Tag Archives: what does the bible say about

February 25, 2025 · 5:36 AM

Being A Peacemaker

I’ve learned that there are peacemakers and there are instigators in life. Peacemakers look to resolve conflict wherever they go. Instigators incite conflict through manipulation to get people to react in a way they normally wouldn’t. Peacemakers are good listeners, while instigators talk.i can think of a number of times when things were fine until someone started talking and started getting everyone worked up. They turned on people they normally wouldn’t have. Instigators will often try to undermine the work of a peacemaker. You’re probably thinking of people right now that fit the bill for each of these. Where do you fit in? Jesus told us that the peacemakers are blessed in the Sermon on the Mount.

In Matthew 20, Jesus told the parable about a land owner who needed help bringing in the harvest. He went out and hired people at dawn to hire workers. He offered them a days wage to work. He went out at nine and did the same thing. He followed this pattern at noon and at three. Then at five o’clock he found more people needing work and offered them a days work. He then paid the last people hired first and worked his way to those who worked the longest. When they saw the people who worked the least get paid what they were promised, the instigators started working them up causing them to assume they would get more. When they didn’t, they complained to the land owner saying he cheated them. He then reminded them that they agreed to work for that price. They took their money and left. It doesn’t what their attitude was, but instigators set wrong expectations hoping to incite conflict. The land owner was wise and brought peace to a delicate situation.

Hebrews 12:14 says, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (NLT). It is often work on our part to live at peace with everyone. When we’re hurt, the easy thing is to incite people against that person or to hold a grudge. However, Biblically it is our responsibility to go to that person to make peace. Part of living a holy life is making peace where there is strife. The responsibility falls on us, not someone else. Has someone offended you? Did you go to them or someone else? It’s not easy being a peacemaker. It’s not easy to live at peace with everyone either, yet it’s what we are called to do. In a divided world, let’s do our part to bring peace rather than conflict. Let’s speak healing rather than hate. Let’s seek the best for others and stop trying to manipulate. It’s the peacemakers who are blessed.

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February 20, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Offering God Excellence

I heard the story of a carpenter who spent his whole career working for one builder. When it came time to retire, he spoke to his boss. The builder begged him to stay on for one more job. Reluctantly he accepted even though he didn’t want to. During the whole job, his heart wasn’t in it. He cut corners and did some shoddy work. When the house was finished, he called the boss to come do a final walk through. After walking through the house, the builder turned to the carpenter and handed him the keys. He told him that he had been a good worker all those years and wanted to gift him a house. The carpenter was very thankful, but all he could think about was how he was going to have to live in a house where he cut corners and did shoddy work.

In Genesis 4, we read the story of Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. Both were raised in relationship with God and knew Him. Cain became a farmer and Abel a shepherd. The Bible doesn’t tell us if they gave offerings to God often or if the offering in this chapter was the first one. Both decided to give God an offering from their work. Verses 3-4 say, “When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock” (NLT). Cain gave from his harvest, but not really his best. That’s why God rejected his offering. It was a half hearted gift while Abel brought his best.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever you do, do well.” I believe excellence is a choice. Every day we’re faced with the opportunity to give God our best or something less than that. Our offerings to God are more than our money. Paul said in Philippians 2:17 that our faithful service is an offering to God. Everything we do for God should be done from our best efforts. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it can’t be our leftovers. Look at your life and the service you’ve been offering God. Is there room for improvement? Find ways to give God excellence in your life. When you give Him your best, He honors you and blesses your life.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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February 19, 2025 · 5:40 AM

Prioritizing What Matters

John Maxwell says that if you don’t have a plan for doing what’s most important to you, you’ll spend your time reacting to what’s important to someone else. How many times have you gone to bed wondering where the day went and of all the things you still needed to get done? When we live without prioritizing the things that are important to us, the things we need to get done are sacrificed. Many times we sacrifice our quiet time with God. It starts as, “I’ll just double up tomorrow.” The next thing you know days, weeks and months go by and you’ve missed the most important thing of your day. In times like that, I have to refocus my attention on the eternal things because of the demands of the physical things. I have to put things into perspective and make my commitment to what lasts forever.

In Acts 6, the Early Church was growing by the thousands at a time. The disciples were trying to manage everything, but found themselves drowning in the administrative side of the Church. A group of non-Hebrew Jews came to them to complain that their widows weren’t receiving help. In that moment, they realized that they were spending their time on everyone else’s priorities, and were neglecting their prayer time and the preaching of the Word. They decided to delegate some priorities, like caring for widows, so they could focus on what was most important. In verse 4, they said, “But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (AMP). The solution pleased everyone there. It’s amazing what happens when we prioritize the eternal over the physical. God rewards us for diligently seeking Him first.

Psalm 5:3 says, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].” David writes in this psalm about the distractions in his life and the enemies who pursue him. He prioritizes seeking God first though. He commits to meeting with God in the morning with a heart that is prepared to pray and to listen. He’s not just trying to check off a box by reading a chapter a day. He came with a prayer prepared and with time set aside to wait on the Lord in order to hear from Him. It’s a great model for all of us. Don’t just try to get through your quiet time in order to get to your day once you’ve prioritized it. Take the time to really pray and to wait for God to respond. When we seek His kingdom first, all these other priorities will fall into place and be given to you.

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February 18, 2025 · 5:38 AM

Fighting Strategically

I grew up watching and playing sports. My favorite part about them to this day is all the strategy that goes into them in order to win. You always go into the game with a strategy to win. The greatest coaches have always been the ones who have a strategy of disrupting the other team’s strategy. They do what they can to take away their best weapons and to get them off of their game plan. The goal is to get the other side to quit playing the game the way they planned and to play into yours. There’s a lot of mind games involved too. We used to do what we could to disrupt their thinking and concentration because we knew how much it would affect their ability to score. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that as Christians, we are in a war. We also have an enemy that is strategizing against us. It’s important to know and recognize his tactics.

In 1 Samuel 17 David went to the battlefield in obedience to his father not long after being anointed the next king. When he arrived, Goliath had been forcing Israel out of their strategy for forty days and the army was paralyzed with fear. David started asking questions and his brothers tried to belittle him to disrupt his strategy and keep him on the sidelines. King Saul then tried to force him into armor that didn’t fit. That strategy would have slowed him down and caused him to fail. He rejected both and stepped onto the battlefield with his strategy. Goliath taunted him and tried to use fear and intimidation to get him to change his strategy, but David didn’t flinch. He kept the strategy God gave him and ran to Goliath. God gave him the victory over the giant because he stayed on point with what God had placed in his heart and he didn’t deviate from the strategy.

Jesus said in John 10:10 that we have an enemy that wants to steal, kill and destroy us. We can’t forget that when things start disrupting our plans and God’s calling on our life. Ephesians 6:11 reminds us, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (NLT). God’s plan for you is to wear His armor and not to get disrupted by the enemy’s strategies. You must stand firm in your faith, trust God’s plan and keep doing what He’s called you to. Don’t allow the strategies of the enemy make you feel unworthy, not enough, that you’re doing it wrong or so afraid that you quit following God’s plan. Armor up and fight back. God had given you what you need to be successful in what He’s called you to. Don’t fall for the strategies of the enemy. Instead, fight back. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” You have the power to stand against his strategies and to destroy them.

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February 12, 2025 · 5:28 AM

God Is Always There

I used to work for a cell phone company. Internally they always told us that we were a utility company and that we needed to be available at all times. When Hurricane Katrina moved into the gulf, they told me to pack a bag and be ready. I remember getting a call in the middle of the night telling me to grab my bag and head to work. It made landfall at night and we were headed to it. They said that we run to a crisis not from it. We put in twenty hour days getting communications back up. We sleep on the floor of the building we worked in to be as efficient as possible. We wanted the people of New Orleans and the gulf coast to know we were there for them in their time of crisis and that they weren’t alone.

A couple of years before that, I had gone through my own personal crisis. People that had said they would always be there for me, disappeared. When everything came crashing down, there were only a couple of people who were truly there to help me through it. Even though they checked on me and spent time with me, I was still alone at night. I couldn’t run from the pain or escape the thoughts that filled my mind. In those moments, I learned to run to God. I found that in my loneliest moments, He was there. When I didn’t feel like I could call someone in the middle of the night, I called on Him. He proved to be a very present help in my time of need.

Psalm 46:1 says, “God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble— more than enough and always available whenever I need you” (TPT). It is believed that this psalm was written during a time when Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrian army and there was no hope of anyone coming to save them. The people cried out to God and He sent the Assyrians home miraculously. He truly never leaves you and is there when there seems to be no way out or forward. He will make a way where there seems to be no way, and He will not abandon you. He will stick with you closer than a brother. He is always available when you need Him most. He had proven it throughout history and He will do it for you. Don’t despair. There is always hope because you have a place of refuge in your time of need who is more than able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than you need.

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February 11, 2025 · 5:44 AM

Victory Over Giants

I used to teach a class on the psychology of fear and how it keeps us from being productive. At one point, I introduced an activity without any warning that involves one of the greatest fears most people have. As I kept adding to it, I watched people squirm in their seats. I would stand next to them, look them in the eye and act like I was going to choose them. Before I proceeded, I would ask, “What are you feeling in your body and mind right now?” People would have sweaty palms, upset stomachs, the need to use the restroom and more. I explained that our brain wants out of the situation and will do anything to take flight. I told them that when we walk away or give into the fear, we miss out on opportunities.

In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites and Philistines were engaged on the battlefield ready to fight. Each side was encamped on a mountainside with a valley between. Before the battle started, Goliath, a giant about ten feet tall, walked out and yelled at the Israelites. He taunted them and challenged them. When the Israelites saw him, they gave into fear and ran. For forty days, they were stagnant in this routine of allowing fear to keep them from the opportunity of victory. That’s when David stepped into the camp. He heard the same giant, saw everyone panic, but had a different response. He was filled with confidence and trust in God. He stepped onto the battlefield, looked the giant in the eyes, told him God would deliver him and then ran towards him. God honored David’s faith and trust in Him and gave him the victory.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation]” (AMP). What opportunity or victory is fear holding you back from? God says, do not fear anything standing in the way of what He’s called you to. It won’t be done in your strength. He will help you, but you must step onto the battlefield, look your giant in the eye and trust God. His hand of power and victory will be upon you when you trust Him. Don’t let fear keep you on the sidelines indefinitely. Courage is being unsure of the outcome, but stepping out in faith anyway. God constantly tells us to take courage and to be strong. It’s time to quit being held back from opportunities because of fear. Trust in the Lord and slay your giant.

Photo by Анна Рыжкова (Anna Rizchkova) on Pexels.

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February 10, 2025 · 5:50 AM

Redefining Yourself

Have you ever thought about what you want to be defined by? I hear people say what they don’t want to be defined by. I’ve heard it said that you are defined by the qualities and values that you exhibit. I’ve spent time thinking about the core values I want to live by and also the qualities I want to exhibit. Some come naturally and others I have to work at. I first started thinking about these in the sixth grade when a teacher told me the proverb that says a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. I decided then that I wanted a good name. I thought about what it takes to have a good name. I’ve also found out how hard it is to keep one. As I looked at other people, I recognized qualities in them and decided I wanted those in my life. I’ve also found Biblical ones I needed to adopt.

Proverbs 3:3 says, “Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart” (AMP). I think it’s important that this verse leads with mercy. This is one that doesn’t come naturally to most of us. It’s the quality of giving forgiveness to someone who has offended or wronged you. When I think of mercy, I think of Joseph. His brothers beat him up, threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. When they came looking for grain, he was in a position to pay them back, but chose mercy instead. He understood God’s plan was to get him there to save his family rather than to pay them back.

The next one mentioned is kindness. This is a fruit of the Spirit that again isn’t natural for most of us. I think of King David when he found Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. Instead of killing off the last king’s family line, David gave him a permanent seat at his table. Truth is critical in the life of a believer as well. We need truth because Jesus is the Truth. It is also what sets people free. When our lives are marked by truth, we take freedom with us to whomever we meet. What a thing to be defined by! All three of these are powerful, and Solomon told us to bind them around our neck and write them on our heart. The neck represented our human will. He’s telling us me must override that with these. To write them on our heart makes them become part of who we are. Don’t let your past or your flesh to define you anymore. Choose these instead. It’s never too late to redefine the things that define you.

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February 7, 2025 · 5:24 AM

Living Set Apart

Early on in the Bible, God began to tell his people to set apart land, cities, items and animals. The things he told them to set apart were considered His and they were holy. In the New Testament, He told the Early Church to,set apart Barnabas and Paul. They were called to be missionaries. You and I as believers are also called to live set apart from the world. We are God’s and are expected to live lives that are holy to the Lord. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. To be set apart is to be clearly different To the point it was known what things were set apart. In Exodus God kept making a clear distinction between His people and the people of Egypt. I believe God is still calling for a clear distinction between His people and the people of the world as we are to be in the world and not of it. We are set apart for Him.

Here are some Bible verses on living set apart:

1. Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.

John 17:17 AMP

2. I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

3. And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them.

Romans 8:30 GNT

4. But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.

1 Peter 2:9 TPT

5. [I am writing] to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called to be saints (God’s people) and set apart for a sanctified life, [that is, set apart for God and His purpose]: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:7 AMP

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February 6, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Letting Go Of Trouble

Years ago my son was trying to pick up something that was too heavy for him. As he was struggling, I offered to help. He declined and kept trying. Again I offered help, but still he refused. He was determined to move it himself. Finally he asked for help. As I picked it up, he yelled his disapproval. Confused, I asked how he wanted me to help. He said he wanted to hold it, but I had to pick both of them up and carry them. He wanted me to carry the weight, but he wanted to be holding onto it.

I laughed, but I also thought, “How many times do I cry out to God with a heavy load, but want the same thing?” If you’re like me, you find yourself carrying loads that are too heavy for you. God is there wanting to help, but we want credit for carrying it. We want God to help, but we want Him to do it our way. We hold onto our troubles because we’re afraid to let them go, but God wants us to give them to Him. He wants us to release them so He can carry them.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Pile your troubles on GOD’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out” (MSG). God wants to help us with our heavy loads, but we have to be willing to let go of them if we’re going to cast them on His shoulders. Letting go is the hardest part and it’s why so many of us want Him to carry us while we’re holding on to the troubles. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Let go and let God.” Maybe it’s time we started doing that. He’s more than capable of carrying your troubles if you’ll just let them go.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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February 5, 2025 · 5:37 AM

Being Meek

My son had an assignment in his Bible class where he had to read Matthew 5:5 which says, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth” (NKJV). He then had to rely on classroom discussion about the meaning of meekness and write a paragraph on someone he has seen that fits that description. It had been since I was a kid that I learned about meekness. I could only remember that it didn’t mean weakness. Meekness is a combination of humility, gentleness, teachability, and strength under control. As he wrote out his paragraph, I started thinking about these qualities and how Jesus said the person with these is blessed. They show the work of the Spirit in someone’s life because they’re opposite of human nature.

Numbers 12:3 says, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (ESV). When God called on him to rescue his people out of Egypt, he pushed back because of his inadequacy. His humility caused him to learn to be dependent on God to fulfill his calling. When people complained and challenged his authority, he let God intervene rather than to use his authority to punish them. He constantly kept going back to God for guidance throughout the plagues and wilderness. He didn’t let his authority or position go to his head. He continued to lead, seeking God at each step, and was willing to learn from others along the way. When the Bible says he was more meek than anyone, it causes me to pay attention to his character.

Colossians 3:12 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Paul tells us to put these on as if they were garments Knowing these are against human nature. You put them on by having your mind renewed first and then by being led by the Spirit. Like Moses, you’re going to have to be humble enough to recognize your shortcomings and rely on God’s strength in your weakness. You’re going to have to be humble to recognize it is Hod who is working through you accomplishing His will. We must see others through His eyes so we have compassionate hearts and are patient with them. Which of these do you need the most help with? Ask God to help you put that quality on. Be meek enough to recognize your need for Him to make changes in your life.

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