November 27 – 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5 & 2 Thessalonians 1 – 3

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5 & 2 Thessalonians 1 – 3. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

In our reading today we come to the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Thessalonica was a town in the region of Macedonia. It is a modern day city as well in the country of Greece; again it is in the region of Macedonia. Paul had the privilege of bringing the Gospel to this city and establishing the church there. He writes two letters to encourage the Christians there and also provide some teaching for areas of concern that they had.

In the fourth chapter of his first book, Paul praises them for the love that they have for one another, “Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9 NIV) The Thessalonians were doing a good job of loving each other. This is an area of praise from Paul. But Paul encourages them to ramp up their love another notch, specifically to do so more and more.

I do not know how much love you have in your heart for fellow Christians. I do not know how much love you show to fellow Christians. Wherever your level is, will you take Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians and ramp it up another notch. What a great time of the year to do so as well with the Christmas season right around the corner. 

September 16 – Daniel 10-12

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Daniel 10-12. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

It is a joke amongst preachers that whenever they ask their congregations what they would like to learn about they almost always get people wanting to study the book of Revelation. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue with this book because it talks about the end of days. There is something in that type of discussion that we all want to know more about. Maybe it is the imagery of the language that we cannot get our minds around. Maybe it is the fascination of the battle scenes it paints. Our reading today was not from the book of Revelation, but the language is very similar.

It all begins with Daniel in a period of mourning. This mourning concludes with a vision given to Daniel of things to come. What strikes me the most when I read this is Daniel’s response to the messenger … “How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.” (Daniel 10:17 NLT) Daniel did not feel he measured up to having a conversation with God.

Do you every feel like Daniel? Maybe you do not feel good enough to accept His grace. Maybe you do not feel holy enough to have a real, deep, meaningful discussion through pray with God. Maybe you question whether or not you should be a child of God or not. I do not know where you stand on talking with God, but the response Daniel heard is one we all need to hear … “Do not be afraid, for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” (Daniel 10:19 NLT).

Maybe your situation is not the context of Daniel’s, but I know this, you are special to God. He loves you. He cares for you. Be encouraged by His love; be strong because of His love, and find peace in knowing all of this!

September 3 – Ezekiel 23-24

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 23-24. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

I absolutely love the Bible. God did not hold back. God did not skirt around issues. God did not remove vulgarity to protect us. God was willing to use harsh language, scandalous illustrations, and sharp points to teach His children. That is what we experienced in Ezekiel 23. What we read there was pretty pointed and what we would consider almost X rated.

For that I am thankful. God created us in His image. That means part our creation is intelligence. He created us with the ability to understand the teachings, even if it meant doing so in ways that are not so pleasant to read.

Somehow though, we have forgotten that in the church. We do not talk about things sometimes that need to be talked about because we have considered them too taboo for church. We skip over the joys of sex because we the church feel it is too risky to preach about. God used sex to define the relationship Israel and Judah were creating with Him. We skip around church discipline, but is not that what God has been doing to Israel and Judah through our reading these last few months? Maybe it is time to begin communicating like our creator, using sharp, scandalous, and even painful points to teach truth. 

July 17 – Isaiah 18-22

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Isaiah 18-22. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

I feel the more I read the Bible the more I fall in love with it. The Bible is unlike any other book on the face of the planet. Where else do you get a book that was written over a fifteen hundred year period of time, in three different languages, on three different continents and yet it all tells one story? Where else do you get a book that teaches so many truths but at the same time contains destruction and violence like the Bible does? Where else do you find steamy sex scenes like Song of Solomon yet they are completely appropriate and even God honoring? Where else do you find the very mind of God contained in the words on the pages? Nowhere! I love this book.

I was reminded of that today as I visualized the imagery of Isaiah’s prophecies. One really struck me in Isaiah twenty-two verses seventeen and eighteen … “For the LORD is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you, crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master!” (Isaiah 22:17-18 NLT). I love that imagery … the idea of God taking a person, crumpling them into a ball and hurling them. What an amazing word picture God paints through Isaiah’s pen.

So what amazes you about the Bible? How does God move you to fathom various thoughts about his Word? What draws you back to God’s word over and over again?

July 11 – Amos 1 - 5

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Amos 1-5. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

 

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

God’s Word blows me away sometimes. We are now in a portion of Scripture that many of us do not read often. There is so much wonderful stuff but out of context it can be very confusing and very discouraging. On top of this it speaks of destruction and desolation. These are not fun things to read about. But in the middle of it God gives us a nugget of amazing truth.

Read these words again … “Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel and Judah—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt: “From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins.” (Amos 3:1-2 NLT) We are getting closer and closer in our reading to the end of the nations of Israel and Judah. God has sent messengers known as the prophets to declare a message of repentance and to remind them that if they do not they will be disciplined for their actions. If there was any doubt as to why God delivered His punishment to these nations it is right here in the words of Amos.

God disciplined because He considered them to have a special relationship with Him. No one on earth; no tribe, no nation, no people group, and no ethnic race had the level of intimacy with God that Abraham’s descendants through Jacob had. Because of this intimacy God had no choice but to bring discipline. The great thing as we will soon see, this discipline and this punishment, was corrective punishment. It was all there so God could continue His purpose of bringing Jesus Christ into the world.

Parents, teachers, caregivers, let me encourage you to practice corrective discipline. I understand and know it is not always fun to carry out. I understand that it actually does hurt you more than those you are disciplining. But the best you can do sometimes for those you love and care about is by giving them corrective discipline. It is your responsibility to teach them about life, to raise them up, train them, and prepare them to do life on their own out of your wing one day. The lessons you teach in corrective discipline will help to reach those goals. 

May 11 – 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalm 20

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalm 20. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you easily buy into every conspiracy theory out there? I would strongly dislike living my life that way. I have known people that feel everyone and everything is out to get them. I have known people that see a COP and believe that police officer just because of his job is a mean out to get them type of person. It would be horrible to live life that way.

That is sort of what we see in Hanun’s advisors this morning. David is sending a good will delegation to Hanun after his father’s death. David want’s to keep the good relationship between him and the Ammonites alive. But Hanun listen’s to the pessimist around him, humiliates David’s men and angers Israel.

Let me encourage you to proceed cautiously with people, but always look for the best intentions. Do not immediately assume people are going to wrong you, cross your back, and be evil. Be on guard, do not be a door mat, but balance that with grace, kindness, and welcoming arms.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 21 – 2 Samuel 1-4

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 1-4. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

I absolutely love the respect that David has for his enemies. I think this is what made David known as a man after God’s own heart. When David hears from the Amalekite that he killed King Saul, even though he did not and was just taking credit for it, David had him put to death for not respecting God’s anointed one. When David hears that Saul’s son was killed by a couple of men David reacts in much the same way as before. Even though Saul pursued him and tried to kill him, David had a great amount of respect for his enemy.

While I believe punishment for wrong doing is necessary that does not mean it has to be done with hate and revenge. I love the way the Amish community responded to the man who carried out the massacre of the Amish school room a few years ago when they responded with forgiveness and grace, even attending his funeral. I think this is how Christians are to respond to our enemies. So let me ask you, how are you doing in the area of loving your enemies?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 7 – Ruth 1-4

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ruth 1-4. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

Thank you for your patience with the Bible readings while my family and I were on vacation. We had a wonderful time visiting Crystal’s family in Florida as well as taking Alivia to Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom for the first time. I should be back to daily blogging and consistency starting today.

Today we start and finish the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth takes place towards the end of the Judges period. We know it is toward the end of the Judges period because Ruth and Boaz are only a few generations removed from David being born who will become the central focus of our next couple of books of the Bible.

As we read the story of Ruth we realize this story is about two women, one the title character Ruth and the other her mother-in-law Naomi. Throughout this telling of Ruth and Naomi’s stories we find one common theme … do what’s right for others. After the death of Naomi’s husband and sons she decides to return home to her own people. Her Moabite daughter-in-laws decide to go with her when she returns. However, she sums up the situation, realizes she will not provide off spring for them to again marry, so she does what’s best for them and sends them home. Orpah finally gives in and goes home, but Ruth does not.

Ruth learns a lesson from Naomi, and just as Naomi looks out for her, she begins to look out for Naomi. She returns with her, and does what is right for Naomi … she gives her companionship, gives her comfort, as well as someone to help provide for her. With Ruth caring for Naomi, Naomi realizes she must do what’s best for Ruth. Devising a plan to both supply what is needed for survival as well as find a husband and redeemer for Ruth, she sends her to work in a close relatives field collecting what has fallen on the ground … remember this concept of collecting what fell on the ground was given by God in the Law to provide for the poor and the widows.

Naomi sends Ruth here to provide for their needs and to find her a husband. The plan works and we find Ruth meeting Boaz. Boaz in multiple ways carries on our theme of doing what is right for others. He gives her more than just what fell on the ground. He orders his men to drop things just for her, and to not chastise her if she picks right off the crop itself. But he goes even further … completing the legal requirements to make her his wife and serve as the kinsmen redeemer … to carry on the family line of Elimelech Naomi’s husband.

Through this entire story of Naomi and Ruth we see people doing the right things for other people. How often do you do the same things? How often do you put other’s needs above your needs? This is a great lesson for us to learn … to care for others above ourselves.

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

March 26 – Joshua 12-15

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 12-15. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

In our reading today we find God delivering on the promise. They have carried out his orders. They have followed him as he has lead them into battle. He has delivered all of the towns, peoples and kings into their hands. And now he has given their inheritance to them.

God has been generous with them, even though they have failed to follow him completely. I think too often when we read the Old Testament we see this vengeful God that is all about death and destruction. While that is true, when we view God that way we fail to see him completely, we fail to see his diligence and we fail to see his love. The God we see is a God driven by love, and this giving of their inheritance in the land is about his love for his people.

As we continue reading try your best to see the love of God unfolding as we see God delivering the Israelites from enemies and even as he disciplines his people.

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

January 25 – Genesis 38-40

Today’s reading comes from Genesis 38-40. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

What do you do when something isn’t right but there is nothing you can do about it? When Joseph ended up in Egypt after being sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelite’s he is then bought by Potiphar an official of Pharaoh. The Lord is with Joseph and he begins to prosper under Potiphar’s house and his master recognizes this and gives him command of his entire house.

Now Joseph was seventeen when he was sold by his brothers, so he at this time is either in his late teens or early twenties. Potiphar’s wife sees this handsome strapping young man and her heart burns with sexual desire for him. She tries to seduce Joseph but each time she does he takes the noble route and turns from her advances. One unfortunate day Joseph and his master’s wife are alone in the house with no one around. She thinks this is her chance but as she grabs Joseph by the cloak he flees. Sadly his cloak is in her hands and she screams rape.

When Potiphar returns home he is confronted with his wife’s allegations against Joseph. Now the Bible describes his reaction … “When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.” Genesis 39:19-20 NIV84. Potiphar was angry, but who was he angry with?

Was he angry at Joseph or was he angry with his wife? Now what you are about to read is only my speculation and not fact, simply some food for thought … I am sure Potiphar knew his wife. This kind of character seems out of sorts for Joseph. But maybe it wasn’t for his wife. However, she is crying rape, there are no witnesses, and there is no proof he can offer so what is he to do? He has the legal ability to have Joseph put to death for such a crime. But he opts to not. He puts him in prison and in such a way that Joseph becomes a high level servant to the chief of the guards. This is all speculation on my part, but maybe Potiphar had reacted out of anger towards his wife for costing him his best servant.

Now I do not know if that conjecture is the realities of history or my optimistic spirit. But I do know that sometimes we are faced with tough decisions in life. Sometimes the best thing to do is to do the very best for the person who wronged us. Certainly teaching and discipline need to happen, but in a way that allows the person who wronged us to benefit and prosper. How can you react different in the future and show grace, mercy, and love to those all around you?

January 18 – Genesis 19-21

Today’s reading comes from Genesis 19-21. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

One thing I love about God is he always places a hedge of protection around his people. Today’s reading really exemplifies that fact. We begin our reading where we left off the day before, God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham was bold enough to ask God to spare the cities, but not enough righteous people were there. I like to think that Abraham was pleading because he knew that his nephew Lot called Sodom home. Abraham has not forgotten Lot and neither has God.

Before destroying the city he sends two angels to rescue Lot and get them out. Upon their arrival we see the righteousness of Lot … insisting that they stay at his home that night … up against the sinful depravity that had consumed Sodom … men beating down Lot’s door to sleep with the two male visitors to their town. The next morning Lot and his family safely escape the city. A little side note, when following God, he wants you all in or all out. Lot and his family were told not to look back, which Lot’s wife did not follow and she turned to a pillar of salt. God remembered Lot and his family and protected them from destruction.

Our story continues with Abraham’s wife Sarah being taken as a wife to king Abimelech. This lie … which we learn is a partial lie … Sarah and Abraham share the same father but not mother … is a recurrence of a previous lie told to the king of Egypt a few short years before. God again places a hedge of protection around the promise he has made to Abraham. If Sarah would have consummated the marriage with Abimelech then the child she is about to have with Abraham … question; is she already pregnant with Abraham’s child and just not showing? … might be called into question. Is this child Abraham’s or Abimelech’s. God wanted no questions asked, and so he stopped this marriage before it ever began. (This may also give us a little hint into when a marriage actually takes place … not at a ceremony, but at consummation. This incident is not enough by itself to make an entire rule, but with other passage it is more fuel for the discussion.)

Think about your life. Have you seen the hedge of God’s protection wrapped around you? As we have seen in our stories today, God allowed bad decisions to take place, but he protected Abraham from completely jumping off the cliff. Maybe bad has happened in your life, but without God’s hedge of protection it would have certainly been much worse. Do not forget to praise God for the love, grace, and protection he provides for your life.

January 17 – Genesis 16-18

Today’s reading comes from Genesis 16-18. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

God has made a promise with Abram that he is going to bless all people on earth through him. Abram’s wife Sarai looks at Abram’s age and her age and realizes that they are both past child bearing years, especially herself, and they have no kids. How is this promise supposed to play out? So they take matters into their own hands and Sarai gives Abram her maidservant Hagar and a child is born.

What I love about this story is the imperfect people God used. We read a list like Hebrews 11 … the great faith chapter of the Bible … and we see a list of people’s triumphs, and we get this idea of how great and “perfect” they were. When we go back and read their actual stories as it played out year by year we see they were flawed people. What I love is God used people just like you and me, people who had flaws.

So what have you done in your life that says you are not good enough … Did you sleep with your wife’s maidservant and get her pregnant? Probably not, but Abram did, and he still became the father of the Israelites … Jesus still comes from his family tree. Did you doubt the voice you heard from God and laugh like Sarah did? She still became the mother of Isaac in her old age. No matter the wrongs you have committed, no matter the pains you bear, God can still use you in a powerful way. His story is full of imperfect people being used by him. Remember, if you belong to Christ, if you have been buried with him in his death and been resurrected with him through baptism, your sins have been forgiven, you are a new creation in Christ, and he has big plans for you.

I think this is best illustrated with the way our reading today concludes. Abraham is talking with God himself represented in the Angel of the Lord. The discussion is about the pending destruction to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham is brave before God and request that life be spared for various levels of righteousness. We see that God has compassion, love, mercy, and grace for the people. It shows that his ultimate desire is to see people’s lives saved not destroyed. His desire is for you, that is why he sent his son to die so that mankind could find salvation. Sure he hates evil, but he has paid the price to wipe out evil. He is loving, gracious, and kind. Allow that to work in your life! There is power in grace!

Effective & Productive vs. Ineffective & Unproductive

Below is the daily Bible reading I am doing for the West Side Church. Please feel free to follow along.

Today’s reading (2 Peter 1) gives a list of things that we as Christians should exhibit.

Faith
Goodness
Knowledge
Self-control
Perseverance
Godliness
Brotherly kindness
Love

Now while this is not the passage we normally look to for the fruits of the spirit, they are almost identical. In this rendition of the fruits, Peter encourages us to implement these things so that we will be kept from being unproductive and ineffective. So my questions for you are:

Do you live by faith?
Do you practices goodness in all you do and say?
Do you seek knowledge?
Do you have self-control when temptation is knocking on the door?
Do you strive to preserver through challenges, heartaches, and setbacks?
Do you practice godliness in all situations?
Do you show brotherly kindness to even your worst enemies?
Do you show love to people from all walks of life no matter how different?

You see if we live by these principles we will in return become very effective and productive witness for the kingdom of God. In essence we become living stones crying out Jesus is KING!

Love and Faithfulness

Below is the daily Bible reading I am doing for West Side Church of Christ. Feel free to follow along.

Today’s reading (Proverbs 3) is a difficult one to comment on. There are so many nuggets of truth that we need to live by in these words of Scripture. However, I would like to focus on one of the first proverbs we read.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

If we were to operate with love and faithfulness in everything we do our lives would drastically change! When someone cut us off in traffic, we wouldn’t let road rage take control. When disaster happened to our neighbor we would be the one leading the charge to help them. When a family member hurts you, you would have the compassion of God to forgive them and help them to not do that again.

You see if love and faithfulness rules, then everything in our world changes; our outlook on life changes, the way we approach a challenge changes, the way we respond to negativity changes, the way we view our sinful world changes, and the way we approach evangelism changes.

Have you written love and faithfulness on the tablet of your heart? Have you bound them around your neck so that everyone you encounter sees them? If not you are not living according to Scripture. I know I could do a better job in this area of my life.