hope4par

Authority

These verses blew my mind as they put us on the same level of authorityin heaven as Jesus. God made us "only a little lower than the angels," and "gave them (us) authority over all things." He used the…

Hebrews 2:6 (NLT), Hebrews 2:7 (NLT), Hebrews 2:8 (NLT), Hebrews 2:9 (NLT), Hebrews 2:10 (NLT)

Jesus=>God

Reading Heb 1:10, how can anyone deny that Jesus and God are one and the same? Case closed!

Bow Low

I was blown away by the humbleness, faith and obedience that Jehoshaphat displayed in these verses! Even though his weakness overcame him later in life, this was definitely a shining moment for him! Here…

2 Chronicles 20:3 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 20:18 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 20:19 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 20:20 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 20:21 (NLT)

Live Wisely

Two powerful sentences that we should all pay more attention to. If we consistently did these things, Christianity would be well served, and the Good News would spread rapidly. This is just strong practical…

Colossians 4:5 (NLT), Colossians 4:6 (NLT)

No Fault Insurance

Wow! This verse just blows me away! Because of Christ, I now stand in God's presence, holy, blameless and without a single fault. It is tough for me to wrap my head around this fact knowing what I know…

Colossians 1:22 (NLT)

Mid-Life Crisis?

Sometimes I wonder if Solomon was going through a kind of mid-life crisis when he wrote Ecclesiastes. He seems disgusted with life in general, the futility of it all. I know he intermittently reaches…

Ecclesiastes 7:15 (NLT), Ecclesiastes 7:16 (NLT), Ecclesiastes 7:17 (NLT), Ecclesiastes 7:18 (NLT), Ecclesiastes 9:3 (NLT), Ecclesiastes 9:4 (NLT)

God's Plan

I think I write about this verse every year when it comes around because always blows me away. God saved me so I can accomplish the things he planned for me to accomplish BEFORE I was saved! I know, he's…

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

God's Choice

This topic remains a struggle for me. As much as Paul tries to explain, it is easy for me to reach the conclusion he warns me against. The bottom line is that God sovereignly chooses who will be saved.…

Romans 9:19 (NLT)

Real Wealth

What wealth has more value than what these verses describe? How can I want more than wisdom? Reading these verses today took me back to my younger days as a Christian when I concluded that if wisdom was…

Proverbs 2:6 (NLT), Proverbs 2:7 (NLT), Proverbs 2:8 (NLT), Proverbs 2:9 (NLT), Proverbs 2:10 (NLT), Proverbs 2:11 (NLT)

Adam vs. Jesus

The picture God paints using God and Jesus is simply remarkable. He boils down all of man's existence and God's purpose into this simple illustration: Adam's sin brought condemnation, Jesus' death brought…

Romans 5:18 (NLT), Romans 5:19 (NLT)

Rescue

As a man of faith, these words speak to me EXACTLY what I feel, and I love hearing it! It is my God who will rescue and protect me; when I call he will answer and even honor me, he is never far away;…

Psalm 91:14 (NLT), Psalm 91:15 (NLT), Psalm 91:16 (NLT)

Only One Name

Nations are no different than individuals, they can either depend on their own abilities, or they can trust God. There is no question where REAL strength comes from, but it is so hard to trust in a God…

Psalm 20:7 (NLT)

You Know Me

David's response to God is just how I always feel," Why do you bless me the way you do? You know what I am really like..." God's blessings have been fantastic in my life, I can barely believe that he…

2 Samuel 7:20 (NLT), 2 Samuel 7:21 (NLT)

Search Me, O God

I love David's transparency before God. He knows he is not a perfect man, but he still comes before Him and says, "...search me, know me and point out anything that offends you..." No wonder God called…

Psalm 139:23 (NLT), Psalm 139:24 (NLT)

Storms of Life

This is SUCH a great picture of real life! We call out to Jesus in a time of need and he miraculously responds--we are saved! But as we continue through life, we face the realities of the circumstances…

Matthew 14:28 (NLT), Matthew 14:29 (NLT), Matthew 14:30 (NLT), Matthew 14:31 (NLT)

He Came For Me

Jesus demonstrates so many times that he came for the "every" man. Not for the rich or the powerful or the educated, but for the one who knows he is a sinner and needs salvation. For me, pride is the…

Matthew 9:12 (NLT), Matthew 9:13 (NLT)

Calm In The Storm

This story always stood out as interesting to me. My initial thought is, how could Jesus be sleeping? These are not large boats and the storm was so significant that the waves were breaking into the boat!…

Matthew 8:23 (NLT), Matthew 8:24 (NLT), Matthew 8:25 (NLT)

Storms will come...

These verses just remind me that the storms of life will never stop. We live in a fallen world ruled by a crafty and evil adversary who would love to see us give up on our faith. He will never stop attacking.…

Matthew 7:24 (NLT), Matthew 7:25 (NLT), Matthew 7:26 (NLT), Matthew 7:27 (NLT)

The Lord Leads the Battle

So much of what David writes about is related to battle, as that was some of his greatest concern of the day. I often have a difficult time relating his writings to me and my every day life. But this…

Psalm 35:1 (NLT)

True Love

As I was reading this, I realized a couple of things: First, I don't have any enemies that I can think of; and second, I wonder, if I did, would I be able to truly pray for them with an honest heart?…

Matthew 5:44 (NLT), Matthew 5:45 (NLT), Matthew 5:46 (NLT), Matthew 5:47 (NLT)

Simply Obey!

"Obedience is better than sacrifice. and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." God doesn't want my stuff or my sacrifices, he wants me! I love this verse as it so simplifies my responsibility…

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)

The Guarantee

I love this picture of God's ultimate promise to us being evidenced by an "initial deposit," the Holy Spirit; that this guarantees everything God promised his people. This is nothing that can be questioned…

2 Corinthians 1:21 (NIV), 2 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV)

Advanced Studies

The way I am reading this is that there are a lot of great attributes one can have, even aspire to. But they are all only aspectsof the greatest goal of all -- Love. The sense that I get is that is all…

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV), 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

Self Discipline

This verse really stood out because everything that came before it was about what Paul was doing for others, this one talks about what he has to do for himself. The way it is written, you get the impression…

1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)

It begins...

These are the first indications of where the disobedience begins. Slowly, the Israelites begin to not completely destroy their enemies and clear the land. They inevitably begin to inter-marry, which leads…

Joshua 15:63 (NIV84), Joshua 16:10 (NIV84)