Matthew 19:5-6 NASB  ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Today is my parent’s 36th wedding anniversary. After spending 36 years together, it’s safe to say, the two have become one! That doesn’t mean they think the same, and it definitely doesn’t mean they always agree, but they are one entity, moving in the same direction.

Mom and Dad, thank you for being a great example of a Godly marriage to those around you, and especially to me!

-Kevi

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Colossians 3:1-2, 5-7 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.

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

Earlier this evening my husband asked if we had any cornstarch. I didn’t want to get up and look for it, so I told him I thought we did, unless I had thrown it out because it was old, so he just needed to look for it. Later, he informed me that we did NOT have any cornstarch. Well I took that as a challenge and poked around in the pantry until…voila! A box of cornstarch!

He couldn’t find it because he didn’t look in the right spot. Sure he looked in the pantry, but not long enough! Paul reminded the church at Colosse to continue looking towards Christ and towards Godly things. We can be easily distracted by worldly things: we have to make a conscious effort to keep seeking the things above!

-Kevi

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Haggai 2: 11-14 NASB  Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Ask now the priests for a ruling: If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?” And the priests answered, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will become unclean.” Then Haggai said, “So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,” declares the LORD, “and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.”

A few times now my son has made the mistake of putting his face, open-mouthed, on our dog’s back. It always results with dog hair in his mouth. Yuck! There is no good way to lick a dog!

Haggai told the people (on God’s behalf) that although touching something holy won’t necessarily make you holy, touching something unclean will always make you unclean. The Israelites continually made themselves unclean by turning to other gods and other nations instead of the one true God. We do the same when we hold on to our sins, and when we refuse to remove temptation and bad influences from our lives. Let’s learn from the Israelites’ mistakes. It is easy to become unclean, but it takes God to make us holy again.

-Kevi

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I Corinthians 11:1 NASB  Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

While I was getting ready this morning, my 20 month old was in the bathroom with me and got a stick of deodorant off the bathroom counter. He tried to lift up his shirt and made a swiping motion with the deodorant...who taught him to do that? Of course we weren’t trying to teach him how to put on deodorant, he was just imitating what he had seen.

This verse from Paul immediately came to mind. Most of what I am teaching my son is unintentional—but will his imitation of me result in his being more or less like Christ? What about others in my life? There are likely people imitating each of us. Will that result in their being more or less like Christ?

-Kevi

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Esther 4:13-14  NASB   Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

We are probably all familiar with the second half of Esther 4:14, “for such a time as this.” But what about the first half of the verse? Mordecai wanted Esther to intervene to the King on behalf of the Jewish people, but Esther was unsure about putting her life at risk by approaching the King without being summoned. Mordecai had faith that the Jews would be delivered either way, so shouldn’t Esther have been eager to be the one to bring about their miracle? Queen Esther’s faith ultimately trumped her fear and she is remembered for saving her people.

I know there are many times my fear overcame my faith and I missed out on opportunities to serve God and share my faith. Don’t let that be you, let’s take action when God calls us, so He doesn’t have to ask someone else!

-Kevi 

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Luke 12:2-3  NASB   But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

I recently heard about an acquaintance of mine who had some sins revealed in a very public way. My initial reaction was disappointment over their actions. But my secondary reaction was hope that getting caught in their sin would be a path to repentance and ultimately be a good thing. It’s easy to think getting “caught” is a good thing when it is someone else’s sin. But I certainly don’t want my sins on display for everyone to see!

We may think our sins are hidden, but Jesus told His disciples in Luke 12 that nothing would remain hidden. The people around us will eventually see us as hypocrites, if we don’t humble ourselves and deal with our sins.

 -Kevi

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2 Chronicles 34:1-2  NASB   Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

I’m trying to foster some independence in my toddler son by carrying him less and encouraging him to walk more. Most of the time this means he is holding my hand and walking beside me. He is good at the walking part, but he doesn’t always know where our final destination is, and he is often distracted by his surroundings.

There were many distractions King Josiah could have followed (like the gods of the surrounding nations), but he chose to follow God’s way, and God blessed Him for it. We have to make the same choice every day to follow God’s way and say no to the temptations on the right and the left. Aren’t sure of the final destination? Well just hold on tighter to God’s hand, He will lead the way if we let Him.

 -Kevi

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Luke 11:2-4   NASB   And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

We got a chest freezer in our garage a few months back, and it is nice to be able to stock up on certain items and buy meat when it’s on sale. Between our freezer and our pantry we could eat for a month even if the store shelves were bare!

But that kind of security isn’t always a good thing when it comes to spiritual matters. Jesus instructed his disciples to pray for their daily bread, not for bread to last a month. When we learn to rely on God each and every day, we will be much for secure than if we only seek him when we’ve used up all of our own resources.

 -Kevi

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Matthew 7:13-14 NASB Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

After being gone for the weekend, we came home to the unpleasant surprise of having ants in our kitchen. While I marvel at God’s creation, I don’t welcome them in my kitchen! Fortunately most of them had found the ant bait in the pantry, and while they were very glad of the sugar water they found, the unpleasant surprise for them is that it is laced with borax. The ants take the poisonous food back to share with their colony and tell all their ant friends about the great food they found. The ants then come in a steady stream to hoard the new found food source, wiping out the whole colony in a matter of days.

These unsuspecting ants remind me of unsuspecting sinners. All around us, sinners are marching to their own destruction, self-assured that the things we are passionate about are good, that they bring meaning to our lives. As Proverbs says “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

But it is only through Christ that our lives have meaning, it is only the salvation He freely offers that is worth seeking.

Lord, I am so grateful for those that showed me the “straight and narrow” way; help me to lead others towards you, and away from destruction!

-Kevi

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1 Timothy 6:9-11   NASB  But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

Children's toys are specifically designed to be safe and prevent injuries. But if you step down hard, in your bare feet, on one of your son's triangle shaped plastic blocks...the pain is unreal!

We often see financial security as safety. Wanting to provide for our families is a good thing, but like many other good things, the devil can use them to deceive us! Let's not be deceived by the promise of safety, but let's pursue the things of God and let Him be concerned with the rest.

 -Kevi

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