Monthly Archives: October 2021

Clay in the Hands of the Potter

In the hands of the master potter, our heavenly Father, we are shaped and formed. We start out as marred vessels–marred by our own sin, beaten up by the sins of others. Then the potter goes to work. Continue reading

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What a Blessing! (Oct 10)

He blesses them by asking God to fill them with love for each other. He has already commended them for their love, but here he prays for even more of it. “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other.” There is always need to pray for God to give us increasing and overflowing love for each other.  Continue reading

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Real Faith Means Hard Work (Oct 9)

Paul thanks God continually for the Thessalonian church. They are a church that is evidencing the supreme Christian virtues of “faith, hope and love.” Interestingly, they evidence those virtues through their work, labor and endurance. Continue reading

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Scarecrows in a Melon Patch (Oct 8)

Something within each of us cries out for the eternal. As Pascal wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in each of our hearts.” Yet many of us, instead of worshiping and serving the Creator, worship and serve created things. We, then, exchange the glory of the Almighty God for lesser gods. Continue reading

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A New Wardrobe (Oct 7)

Sometimes the old clothes just don’t fit anymore—but I don’t mean that the clothes are too small.  Sometimes we need a new wardrobe because we change positions. The young lawyer fresh out of law school usually has a major wardrobe update, for example. He could get by with Jeans and T-shirts in school, but not in the courtroom. The old way of dressing just doesn’t suit him anymore in his new position.  Continue reading

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Let Them See Your Hand (Oct 6)

he psalmist finds himself in a difficult place. He describes his situation: “I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.” Beaten up by circumstances and, especially by people—accusers, he calls them— he fasts and prays and desperately seeks the Lord (23-25). But he hasn’t given up hope. He looks to the God of hope. Continue reading

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Fully Mature in Christ (Oct 5)

Why is Paul struggling and working so hard to teach and preach and plant churches? This passage makes his motivation clear. He wants the believers to grow up in their faith and become fully mature in Christ. Continue reading

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Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding (Oct 4)

Paul is thankful and encouraged by the progress of the Colossian Christians. Yet he knows that there is much more that God wants to do in their lives. So he continues to pray for them. The prayer he prays is a powerful one; one that could become a regular part of your prayer life. Continue reading

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Unexpected Peace (Oct 3)

We all have times when we are tempted to worry. Yet, worry is counterproductive. It consumes our attention; it saps our energy and creativity; it takes away our peace, our hope, our joy. Paul suggests an alternative to worry: prayer. Continue reading

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Knowing Christ (Oct 2)

When it came to religious heritage, Paul had a lot of things going for him: He was a faithful Jew with good family connections, zealous for the law, a Pharisee who counted himself blameless. Yet, an encounter with Jesus forever altered his whole life and calling. So much so that he considered all his impressive religious credentials as loss for the sake of knowing Christ. Continue reading

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