2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

My husband just got a new cell phone, and that means getting all the appropriate accessories to protect and fully equip that small but expensive device. He ordered a screen protector and a protective case, as well as a memory card and portable charger. It seems like a lot, but having those items will allow him to use the phone longer, and use it more effectively.

If we want to be fully equipped for God’s Kingdom work, we need to be spending time in the Scripture. It contains the tools we need to protect ourselves from temptation, as well as tools to develop a more effective witness.                                                      

-Kevi

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2 Timothy 2:14 NASB Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

I tried to watch some political debates over the past few months, but each time I would end up frustrated (and as my husband can attest) yelling at the TV. All those words and yet nothing is accomplished.

Churches can become a place of too many words, where nothing is accomplished. Let’s make sure our church is a place of action.

-Kevi

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Acts 3:19 NASB “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

My son picked up some rocks while he was playing outside and carried them around. When we went inside to wash up, he had managed to hang on to one of them and refused to give it up while washing his hands. Well, I thought, I’ll just wash the rock too, while I wash his hands, and then he can keep it, no tears needed! I kept washing and washing and more and more dirty water rinsed off until I finally decided it was a very hard dirt clod, not a rock after all, and it would never get clean! (And yes there were tears when I took it away.)

If we try to come to Christ while we hang on to our sins, well, we’ll never get clean. We have to repent and allow God to remove the sin from our lives, so that we can be refreshed in His presence!

-Kevi

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Colossians 3:1-3 NASB Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

My son got an airplane toy from my parents that he really loves. You hang it from the ceiling and when you turn it on it flies around and around in a circle. He loves to look up and watch it when we turn it on. The funny thing is that each time he starts out looking up to watch the plane, but he ends up staring at the light fixture on the ceiling. He’s just attracted to the light!

If we spend all our time looking around at things of this world, we will focus on worldly things. If we look up to where Christ is seated on the throne, we’ll notice a lot of other important things while we are looking up. The more we look at Christ, the more our lives will begin to focus on God’s Kingdom and bring glory to Him.

-Kevi

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Luke 18: 31-34 (NASB)   Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

I’ve often wondered what the disciples of Jesus were thinking and experiencing during the events of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The Bible often points out throughout Jesus’ teachings, that the disciples didn’t fully understand what He was teaching. And sometimes I feel a little smug, like they were following Jesus, He was performing miracles in front of their very eyes, and they just didn’t get it? In this passage, He just flat out told them what was going to happen, and they still didn’t get it?

Now of course, we have the benefit of reading the end of the book.  I know that Christ fulfilled all of the things He said He would do. He was mistreated, He was killed and He did rise again. But even knowing all of these promises were fulfilled, I still find it difficult to trust that He is still fulfilling His promises to us every day. When I doubt that he can provide for my family, or I want to choose to do things in my time, instead of waiting for his timing, I am doing it with the full knowledge of who Christ is. (Yikes.)

But what about those disciples? Despite all their failings, they had faith! They were following Christ, without knowing the end game. They put their trust in him as their rabbi, they left their homes and businesses to follow him, on faith. I think I could use some of that faith, couldn’t you?

-Kevi

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Colossians 2:20-23 NASB If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

I’ve always been a procrastinator, so when I needed to study in college I would make up rules to try to motivate myself to study. Sometimes I would tell myself if I finished reading a chapter I could watch a TV show; or I could watch TV as long as I muted it during the commercials to read my textbook. Generally these rules did not motivate me to study, and I would end up breaking them! They seemed like a good idea, but they had no value against my procrastination.

Paul was trying to tell the Colossians that the rules imposed on them by “religious” leaders were of no value to their faith. Our religious rules don’t keep us from sinning; only spiritual growth through Christ will do that.

-Kevi

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Colossians 2:13-14 NASB When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Have you ever experienced the relief of paying off a debt? When my husband and I had been married just a few years and finally both had full-time jobs, we put all our extra money toward paying off student loan debts. It was such a relief when the last one was paid: we finally felt like our money was our own. It gave us hope for our financial future: we could start saving for a car, a house, etc., all because our debt was paid.

Christ paid for our sin debt so that the devil would not own us any longer.  His offer of forgiveness allows us to have hope in our spiritual future. And it is even better than trying to pay off the debt on our own: we could make payments the rest of our lives and never erase the debt our sins have created.

Thank you Lord Jesus for paying my debt!

-Kevi

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3 John 1:11 NASB Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Raising a toddler is basically spending most of my time trying to get him to imitate me. To say what I say, to do what I do, that is how he learns most things. Inevitably all children will also imitate things we don’t want them to do, so it is important to be a good example!

In 3 John 1:9-10, John called out some one in the church that should not be imitated. Is our life one that other Christians should imitate?

-Kevi

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John 10:26-28 NASB But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

My son and I were enjoying the nice weather in the backyard this afternoon. All of the sudden our dog ran to the back door and started whining to be let in, which was odd, because we were outside with her. A few minutes later my husband emerged from the house: he was unexpectedly home almost an hour early! When I told him that she knew he was there before I did, he said, “Of course she did, she has better hearing than you!”

Not only should our hearing be better attuned to Christ than the world, but that hearing should result in following His commands. The Jews that were questioning Jesus in John 10 had heard Him tell many parables about who He was, but they weren’t ready to follow Him.

How is your hearing?

-Kevi

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II Samuel 16:9-10 NASB Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and cut off his head.” But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the LORD has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’

Have you ever known someone who couldn’t be taught anything, because they already knew everything? I’m sure people have thought that about me before, but that’s not how I want to be!

David was King of Israel (by God’s anointing) but he didn’t assume he would always be God’s anointed. He could have been indignant and prideful when someone from Saul’s household cursed him, but he was humble in thinking that he might not know God’s plan. We know all of David’s failings, but we also know that he continued to seek God’s way. David penned these words: “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” Psalm 25:9 ESV

Are we humble enough to be teachable?

-Kevi

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