Call Me Brother
by Jeffrey Smith June 3rd, 2016
Genesis 20:11- Abraham replied, "I said to myself, there is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, this is how you can show your love to me. Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is...
Perspective
by Jeffrey Smith June 2nd, 2016
Philippians 2:1-4
2 Corinthians 3:12-14
Humility or boldness which is better? Running on the road is a balance of beating down the flesh which says, you can’t do this, you should just give up, and concentrating on the power of Christ in us. I run on the road and I face oncoming traffic. As I am running, I feel this other conflict deep inside and one that says, "be humble and get out of...
Who does it?
by Jeffrey Smith June 1st, 2016
Mark 11:23-24-Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.
So we read this scripture and wonder, why don't we look at things and tell them to do what we want them to do more often? You would think that we would be telling cancer to leave bodies, and...
Shake off temptation
by Jeffrey Smith May 27th, 2016
Acts 28:6- The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Mark 16:18- they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well."
Do you know what venom...
Lending
by Jeffrey Smith May 24th, 2016
Proverbs 19:17: He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Whenever we give to others there is an intersection of abundance and lack. None of us are rich in all things, but we are poor in some way in the face of someone like us who has more of that which we lack. When we give freely to others, this proverb says that we are lending to the...
Step up to the plate
by Jeffrey Smith May 23rd, 2016
Proverbs 16:3: Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
When I was a kid, my Mom signed me up for little league. I was short, chubby, slow, and didn’t understand why if the baseball went past me while I was batting, that it may or may not be called a strike. I thought that I had to swing and miss in order for it to be a strike. I learned quickly.
I...
Receive it!
by Jeffrey Smith May 20th, 2016
Romans 11:5,6: So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Ephesians 2:4-9: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with...
Guard it
by Jeffrey Smith May 19th, 2016
Job 3:25-26: What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.
Philippians 4:6-7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
There...
First and Last words
by Jeffrey Smith May 18th, 2016
Matthew 3:15- Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
Revelation 22:20- He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 1:8). It is important for us see these two scriptures and know that what has happened for us all from the beginning to the end. This is how our...
Courage is found in Him
by Jeffrey Smith May 6th, 2016
Matthew 16:25-For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Use your fear, it can take you to a place where you store your courage. Amelia Earhart.
What she was talking about was an internal drive. This is a true statement, but not how Amelia Earhart intended. Where do you store your courage? We store it in Jesus Christ. It is...
Say something
by Jeffrey Smith May 5th, 2016
Esther 4:14: For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?
Did you know that you are in a royal position in Jesus Christ? We who are in Jesus Christ are heirs. We are all part of the Kingdom of God. Through Jesus...
Be in position
by Jeffrey Smith May 4th, 2016
2 Timothy 1-2: You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
For those of you who know me well, I was once a hockey player. I was a goaltender. My job was to stand in the face of an onslaught of shots coming at me from all...
Today's promise
by Jeffrey Smith May 3rd, 2016
John 3:17- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
We often focus on John 3:16 which you can find everywhere and anywhere. Most people know the scripture John 3:16 and it has become so callous that we let it wash over us. Think about it for a second. When you hear, God gave us his only Son, that whoever believes in Him will...
Learning to swim
by Jeffrey Smith May 2nd, 2016
Psalm 25:3-5: No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all the day long.
When I was a kid, I loved to swim, and I couldn't wait until it was warm enough to jump in and swim all day...
Pick up your mat
by Jeffrey Smith April 29th, 2016
John 5:4 ?
Look up John 5:4. I will wait...There is no John 5:4 and yet there is a notation below in your bible or bible app that tells us that some manuscripts have the word paralyzed in there with and explanation of what would happen at the pool of Bethsaida. Periodically the Angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one in would be healed completely. This meant that...
Dry Cleaner
by Jeffrey Smith April 27th, 2016
Psalm 51:2- cleanse me from my inequity, and purify me of all my sin
Ever been to a dry cleaner? It's hot, sometimes messy, and it just looks foreign to anything we normally see on a regular basis. The thing that annoys me is that when I bring home my clothes I have to take off all the things they put on there in order to wear them. I am reminded though, that the tags let everyone know who these...
Make a prayer
by Jeffrey Smith April 25th, 2016
Psalm 91:9-11- If you make the Most High your dwelling even the Lord, who is my refuge-- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
When we were kids, my Mom would tell us to take a dandelion that had come beyond bloom, make a wish, and blow on it. It is like sending out hundreds of wishes. That...
Natural to Spiritual
by Jeffrey Smith April 22nd, 2016
2 Samuel 7:5,6: Go and say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD, "Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? "For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle."
Matthew 8:20: Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but...
Judas' kiss
by Jeffrey Smith April 20th, 2016
Luke 22:47-48: While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?
Betrayal is painful. The thing about betrayal is that it doesn't really hurt us if we don't love the person who does the betraying. Nobody cares if someone says...
Where are your accusers?
by Jeffrey Smith April 13th, 2016
Matthew 8:10-11: Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "where are your accusers? Didn't one of them condemn you?" " No Lord" she said. And Jesus said, neither do I. Go and sin no more.
Can you imagine what must have been going through that woman’s mind? She was dead to rights. She was caught in the act of adultery. She cracked God's top ten! She was drug to the temple courts where...
Mixed Up
by Jeffrey Smith April 12th, 2016
Ezekiel 44:18-19: "Linen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat. "When they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments so...
Nicodemus
by Jeffrey Smith April 6th, 2016
John 3:4- How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked. Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!
John 3:7-8- You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus was...
Easy or Hard?
by Jeffrey Smith April 5th, 2016
John 16:33- "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Matthew 11:29-30- "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
I hear it all the time. "Being a Christian is hard."...
Agreement
by Jeffrey Smith April 4th, 2016
1 John 5:7-9: For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about His Son.
Fear is an opportunistic hunter. Fear is the only trick the enemy has to get you in agreement with him. You see, we have to continually be in agreement...
Coping
by Jeffrey Smith March 30th, 2016
Acts: 3:19-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; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Coping is a man-made way of dealing with something...
Dont Struggle
by Jeffrey Smith March 29th, 2016
Hebrews 4:1-10- Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,...
Renew your mind
by Jeffrey Smith March 28th, 2016
Colossians: 3:3- For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Romans 6:4-We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 12:2- And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what...
Strong and courageous
by Jeffrey Smith March 22nd, 2016
Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go
Philippians 4:13: I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Admittedly you can find both of these scriptures on a daily calendar in just about any Christian household across American and probably most of the world. They...
Perpetual Spring
by Jeffrey Smith March 21st, 2016
Psalm 41:1-2: As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
John 14:6: Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
I'm sure, and there is no doubt that we have all seen the first signs of spring recently. We are reminded...
Wilderness
by Jeffrey Smith March 16th, 2016
Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He...