Oct 7

  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Why should you imitate God?
    Wow, this verse just kind of jumped out today. Why imitate God? Because you are his child. And not just any child - His dear child. A child that is precious to him. Oh, and we're urged to imitate God in EVERYTHING we do. Why? Because we're His son or His daughter. If we keep in mind that the believer is not just named a child a God but is RECEIVED as His DEAR child then it liberates us to be as our FATHER is. We don't do GOD things because we should - we do GOD things b… Read more »

Jun 5

  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution The power of blessing/curse (gen 9:25-26)
    What Noah blessed and cursed here (shem and caanan) came true thousands of years later when Joshua led the Israelites (descendants of Shem) into victory in the promised land - Canaan (descendants of Ham). There is power in the blessing and in the curse - choose your words carefully. Read more »

May 29

  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution The power of Grace Prayer (acts 7:60)
    "Lord do not hold this sin against them" - this was the prayer of Stephen as he was stoned to death. Notice in the previous verse it was mentioned that the wintesses (participants in the stoning) laid their cloaks a the feet of a young man named Saul (vs 58). The same Saul who on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians would be visited by Jesus Christ and through this miraculous intervention and transformation called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. So, Stephen's prayer… Read more »

May 27

  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Perfection (matthew 5:48)
    Be perfect? After sharing all the things that apply to those who would be righteous - Jesus emphasizes the thrust of what He is saying - that basically if you would be righteous then you must be perfect - as the Father is perfect. Ouch. The thing is that it is IMPOSSIBLE for man to be perfect with the corruption of sin. That's the point - if we can't measure up to this standard that how are we going to be able to know God? The answer is calvary. Jesus IS perfect, and it's H… Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Doing good (Matthew 5:16)
    There is a definite connection between "letting your light shine" and good deeds. Being a city on a Hill in the world doesn't just mean you are holy and that you sing praise songs, and go to church. It means that your faith is active in what you do. I love this verse, letting your light shine = doing good deeds which results in our Heavenly Father being praised. Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution God took him away (Genesis 5:24)
    Such a short verse, yet a powerful account. The bridge between an ancestor who lived 962 years and a descendant who lived 969 years is Enoch who lived *only* 365 years. By all comparisons, his life was very short relative to his contemporaries. Yet in his "short" life the distinguishing feature is that he "walked with God" and is one of the select few in the Bible who's body wasn't buried. "He was no more, because God took him away". What a testimony! Read more »

May 25

May 24

May 23

  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution No Shame
    One of the greatest blessings man enjoyed before the fall was *no shame*. Think about it...there was no *reason* to be ashamed and Adam and Eve could approach each other and God without that secret "something" to be shamed about. Contrast this verse with what happened after they sinned. Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Not just a rest day
    The sabbath day is not only a "rest" day but is also a "holy" day. A "set apart" day. Read more »

May 21

  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Constant Prayer
    I wonder what "constantly in prayer" together looked like? - meeting together in the street and praying together? - praying throughout the day as they went about their tasks? - meeting regularly throughout the day to pray together? Here's the thing that stands out for me. It wasn't just that they prayed - but they prayed TOGETHER. This was no solitude activity. Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Enlarging the Task
    When Jesus talked about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit the disciples were hoping that this would bring power to overcome the Roman "occupation" of Israel and restore Israel to her former glory. Jesus corrected them. God didn't only have in mind the restoration of Israel but the redemption of the entire world. It was this "kingdom" thinking that Jesus emphasized over and over. However, notice that Jesus didn't say that Israel would not be restored - he just enlar… Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution Conversations
    Would I ever liked to have been in on those conversations! The phrase, "...giving instructions through the Holy Spirit..." - interesting that the very one Jesus promised they would be baptized in is the very one through whom Jesus is teaching these things. It's like Jesus has been introducing them to the Holy Spirit in preparation for their Baptism. Notice also that the topic of discussion was the kingdom of God - no doubt, it was these very discussions that formed the foundati… Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution "mockers"
    How easy is it to find yourself "in the seat of mockers" when it seems some days that today's media industry is built up on the foundation of mocking what is going on? Read more »
  • nerrad
    nerrad added a text contribution "It was very good"
    Notice how each creative event, God looks at what He's made and states the goodness of his creation. If a snapshot were taken of a location back then and compared with a similar snapshot now I wonder what things would stand out? (might make a good interpretive painting...) Read more »