left to do is cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land. But three tribes out of the twelve tell Moses that they would rather inherit t

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you - John 15:7 (Originally posted 6/29, Re-posted 7/3 due to technical issues) What an amazing promise this is. It may even sound too good to be true. This is, in fact, why we should be confident that it is a promise of God. No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined the things God has prepared for those who love Him. This indeed is God's promise to us: that if we

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours - Mark 11:23-24 This is certainly one of the most profound statements in all of the Bible. Many people have chalked this statement up to exaggeration on Jesus's part - but I t

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one - John 17:22 Jesus says these words as part of His "high priestly prayer" in John 17. Only moments before Judas arrives to betray Him, He is speaking intimately with the Father about His disciples and the future of the Church. It can be easy to skim past these words in verse 22, but if we pause to meditate on them, I believe there is luscious, revelatory fruit just waiting to be plu

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:33 Jesus says some pretty radical things in the Gospels. From "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you" (John 6), to "unless you hate your parents, spouse, children, and your own life you cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14). Why does He use such strong and provocative language? It wasn't simply to offend people, and it certainly wasn't arbitrary. It was

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. - 1 John 3:16 Thank You Jesus for revealing what true love is. Your love is confirmed for us, not through our circumstances, but through the Cross. There You declared Your eternal love for the entire world once and for all. With Your arms stretched wide, You called forth all mankind to come find shelter in Your embrace. Even to this day Yo

Preserve me O God, for in you I take refuge - Psalm 16:1 God of all creation, You indeed are our refuge. You are like an impenetrable fortress in time of war. You are like the wings of a mother bird covering her chicks. You are like the strong arms of a loving Father wrapped around his son. We are at home in You, O God. Nothing can ultimately harm us when we abide in You, Jesus. There is safety in Your presence, and comfort under Your mighty rule. Your heavenly love casts out

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also - Matt 6:21 Our heart is our life. What we love is who we are. Life is not about accumulating material goods, or even about accumulating spiritual knowledge. Life is about the transformation of our hearts. It is about becoming men and women whose hearts love God and love like God. In the end, we will not be judged based upon how smart we were, how hardworking we were, or how many good deeds we did, but upon how well we

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Heb 11:6 According to the writer of Hebrews, there are two conditions that must be met before someone will seek after God. First: belief that He exists. If someone does not believe God exists, then they cannot possibly seek after Him. No one spends time investing into something they think is fake or illusory. Second:

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. - Romans 14:23 Here Paul gives us a very interesting definition of sin. According to Paul in his letter to the Romans, sin is "whatever does not proceed from faith." The NLT renders this phrase, "If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning." Now this is not the only definition of sin, but it is an extremely valuable one. These

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me - Galatians 2:20 When Jesus died, He did not just die for us, but in a certain sense He died as us. His crucifixion is our crucifixion. His death is our death. And therefore, His life is now our life. The epitome of the Christian life is contained within this one verse, and there

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart - Psalm 91:4 We were not created to go through this life apart from the protection of God. Just as a baby chick was not created to leave the protection of its mother immediately upon birth, if we step outside of God's will for our lives, we should only expect danger and destruction. However, the difference between birds and us is that we never outgro

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. - Matt 28:6 Each year on Easter, we celebrate the historical event of Jesus Christ's Resurrection. It was a tangible event that happened in real time and space almost two thousand years ago. But it is also an ongoing, ever-present reality. Today that very same Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ dwells within every person who believes in Him. But in most of us, most of the time, it lies dormant. Why? Becau

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself - John 12:32 Jesus spoke these words directly after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem only a few days before He would be handed over to crucifixion. Death by crucifixion was known in the Roman world as the most shameful and horrific of deaths, fit only for slaves and the worst of criminals. And yet Jesus - the Son of God, the King of kings, and the most innocent man who ever lived - was about to freely

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9 The context surrounding this verse is that Peter is addressing some people's concerns that Jesus had not yet returned. Even in the first-century, people were having debates about whether the "end was near." The truth is that the end indeed was, and is, near, though not necessarily in Chronos tim

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. - Isaiah 25:8 After He rose from the dead, Jesus walked the road to Emmaus with two disciples. At one point during this walk, Luke tells us that Jesus opened up the true meaning of the Scriptures to them – He revealed where the coming Messiah had been foretold throughout the Law and Prophets. Whil

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40 Our world says I'll believe it when I see it. But Jesus says that you'll see it when you believe it. The world wants us to base our faith on what we can see, touch, prove, examine etc. Jesus wants us to base our faith on His faithfulness alone. He says that unless we become again like little children we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Most of us tend to overcomplicate thin

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. - 2 Cor 5:16 Not everyone in the world has found their true identity in Christ. There are many people who still identify themselves completely with their flesh. They think that the carnal desires they feel are truly "them," rather than merely their fallen nature. Christ enlightens us to the truth that our fallen ego is not

My son be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings - Proverbs 4:20 Father in Heaven, Before the beginning of time, you spoke into the nothingness, "Let there be light," and there was. That Divine Word still reverberates throughout all of creation, and resonates in every ear able to hear. And so we ask you O God, make our ears those which hear. We know you have spoken. We know you are speaking now. We know your Word echoes through Eternity. We know that your

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. - Romans 8:9 When Paul speaks of being "in" the spirit or being "in" the flesh, he is speaking of being in two separate places - similar to how we could be, for example, in the kitchen or in the bedroom. However, unlike being in two separate rooms, the two states Paul speaks of are not spatial but spiritual . In other words, it does not matter where our physical bodies are, we

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3 No matter how old you may be, everyone has at least vague memories of what life used to be like as a child. We all used to live in a miraculous world where there were adventures awaiting us around every corner; a world where nothing was impossible. Then something happened. We grew up. We were told by adults that the magical world we liv

Do not be anxious about your life - Matt 6:25a When God gives a command, He does so with the intention of us obeying that command. Now He knows our weaknesses, and He knows that in our flesh we are but dust of the earth. So while God absolutely expects us to obey His commands, He absolutely does not expect us to be able to do so on our own. If we want to have any hope of fulfilling what God expects of us, we must first come to terms with the fact that we can't. Once we have r

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation - 2 Cor 5:18 Jesus Christ is the great reconciler between God and man. Through His divine-human identity, He gives us full access to the glory of God. Through Christ we are able to have clean consciences, our guilt and shame fully removed. We are given a hope that is not based upon earthly circumstances or flimsy emotions, but on the unshakable truth of God's Eternal W

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich - Rev 3:18a These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus to the church of Laodicea in John's Revelation. He is not speaking of physical gold (which will one day perish), but spiritual gold - our faith - which will remain with us forever. The comparison between faith and gold is a good one. Without placing gold in a hot fire, there is no way of knowing how much of it is genuine gold, and how much of it is

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. - John 17:20-21 Father in heaven, we agree with this prayer of your Son Jesus. We pray for your church throughout the entire world. Let your word be fulfilled and let us all be united to each other in you. Let us all keep our eyes fixe

I want to know Christ — and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead - Philippians 3:10-11 The number one overarching goal of the Apostle Paul's life was simply this: to know Christ. "Didn't he already know Christ?" Yes he did. But he knew that he could know Him better. Just as 1,000,000 is no closer to infinity than is 100, the more Paul knew Christ

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much. - James 5:16 There is no one out there who says to themselves, "I want my prayers to accomplish little." We all want our prayers to be more powerful. We want them to be more effective. So how can we do this? James tells us that righteousness is what gives prayers the ability to accomplish much. But as

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18 There are two errors Christians can fall into when it comes to their relationship and attitude toward the material world. These two positions can generally be classified as "materialism" and "gnosticism." Most Christians will not blatantly identify with one of these groups, but nonetheless many will find themselves acting as if one

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. - Matthew 11:11 Jesus exalts John the Baptist as the greatest man to have ever lived. To the ears of His Jewish listeners, this must have come as a shock. Jesus was declaring John to be greater than Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Elijah. He was declaring him to be greater than the glorious King David. And he was exa

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 5:10 Anyone who chooses to attempt to live a righteous life in this world will inevitably attract persecution to themselves. This does not just include (nor even primarily include) persecution at the hands of other human beings, but rather persecution of the world, the devil, and our own flesh. Anyone who seeks to live for Christ is going to suffer periods of hunger, ex

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High - Psalm 92:1 Yes Lord it is good to give you thanks, today and every day. You are worthy of all our praises. Lord we ask you to open our eyes to the blessings that you have bestowed upon us. We repent of a lack of gratitude, and we ask you to help us to see things from your perspective. Father, we thank you for the Cross, on which our salvation was purchased. Thank you for the Blood of Christ, by

For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation - 2 Corinthians 6:2 God is Eternal, meaning He exists outside of time and space. If we want to access God there is only one place and time He is available to us: here and now. We cannot rely on yesterday's manna for today. And we cannot count on tomorrow, for it may never come. We cannot get stuck in the past or lost in spe

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life - Proverbs 4:23 The modern scientific paradigm we have been born into in the Western world has given us many things - technology, medicine, and airplanes just to name a few. But there is something else that modern science has given us (albeit inadvertently) that is often overlooked: a way of seeing reality. Without much thought, we assume that we are in here and reality is out there. We measure, dissec

For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. - 1 Corinthians 4:4 Paul makes three profound statements here in this one verse. We will take them one at a time. First , he states that he is not aware of anything against himself. In other words, he has a clear conscience. Does this mean Paul had never in his past made any mistakes? Certainly not. Does this mean he never would again in the future make a mistake? Agai

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it - Philippians 4:10 In the context of this verse Paul is thanking the Philippian church for the gift they delivered to him (see verse 18). He mentions that they had been eager to support him in the past, but for whatever reason they had no opportunity to put that eagerness into action until now. The spiritual principle here for us to ex

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. - 2 Cor 5:20 Many people are turned off by Christians sharing their faith because they feel like they're being sold something. They feel as though the Christian is trying to mentally manipulate them into signing on the dotted line, and getting another notch in their belt. And to be fair to the people who feel like this, much of evangelism can i

For this is the will of God, your sanctification - 1 Thessalonians 4:3a Many people wonder "what is God's will for my life?" Here in one short verse we have the answer, your sanctification. What does this word sanctification mean? Simply put, it means to become holy. Or in other words, to become a saint. But herein lies the paradox: in Christ this has already been accomplished . We can never become more holy than we already are in Christ. Thus, our goal is not to become mor

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such...

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves - Philippians 2:3 Jesus lived...

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing,...

"So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" - Gen 1:27 "Anyone who does...

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which...

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." - Matt 7:7 One of the most famous...

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us - John 1:14 Jesus is the Communication of God to man. In order to understand the meaning and...

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven - Matt 6:10 At the heart of this most famous of prayers, Jesus teaches...

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. -...