Includes...
Here is today's communion meditation.
My youngest daughter's favorite Bible story is about Jesus' walking on the water. She likes me to tell the story over and over of how Peter starts walking on the water to Jesus, but when he became fearful of the storm he began to sink. As he is sinking, Peter cries out to Jesus and Jesus stretches out his hand to pull him up.
But then I always ask my daughter the question... How did they get back to the boat?
Did Peter swim while Jesus walked?
Did Jesus give Peter a piggyback ride or carry him back?
Did Jesus hold onto Peter's hand and drag him through the water back to the boat?
When I ask my daughter how they went back to the boat, she always says they walked with Jesus holding his hand. I don't know if this is true but it seems like the most logical answer. As long as Peter was holding onto Jesus, he could walk on the water back to the boat.
In today's communion we are asking God how they got back...
Here is today's communion meditation.
The other day I didn't have my normal Bible, so I was reading some passages in the King James Version, which I don't normally use. Sometimes reading different versions of the Bible can help us see things in a different light. As I was reading 2 Corinthians 10:14 stood out which says, "For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ."
Some versions of this say we don't overextend ourselves beyond our measure. Learning to not overextend ourselves beyond what we can do applies to just about every area of our lives.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us understand the importance of not stretching ourselves beyond our measure and to walk in this consistently.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Fitness is one of the best ways to practice not overextending ourselves. I have found that when we humble...
Here is today's communion meditation.
Lately I have been thinking about the words of Jesus in Revelation 2:26-28...
And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. 27 He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery— just as I have received authority from My Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.…
The phrase "rule with an iron scepter," keeps coming to mind lately. What does it mean to rule with an iron scepter? I think that it means we will enforce the standard of Jesus... which is to love God and love one another. We will enforce the standard of love and giving others grace just like God gave to us.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us understand the phrase ,"rule with an iron scepter," and how it applies to our lives.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Keep being consistent, stay in rhythm, and find joy in the process.
I am...
Here is today's communion meditation.
This year our message is " God Saved the Best Until Now," and part of walking in God's best is simplicity. Something I have observed is that grace simplifies. Law complicates but grace simplifies. Think about all of the rules and laws in the Old Testament, and grace simplified it all. In a similar way when we give other people the same grace God has given us it greatly simplifies life, but when we retaliate or try to solve things ourselves it greatly complicates things.
For us to function in simplicity means we must understand God's grace and walk in it, because otherwise we will overly complicate things and make a mess.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us understand his grace and how it simplifies. And we are asking him to help us walk in the simplicity that comes from grace.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Grace also simplifies our workouts. When we learn to rest and allow God to do the work...
Here is today's communion meditation.
In Luke 5 after Peter had fished all night and caught nothing Jesus tells him to launch out into the deep and let down his nets. After letting down his nets he catches such a large number of fish that his nets began to tear. Lately this phrase "launch out into the deep," keeps coming to mind. This year our message is God Saved the Best Until Now and I think launching out into the deep may be a part of walking in God's best.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us understand what launching out into the deep means for us and to help us apply what we learn.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
One way to easily add variety to our workouts is occasionally changing little factors like how the weight is held, hand position, foot position, etc. For example, a squat can be done with a wide stance, narrow stance, slower tempo, one dumbbell held in front of the body, 2 dumbbells held on the shoulders, or a...
Here is this week's Yearly Cycle update.
This year our message is "God Saved the Best Until Now," and we are in a time of the year when it is important to have clarity and develop a more efficient strategy. A few years ago, one of my gym clients was a scientist who had done a lot of work with liquid crystals. When you think of liquid crystals, think of LCD displays on a phone or TV screen. These crystals have some amazing properties that allow us to see clear pictures on the screen.
What I have learned is that our bodies, as well as all organizations or communities, are actually forms of liquid crystals. Regular crystals are rocks that have a fixed order, but liquid crystals are a combination of liquid and solid that have the ability to adapt and create order.
When the crystals are ordered, they create a clear picture. When they are disordered, they become cloudy and do not produce a clear picture. We all need...
Here is today's communion meditation.
The other day my daughter and I were reading Matthew 9 and the phrase "The Lord of the Harvest," really stood out to me. Over the last several months we have talked about the names of God. He has a lot of names and another one of his names it the Lord of the Harvest.
Here is Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that he is the Lord of the Harvest. And as Jesus said to do we are asking him to send workers into his harvest...
Here is today's communion meditation.
Every once in a while, when I have a busy day, I like to a simple communion meditation where I remember God is with me and he is more than enough. In Matthew 16 Jesus had just multiplied the fish and loaves for the multitudes and then he and the disciples got into the boat. After getting into the boat the disciples were complaining that they didn't have enough bread. Then Jesus looked at them and said... Don't you understand? Don't you remember when I multiplied the fish and loaves?
Immediately after seeing Jesus multiply the fish and loaves, they forgot that Jesus could do the same for them.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude and remembrance that God is with us, and he is more than enough. I like to repeat this communion whenever I have busy days that seem like more than I can handle.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
On the days when we don't feel like working out we can remember that God is with...
Here is today's communion meditation.
This year our filter is "God Saved the Best Until Now," and this week our filter is "A More Efficient Way."
Recently we talked about simplicity, but I think to have simplicity in our lives we must have wisdom from above. James 3:13-18 tells us there are 2 kinds of wisdom... wisdom from above and the wisdom of this world.
Here is James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,...
Here is today's communion meditation.
This year our filter is "God Saved the Best Until Now," and this week our filter is "A More Efficient Way."
Yesterday we talked about simplicity, but I think to have simplicity in our lives we must have wisdom from above. There are two kinds of wisdom... the wisdom of this world and wisdom from above. The wisdom of this world sounds good, but it is not true wisdom. It is overly complicated and overloads people with burdens that are too heavy.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 says "Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” "
In today's communion we are asking God to help us learn to discern between the wisdom of this...
Sign up to receive Yearly Cycle Updates delivered to your inbox.