Day 24-28, Luke 15, 19, 22-24

Well I'm very sorry to any of you who are still following along. Two weeks ago was a perfect example of how easily life can get busy and priorities can be misplaced. One thing lead to another, a set back here and there, and time had ran out. I spent the previous week in the Dominican Republic which would be a great excuse if I was there for missions work but instead I was there for a much needed vacation. I spent a lot time in prayer next to the beach and caught up on some reading that I had been wanting to get done. The trip was a huge success.

Still I feel guilty for not posting through the best section of our 28 days together. The book of Luke had a lot to teach us in the last 6 chapters that we read. Looking at the parables Jesus taught as well as the example he set to his disciples, we can see so much into the person that was Christ. A genuine loving man who came to save us all; we could see frustration and compassion as he proclaimed truth everywhere he went. Christ recognized urgency and excluded no one. My ministry has an image of the people it is seeking. The problem is that image excludes people and to be like Christ is to love people in a genuine way. Love like that can be offensive to people, because the message we are bringing calls for Life Change. Christ set the ultimate example of love by going to an embarrassing torturous death on the cross.

I pray that I seek the true love of Christ and learn to replicate it in my life towards others. I hope everyone has enjoyed this. I've loved my first experience with blogging and hope to one day do this again. I appreciate the chance to remember the importance of meditating on scripture and grow in my relationship with Christ.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 23, Luke 6,

Today we got an intense glimse into what it must have been like to follow Christ. I imagine that he was teaching constantly. I believe we learn a lot when we look at the parables that Christ taught in. We know that Christ could have been a tyrant who enforced the law but instead we saw a man who taught the theory behind the law.

Christ taught that we should be a people that understood good from evil and the best way to do that was know God the Father. Christ taught that we should know love and know what it was to love Him. Then we should show that love to others. This humbleing of ourselves was the best chance we had to show Christ to others. Of course we must know the law, but we must understand the love behind the law in order to apply it to our lives. This is why Christ used parables.

Tomorrow is Day 24, Luke 15.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 22, Psalm 103,

I often wonder about passages like this one. Why is our God the way he is? I know everyone asks that question. I know everyone wonders why God allows things to happen etc...But what I understand the least about God is grace. Why is he so willing to forgive? If I wronged someone as often as I wronged God, I would be an enemy, not a friend. This idea of forgivness can literally make me ill. My issue is not believing he forgives as much as he says. I understand chapter 103 to be true and clear that God wipes all the blemishes in my life away and that he forgets as soon as he forgives. I have to believe that because it is part of the glue that holds our relationship with Christ solid. But what I can't understand, what I can't get out of my head, is that time after time, he continues to forgive. What keeps him from giving up on me? What kind of love must that be? And is that love attainable in my own life as I show Christ to others?

I pray for an understanding of grace. I pray that I better appreciate it and better extend it to others.

Tomorrow is Day 23, Luke 6.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 21, Proverbs 3,

Proverbs 3 tells it like it is. This is a blunt reminder of the way we should be and can be living. The text begins poeticly with a description of loving our God. Then it continues with reminders of how we should be following Christ and obeying his commands. We can be assured that God provides for us and promises to take care of us.

The text concludes with a reminder of wisdom and the blessing that it is from from God. Chapter 3 is one that we could read everyday and remind ourselves of the God we serve. The text really does a great job of explaining the God we serve.

I pray I remind myself of the greatness of God everyday.

Tomorrow is Day 22, Psalm 103.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 20, 1 John 5,

The entire book of 1 John is wrapped up exactly how we would expect in chapter 5. John does a great job of explaining the work that God has done on our behalf by coming to earth and being full man. John explains in great detail so that we understand it was a man who lived a perfect life and not only the Christ. He suffered and was tempted, being born just the same as you or myself, and sustained perfection while being the perfect example.

John has carried a theme through the book that we are saved by Christ alone from the sin we had in our life. As we develop we should continue to flee from sin, this is the sin that wont take our life he explains. He also talks about praying for friends to understand their fallen nature or understand the sin in there life so they will have the opportunity to turn to Christ. This mindset of sin is different than we are used to hearing. We understand the poisen in can be when we hear John explain it this way.

I pray I battle the sin in my life and let Christ prevail. I also want to help others who have seen fault in their lives find hope in Christ who forgives them freely.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 19, 1 John 4,

Chapter 4 is the best chapter of John thus far. We are fortunate to serve a Lord that allows us to challenge and promises he will persevere as our God. As we challenge our faith through the study of scripture and with a searching heart, we begin to understand God's love for us. A love that is ultimate and above comprehension. But rather than hold that understanding of love in a high esteem, we are to allow it to overflow from us into the world.

If we understand such love, the God of all creation is living in each and everyone of us. With power like that in me, nothing can hold us back. John explains that the power of the love of God living within us will hold fast so strongly that it will conquer all possibilities of fear. Without fear you will see followers of Christ flood the world with the truth. A truth that God lives for them and in them. The opportunity is theres for the taking just as it was ours and no one has been made exempt.

I pray this truth pours out of me and into the lives of others. I pray that I understand the love of Christ in a way that I cannot be bound by fear any longer. I pray the world sees the truth through the work Christ is doing in my life.

Tomorrow is Day 20, chapter 5.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 18, 1 John 3,

Better late than never applies I suppose. I feel very guilty this morning. I woke up and the first thing that came to my mind was that I had slipped up. Today will have two blog entries, one this morning and one this evening. Thank goodness we are reading the apostle of John and can be encouraged because I feel aweful for letting yesterday slip away without following through with my commitment.

When reading chapter three today, I began to see the difference in writing styles from a lot of Paul's work that we have already read in comparison to John. I love the hope that John taught with. The picture of encountering Christ upon his return for us is beautiful. I love verse 2, when we are told "what we will be has not yet been made known." For a lot of us we can't remove our minds from life on this earth. Age begins to have an old feel with an end in sight description. I wonder what John was talking about in verse 2. Might his faith have been deep enough that he had an understanding of what being made new in eternity would look like. I like to dwell on thoughts like that, when we will look back and see this life as a dirty speck. The next life will be beautiful.

John continues with a blunt truth that reminds us if we are living with the Spirit of God in our lives than there is going to be conviction in our hearts for the sin we have in us. If this is the case then we need to constantly be working on removing the power that sin has over us. If we really are seeking the Spirit of God, then our desire to be near God will far outweigh our desire of sin. I pray that we find that love John speaks of for one another and that we seek out truth in our lives apart from sin.

This afternoon is Day 19, 1 John 4.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 17, 1 John 2,

In chapter two we can tell by the language John is using that he very much cares about the reader of this letter and therefore wants the best for them. Because he wants the best for them, he warns us to be careful not to be lead back into a life of sin. Beyond just being careful, the text is challenging us to stand for what we believe in and even goes so far as to question our where are faith was if we were not living apart from sin.

John very much understands we will still make mistakes, but he also believed we should be a people that were constantly improving in our obedience to Christ. He also warns us to be causious around temptation. Satin is creative and will distract us into a life of sin in whatever way he can. We are warned to avoid these situations at all cost while still being a light in the world.

I pray that I become more of an example to people around me who are not following Christ and that I set my actions apart from theirs.

Tomorrow is 1 John 3

God Bless,
Nick

Day 16, 1 John 1

Today is FIRST John instead of just John. I hope this doesn't through to many of you off. Chapter 1 was a short chapter but it was fascinating if you look beyond the words into the history of the text. This was a historical first hand account that the Son of God, Christ, lived and died on our behalf and was in fact real. All of the prophecies were coming true in His name and on top of the fact that he lived, died, and was raised from the dead, they confirmed that Christ was in fact the light from heaven they had been awaiting on.

This was encouraging to the reader because the Messiah had finally came. With Him came redemtion and the darkness could no longer be feared. John instructs us that we must be living with the truth in our hearts of the grace through Christ. We are still a fallen people but we have now been redeemed and we should show the world this new found saving grace.

I pray that my heart is one that overflows with the love and grace that John was reminding us of. He was God made man and he did walk among us. It is an honor to know him and I should live each day with that mentality.

Tomorrow is 1 John 2.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 15, Psalm 96,

It was a refreshing day to get into the Psalms today. I really enjoy all of Paul's letters aod the there importance but I needed the Psalms today. Chapter 96 was an uplifting chapter today. It was a short chapter but it was a chapter that praised God from start to finish.

I have always enjoyed art but have never appreciated it like my wife has. But what I understand of art is that someone can have a piece that is completely unique to my interests, but remain incredible pieces of art. I think that worship is like that. I think that there are ways of describing God and worshiping him that I would never have thought of. Every method of praising our God and everything that brings him glory is beautiful. Todays Psalm reminded me of the beauty of praising our God.

I pray I find knew ways to worship God everyday. I pray I appreciate how other people praise God and join them in that.

Tomorrow is John 1.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 14, Ephesians 6

Ephesians 6 is an interesting way of concluding the chapter. The older I get, the more I feel indipendant from my parents. I know I don't always give them the respect they deserve. I believe it has a lot to do with humbling myself.

As I get older I want to continue to grow in my faith. I believe that the growing of our faith happens when we are arming ourselves in the way the text explains. I think it is interesting that Paul is wrapping up the letter in this way. His passions must have been for the readers of the original letter to stand strong no matter what the situation. He wanted them to be motivated beyond all things to stand for their faith.

I pray I focus as much as Paul wanted the people of Ephesus to. I want to focus on my faith and drawing my relationship closer to him. I am fortunate to have my wife who supports me and is willing to be on this journey by my side.

Tomorrow is Psalm 96.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 13, Ephesian 5

Ephesians 5 is a harsh reminder from Paul of the lives we should be living. When we fellowship together, it can easy slip back into an old lifestyle. We must remember we are new creations in Christ, the old has gone and the knew has come. This is not said to discourage us or to bind us with rules to follow. Instead we are instructed to live this way with the promise of drawing closer to our Lord.

Many times we put our faith in other people around us. We hold them up to be an example to us, so when they fail, we are crushed. "Be imitators of Christ" is more than an instruction or a guide line. We are asked to imitate the greatest man to ever live. We must understand that being more like Christ is an opportunity. An opportunity to be great. As followers of Christ, we are a fortunate people and have the chance to encounter joy like no one could understand. Change of heart must be reflected in our actions.

I pray chapter haunts me. I pray it follows me and disciplines me to seek and make my God the highest importance in my life. We are capable of more, we simply must live like it.

Tomorrow is Ephesians 6.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 12, Ephesians 4

Chapter 4 begins speaking directly to the individual reader about the calling that God has placed on there life. I like to be reminded that God created me with a purpose. Paul makes it sound like we are called to something beyond purpose, however. As if, in each of us lies the potential for greatness. I say this as humble as I can because the distance is great, but I really believe Ephesians 4 reminds us that we each have an opportunity to do great things. So great that God's Kingdom could forever be different because of our purpose being fulfilled.

Still Paul returns to unity and the importance of having it. None of us will ever fill the shoes of Christ, but instead will work together as the body of Christ to advance the Kingdom. I like the idea of not being alone in anything I do for Christ. I know God is with me, so who could be against me. But the language used to describe us that descibes us as the body of Christ leaves us with a remarkable responsibility. There is so much strength when believers in Christ committ to have unity in areas of there life as simple as Bible reading. I believe this was the unity Paul was talking about and I am excited to be a part of it.

I pray I continue to stay focused on the readings and meditate on them more. I pray I better understand the importance of unity in the church and in thhe body of Christ so that we can continue to move forward.

My Mom told me today that she perticularly enjoy vs. 10 because of the desciption of Christ assending above the heavens. She explained that if Christ was just above the heavens and He is looking down on us as well as looking down on heaven, that we must not be as far below heaven and we sometimes think. What an encouraging thought that is, thanks Mom.

Tomorrows reading is Ephesians 5.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 11, Ephesians 3,

After reading chapter three today, I feel like the benefits of this daily devotional are really starting to become relevant. Paul does such a good job of reminding us of the incredible power that is Christ in our life. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to read and understand a text that was written 2000 years ago and still understand the importance of it's application today. God is doing a work in each of us that has the potential to be as world changing as the church the disciples started. I firmly believe it is through disciplines like this that we draw more near to our Lord and more in line with his calling on our lives.

Paul reminds us to understand that we will never fully understand the depth of the love of Christ. But the more understanding we do gain, the more we will see him at work in us. I pray that we approach each day knowing the power of the living God is within us. No temptation is too strong, no weakness is too great for us to overcome with the love of Christ inside us. Personal life change is going to yield world change.

Tomorrow is Day 12, Ephesians 4.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 10, Ephesian 2,

Alive in Christ is a great place to be. For a lot of us, we might remember finding Christ as a list of rules we signed up to follow. For many, the idea of becoming "religious" paints a picture of a boaring life that no one enjoys. Instead we are reminded in chapter 2 of Ephesians that the life we had before Christ was dead. The lie that sin tells us makes us believe we will never experience the same joy as when were living in sin. Christ promises that new life through Him will in fact be the most freeing experience for anyone that chooses to follow him. It is a humbling thought to know that the God of the universe is the one who saves us and there is no action we could begin to earn such love and grace. We are reminded what a wonderful gift we have recieved from God through his son Jesus. I can't imagine anyone reading this today and not thinking it was incredible. Hope everyone is enjoying this as much as I am.

Tomorrow is Day 11, Ephesians 3.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 9, Ephesians 1,

We are reminded in chapter one of the great power in the love of our God. In Him we were created, through His son we are forgiven, and in His presence we will forever live. He knows us intimately reminds me of the importance of knowing my heavenly Father more. We should remain constantly thankful for our salvation. We must also remember that we are representing Christ who's mark has been made on our hearts.

Near the end of the chapter, Paul reminds me that Christ must stay the center of the church. As we grow closer as a body of believers, we must concentrate on being Christ centered in our church as much as we are personally. Our purpose is to serve Him and there can be great joy found in that moment. I pray I always remember Christ being first in my life as well as first in our church. I also pray for everyone who is following Christ along side of me. I pray that we support and love one another the way Paul did for the believers in Ephasis.

Tomorrow's reading is Ephesians 2.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 8, Psalm 34,

What a great first week this has been! I have found a lot of comfort in reading and hearing of people following along with the blog. The reading this week has been a great experience so far. I really enjoy that we are reading such a small portion that it is never overwhelming. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for our hearts as we go forward with this.

Yet, I still find myself nervously awaiting something discouraging. Almost as if I expect some part of life to get in the way of the time we are spending meditating on God's word. Then I read Psalm 34. For many, we carry around scars expecting them to reopen and cause us to experience pain all over again. We have been distracted from Christ so many times before that we expect it to happen again. Verse 2 is a great reminder for us all, "My soul will boast in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice!"

Even though we have trained ourselves to expect hard times, we know we can rejoice it the Lord. His eyes are on us. He hears our cry and restores are brokeness. As we spend more time with God, I firmly believe in the spiritual warfare continuing over our attention. What me must remember from this passage is that it is not our battle to fight. Our only responsibility is to draw near to Christ and allow Him to fight our battles for us.

My prayer is that I can begin to let go of the things that I know are keeping me from drawing near to Christ. I pray that I remember the only place I ever need to be is directly in the center of His will for my life. I want to boast in the Lord in a way that the afflicted recognize my joy in Christ and find themselves made complete in His grace.

Keep it up everyone. Tomorrow we read Ephesians 1.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 7, Proverbs 1

Whenever I think of wisdom, I think of my Grandpa. I guess because he is a lot older than me and has seen more of life than myself, I assume he should have more wisdom. While I know he has more wisdom than myself, I sometimes I assume I don't have much wisdom of my own because I am so young.

Wisdom is one of those funny things we read about in the Bible. It is freely given to anyone who asks for it. This implies no age limit. We should seek wisdom, both from others and for possesion of our own wisdom. I was reminded by the reading today that the beginning of wisdom is fearing God. And to sustain wisdom, we must be sharp to avoid becoming part of a group that drags us away from what we know is right.

I pray that I begin seeking wisdom on a daily basis. I also pray for strength to stand for what I know is right in wisdom.

Tomorrow is Psalm 34, on Day 8.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 6, Philippians 4

Today was the perfect ending to the book of Philippians. After reading so much this week about how we need to be gearing up and preparing, chapter four was a nice shift as we were reminded that we have already won in so many way. Paul is being encouraging and thankful to the reader, which is a great example to us. But there are also so many quotable verses that we could take with us in our everyday life as encouragement.

We don't need to be ancious about anything. We can bring every issue we have to deal with to Christ, and he has promised to take care of us. I need to be reminded of this from time to time and have people in my life that do. Lifes issues are not our to worry about when we are children of God.

I love verse 13 and have written in on countless reminders to myself. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength leaves us with no excuses. Everyone faces trials and no one can avoid it, but when we approach everyday with the attitude that we can do it all through Him, our perspective changes.

Paul also spends a lot of time thanking the people who have helped him out. I constantly take people for granted. When I really look at all the people in my life that support me, I can't imagine life without them. Even this week, people have been encouraging me on this blog experiment. Everyday there has been someone reminding me of it's importance. Our church in encouraging in that way also. I love the people that make up our church for that very reason. They care about people and remind everyone of their importance on a regular basis.

We are a family of believers who always should be there for one another. I pray that I start appreciated everyone more and taking more time to rejoice in the victory we share in Christ. I'm excited to go to a Sunday morning service tomorrow with a series beginning on Philippians after reading the book. I hope you all have enjoyed going deeper as much as I have this week.

Tomorrow is Proverbs 1, enjoy.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 5, Philippians 3

I had forgotten before today one of my favorite reasons for loving Paul and his work. Paul was not your average Joe. By birth, the course for his life had been set for him. Being of a respectable heritage, Paul lived up to everything that was expected of him. "In regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for seal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." Paul is describing all the things that men of the time would have desired for themselves and he had them all. As Paul looks back on his life, he sees that he had everything and now realizes it was worth nothing. Beyond that, he considers all of that time as a loss in his life.

There are many kingdoms I attempt to build for myself. I would love a house of my own and a truck in the driveway. I would love a large minsitry with a youth group of hundreds. But if my ambitions are anything other than being one with Christ, they are for loss. No matter the good I attempt, my number one priority has to be Christ.

I pray to have the same passion as Paul did at the end of the chapter. He says he wants to follow him to the death, even a death on a cross, being crucified for his beliefs. I pray I wake up everyday with a goal of being with Christ in eternity and telling as many people this truth along the way.

Hope your enjoying this as much as I am. Tomorrow is Philippians 4.

God Bless,
Nick

Day 4, Philippians 2

Chapter 2 reminded me what is was like the first time I visited my college of Olivet Nazarene University. I remember meeting my peers for the first time and experiencing that I was going to be living with a couple thousand people that were all "united in Christ." There is great joy in that kind of fellowship because we feel the spirit of God in a very real way.

Sometimes I feel like I'm on top of the world in my relationship with Christ. Those moments are great but I lose all sight of humility. The most humbling thing I can read is a reminder of the way Christ carried himself when he went to die for me.

As a body of believers, we must support one another like Timothy, Epaphroditus, and Paul did for one another. There ministries were better because of one another and our ministries will experience the same encouragment from one another. I pray we humbly approach each day with a servants heart and that everyone will see in us the love of Christ that is offered to them.

Tomorrow is Philippians 3.
God Bless,
Nick

Day 3, Philippians 1

I love reading letters that Paul has written because I imagine how meaningful the words must have been to a new church in Philippi. Once again Paul is in chains for what he believes. I think what we read about the situation that Paul is in call tell us a lot about being leaders. The people that followed what Paul was teaching, that is the message of Christ, were motivated by the willingness of Paul to be in chains for his stance. Paul was leading a revolution in Rome and people were ready to fight and die by the example he was setting. "As for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." I wish these were words I was living out. That everyday was a radical day of uprising in our faith. I wish I could view my relationship with Christ and the importance of others knowing him the way I do with the same intensity as Paul. That if I'm granted tomorrow, I will share the gospel until I am horse. But if today is my last, then tomorrow I will praise God in His presence. Remember, someone is likely watching your actions. A negative attitude is showing someone the wrong impression of the victory in Christ. Instead we should carry on with a renewing joy each day just as Paul did.

My prayer is the same as Paul's, "that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

Tomorrow is Philippians 2, can't wait to read what everyone thinks.

God Bless,
Nick

Psalm 27

Psalm 27 is beautiful poetry. If your looking at it right now, take time to imagine what God must look like when he sees you reading these words. There is a lot of encouragment in how we can stand against the odds. As a man, there is a side of God we see that is similar to a coach in our corner, cheering us on every day. If there is anything that people agree on, it is that life can be difficult. So difficult we don't like to talk about or deal with the reality of what we are facing. When God is in your corner, what can stand against you? As followers of Christ, we are not a group of people that are defending what we believe. We are standing in the only army to never lose. We are not the beaten, we are the victor. We are not the underdog, we are the only one in the fight.

Verse 13 blows me away, "I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." I'm not very political. I have my beliefs and morals and I vote with them. But in the big picture, I know little. But I do know this, the spineless beliefs of our country are not something we must be tolerant of. My prayer is to show people there is something worth believing in, and its the winning team. Those beliefs cannot be concured, and this country surely could begin its turn back to God. We are a body of believers, and I pray we stand with the confidence found in Psalm 27.

Tomorrow we read Philippians 1. I love Paul and everything he writes so this should be fun.

God Bless guys,
Nick

Day 1; Psalm 1

Today was short but sweet. One chapter is an easy read. A short read is good though because there is plenty of opportunity to concentrate on what the scripture is teaching. Being a Christian with Christian friends can make us feel confident in our faith. But when our faith is challenged in the presence of things that distract us from Christ, it can become easy to drift. As we take time to meditate on the scripture, I believe we will really begin to see strength in the moments of distraction.

In no way do I believe the text is saying we should avoid people that don't know our Lord. However, when we are in the those situations that we know it will take work to stand for our beliefs, even in daily situations, we must prepare our hearts to stand strong. I believe the love that Christ has shown us is something we should reflect. My prayer for today is to continue to medidtate on His word. I pray for strength to be an example. I don't want to dissapear in a crowd of people who don't know Christ. Instead I want that love to be shown in a way that others know there is something special going on in my life.

Tomorrows reading is Psalm 27. Hope to be reading your comments soon.

Nick

Welcome!

Hey everyone! Hope your looking forward to the next 28 days. Tomorrow we are going to be reading Psalm 1. Remember, S.O.A.P. stands for scripture, observation, application, and prayer. This is going to be a great opportunity to really encounter God so please make the most of it. You can't do this wrong, just read the text and comment on what you think of it. Then spend a moment of your time talking with God about it. I'm praying we all come away from this closer in our relationship with Christ.

God Bless,
Nick