John 21:4 “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” Many times we don’t recognize Jesus standing in our midst. I know that I often get so wrapped up in the circumstances that I’m facing that I miss Jesus right in front of me. Jesus comes to find us in our dark places. He will never leave you nor forsake you. It doesn’t matter where you run to. He wont leave you there alone. Peter was trying to figure…
Year: 2019
A Word or Two from the Word - John 21:3
John 21:3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John chapter 21 is one of my favorite passages in the Gospels. The disciples are no doubt sad, confused, frustrated, and worn out. Jesus had been crucified but then they saw him. He was there among them but then he left them again. What has happened? What does it all mean? In that place of confusion, Peter…
A Word or Two from the Word - Ezra 9
Chapter 9 is a beautiful, heart felt, prayer by Ezra as he confesses the sins of the Israelites that had returned from exile. Confess used to be a four letter word for me. If I confessed something, that meant I was wrong, I wasn’t perfect, I had messed up, and that meant I wasn’t worthy to be loved. You see, growing up in my household, love was another four letter word that was only ever hinted at if I was perfect. I grew up under the law. Then I met…
A Word or Two from the Word - Proverbs 19:27
Proverbs 19:27 “Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” We will never reach perfection this side of heaven. As a result, we must continue to learn and grow and be transformed day by day into the Lord’s likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). But if we stop listening to the truth of scripture we will stray. God shows us this with our physical bodies. As we use our muscles, they grow strong and function the way they were meant to. If we neglect them,…
A Word or Two from the Word - Proverbs 19:23
Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” Is this verse true in your life today? Are you resting content, untouched by trouble? Or is there something that is worrying you today? If you are anything like me, worry has a way of creeping in and taking hold no matter how often I chase it away. I’m a fearful man. I try to control my world by having a contingency plan for everything that could possibly go wrong. And when I…