Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
1,571 episodes - English - Latest episode: 23 days ago -Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
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Episodes
Men Describing Themselves As WOMEN S8e3 James2:7
June 06, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.47 MBSend us a Text Message. Men in our passage today describe themselves as WOMEN. Exposed women. Nursing mothers. Gentle with their months-old infants. No better picture illustrates love, dedication, intimacy, immediacy, need and sacrifice. This is exactly how the men want us to know what LEADERSHIP for the new Thessalonian church is like. Leadership is like being a nursing mother to the infant church. It is tender, it is committed, and it is exhausting. What is being a leader to the churc...
Affliction Attitude S8e2 1thes1:6
June 05, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.31 MBSend us a Text Message. Other than being hunted by a Mob, Paul has a lot of good things to say about the people of Thessalonia: they are in the right place: they are loved and chosen by God Himself they have chosen the right examples: Paul, Timothy and Sivanus they have started well: believe, listening, receiving and starting to change they have the right circumstances: AFFLICTION they have the right attitude: joy they have the right reproduction: now they are examples to those around...
Remembering You Before God S8e1 1thes1:1
June 04, 2022 04:00 - 8 minutes - 5.54 MBSend us a Text Message. You are at a great place to start listening to this podcast. It is day #1 in the book of 1st Thessalonians. We are following the early church. Paul is on his second missionary journey having just visited the city of Thessalonica. Unfortunately, there was a riot there and a mob compelled his departure. But he saw that God was at work in his 3 weeks there. So, from Corinth, he first sends the young Timothy to go back the 350 miles and check on them. His return i...
Best Of The Best Of James S7e24
June 03, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.53 MBSend us a Text Message. Best of. Conclusions. Summary. Highlights. What a blast. Join me for 7 minutes of ALL of the book of James. Look for a Highlight/heartlight. Yes I made that up. Have a trial? Then James is for you. Expect it. Welcome it. He says to trial, "You complete me." What is that pesky thing between my KNOWLEDGE and my ACTION? That is, when I know something, do I actually do something about it? Sometimes, NO. What is lacking is the INTENTION. I don't have the mind set t...
Tyranny Of Spiritual Isolation S7e23 James5:14
June 02, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.39 MBSend us a Text Message. You have spiritual problems. Everybody does. You'd love to access the POWER to fix them. (The prayer of a righteous person has GREAT POWER as it is working!)That is exactly what today's passage talks about. But hold on just a second. Before we get to the power, let's see the context of its' distribution. It is administered in a particular PLACE: the church. It is administered by particular PEOPLE: a community that you are amongst. It is administered under a partic...
I Need The LORD. I Need YOU S7e22 James5:14
June 01, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBSend us a Text Message. We should have an inclination to prayer. Everybody. The sick, the suffering, the cheerful, the leaders, the followers, the sinner, the prophet, those who are out of gas, and those who have some gas in the tank. What struck me today was the sense of community that this prayer is born out of. There is a community that is engaging in the ONE ANOTHER's of scripture. There are about 60 of them in the New Testament, but two are mentioned here. Both are high, high, high c...
What KIND Of Patience Shall We Have? S7e21 Jim5:8
May 31, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.1 MBSend us a Text Message. But what KIND of patience does James call us to? A passive, weak patience? Nope. He turns to the farmer first. Farmers work hard, have spiritual-callouses, know the principle that what happens in August depends on what happens in April. They know that August is WORTH it and is precious. There is patience in every day, a lot of "not yet today" in farming. And look to the prophets. They are marked by faithfulness to the end, and suffering in the meantime. We want ...
The Day When Money Really Does Talk S7e20 James 5:4
May 30, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.05 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to a real day coming when money talks, riches rot, garments are eaten, inert metals corrode and there is flesh-eating-treasure. It the dystopian, upside-down, Alice-in-Wonderland day that all of us will actually see. It is the ARMIES-OUT day of the Lord's judgment. If your money could talk, what would it say about you? In our passage it says the temporary owner committed fraud, injustice, inconsideration, self-indulgence, mis-treasuring and murder. All m...
Should MISTS Be Making Plans? S7e19 James4:14
May 29, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.21 MBSend us a Text Message. Every person you see today is an eternal creature. But, as far as the here and now is concerned, they are MISTS. Frankly, they just may not be here in the morning. We MUST view ourselves as MISTS. It helps us with a humble posture towards God regarding TIME. So SHOULD a mist be making plans? Sure, but with a humility of vision towards time. Should a mist be planning travel and engaging in business to bring home the bacon? Yes, with an attitude of humility towa...
Hide & Seek(be FOUND) W God James 4:8 S7e18
May 28, 2022 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.61 MBSend us a Text Message. If you have every had the joy of playing "Hide and Seek" with a child, there is a point to the game: it is not TO BE HIDDEN, but rather TO BE FOUND. The joy is to be found. The joy is to find. Similarly, with God, we "draw near to God, and He will draw near to us." Or, "go find God and He'll go find us." Or, to our Hide and Seek picture, "Go find Him and He'll go find us." God wants us to find Him. He wants us to engage in the delight of drawing near to find Him....
He Will DRAW NEAR! S7e17 James4:8
May 27, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.27 MBSend us a Text Message. God could not be sweeter in our passage today. Please listen. You will hear the heart of God in His relationship to a people who are not the shiniest. Here is the prize: He gives grace and then MORE grace (especially to the humble) He will exalt (though we have no business participating in this) He opposes pride (of course He does, it gets in the way of everything spiritual and good) He draws near (this killed me today. Why does He bother? This is the bomb ...
Romancing The Stone S7e16 James4:4
May 26, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.29 MBSend us a Text Message. In a marriage relationship, both parties are to be fighting for the relationship; each giving all they've got and making the whole a priority. Violating that commitment is known as adultery. Similarly, we find that we are already "in a relationship" with God. He's already started the marriage by indwelling His Spirit. And, He says that He continues to fight for our relationship. Unfortunately, we are characterized poorly: adulterers; Violating the relationship in...
Giving PREFERENCE To Wisdom S7e15 Jim3:13
May 25, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.33 MBSend us a Text Message. James is all about wisdom. It doesn't get to us by magic. We must make a space for it. We make mental and spiritual 'room' for it. We must give preference to it. This is the meekness of wisdom. Into this same space will charge jealousy and selfish-ambition. We get to lean on either wisdom or jealousy. We give preference to wisdom or ambition. The consequences are definitive. One results in vile practice, disorder and bad behavior. The other results in pea...
What Is Your Tongue For? S7e14 James3:9
May 24, 2022 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.6 MBSend us a Text Message. Your tongue is supposed to be used to speak blessing upon the Lord (worship) and to speak blessing upon His people (encouragement). It is small part of the body, but it packs a big punch. In fact, it is the biggest punch of all. This little rudder controls a whole lot of ship. If you think about why people have crashed their ship-of-life, you can be SURE that at least a part of it has been because they have not controlled their tongue. Their tongue has been unbr...
Teachers: Double HONOR & Double JUDGMENT s7e13 james3:1
May 23, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.48 MBSend us a Text Message. Thank you for making this podcast a 7 minute part of your day. I hope you are blessed today, and that you'll come back for all the tomorrows that the Lord may give. There is an appropriate, sobering warning given that NOT MANY OF YOU SHOULD BECOME TEACHERS. But, if teaching God's Word is an honored position and profession, why the caution? We are asking teachers to do one of the hardest things in life. Can you bridle your anger? Can you put your finances under con...
In-Actioned Faith S7e12 James2:26
May 22, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.88 MBSend us a Text Message. Salvation is not the result of works, but works are the result of salvation. Salvation is not a result of work, but works are the result of faith. Salvation is not the result of works, but works accompany faith. James goes so far as to rock the 5 solas by saying: "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is DEAD. That is, it does not exist. There is no such thing. Because it is my podcast, I get to make up words. Here it is. James is calling for In-ACTIONED...
Faith Tested In Reality S7e11 James2:17
May 21, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.24 MBSend us a Text Message. Today we move from talking a good game to living a good game. Faith is expensive, inconvenient, challenging, demonstrable, external, exposing, definable, quantifiable, and we best be ready for it. Faith alone does not exist says James. He'd want to put a small footnote on the 5 solas of the reformation: By grace alone, for the glory of God alone, by Scripture alone, in Christ alone BY FAITH ALONE. That is actually not what James says. He says that faith by itse...
Showing POSITIVE Preference S7e10 James2:8
May 20, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.89 MBSend us a Text Message. James couldn't be stronger in his condemnation of treating people badly based on external factors. He uses the shabbily dressed poor as an example. It could have been dishonoring them based on country of origin, age, smoking, vaccine status, or anything else that really doesn't matter. It demonstrates a wrong view of people;a wrong view of God's activity; and even a wrong view of the character of God. He evokes the "royal law": Love your neighbor as yourself. W...
The BIG DEAL Of PARTIALITY S7e9 James2:1
May 19, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.21 MBSend us a Text Message. If you are like me, you don't even know what PARTIALITY is. James couldn't be stronger in his alarm at its presence in the church. He calls it EVIL. It is a BIG DEAL, and we don't even know it. We'd best figure this out. Partiality, at its' presentation, is a negative discrimination based on some external, superficial and ultimately STUPID factors. These could be previous religious status, zip code, country of origin, tenure in the church, age, job description o...
Starting With Your “POOPY-BUTT” S7e8 Jim1:26
May 18, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBSend us a Text Message. Listen 7 minutes as a three year old gives us our lesson. It starts with the phrase, "POOPY-BUTT". If you are three, you'll think this is a HILARIOUS term, and you will barely able to contain yourself. The use and restraint of the use of this term is an important milestone of being three. Words have POWER, especially POOPY- BUTT. Similarly, adults have the same lesson as we learn the power of the tongue. It is a mighty power that best is under control of some br...
Lessons from Nairobi traffic s7e7 james1:24
May 17, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.43 MBSend us a Text Message. Perhaps the culture of traffic cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya has something to teach us today. Nairobi is a city of 4.5 million people. Everybody is going somewhere. You'd think it would be "every man for himself" traffic-wise. Surprise. There is a posture there of cooperation, of kindness, of waving people in, of preference; in short, OF MEEKNESS. It is a wonder. Similarly, James asks us to approach God the same way. As the MIRROR of revelation shows us things...
Being In A HURRY To HEAR S7e6 Jim1:19
May 16, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.02 MBSend us a Text Message. James turns our inclinations of being slow to hear and quick to speak upside down. He wants to change the set point we all have of LISTENING vs TALKING. He wants us to move from being in a hurry to TALK(at least in our head if not with our tongue) to being in a hurry to LISTEN(at least with our ears if not with our heart). Could anything be more practical? Could anything be more difficult? Have you ever been in a verbal fight where EVERYBODY is TALKING, and everyb...
How Should I Think About God? S7e5 James1:17
May 15, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.27 MBSend us a Text Message. God tells us about Himself in the book of James. It is under this exposure, this revealing, that we should place the scope of our thinking about Him. So far on the first page, we learn that His intentions are always Good; that evil is the farthest thing from Him; that He allows trials to make us better. For today, the big one: EVERY good gift is from Him. We just must get our heads around this. We are to think of Him as the giver of every good gift. We enjoy th...
Preventing Killers From Being Conceived S7e4 Jim1:15
May 14, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.5 MBSend us a Text Message. The premise of the Terminator movies is a future battle to the death. It is so far in the future that time travel is possible. One of the sides gets a bright idea. "Let's go back into the past, and kill the guy we are fighting right now. In fact, let's prevent him from even being CONCEIVED. Let's go back and TERMINATE him when it is easier." And as such, a franchise is born... This is exactly what James tells his readers. When is the easy time to conquer evil...
You ARE being Tested. Here’s The Answer Sheet S7e3 Jim1:10
May 13, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.31 MBSend us a Text Message. At this very moment, the lowly are being tested. Right now, the rich are in a big trial. So says James as his first two examples. These are trials we could do wrong These are trials we are supposed to WELCOME: Hello trouble! God wants trials WITH EFFECT: spiritual maturity, completeness. We'll need help in these trials, so ask for WISDOM (who has enough of that?) Rightly apply this knowledge to the reality of your trial of lowliness or riches Act with faith in...
What Would You Ask DEAR ABBY? S7e2 James1:5
May 12, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.19 MBSend us a Text Message. We all have something in our lives that is difficult. These trials can produce something good in our character, but that is after we do the right thing. So how can we do the right thing without KNOWING what the right thing is and applying it? WISDOM = KNOWledge rightly applied to REALITY. That is your real trials. So what would you ask Dear Abby today? This would identify your great trial today. Then, we look at our foundations and resources to bring to bear up...
Jim, Why Should I Listen To You? S7e1 James1:2
May 11, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.45 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to a new "season" of BeWithMe, that is a new book of the Bible. It is the book of James. He is the actual brother or technically ½ brother of Jesus. To his credit, James did not let it go to waste. James is highly regarded, and in these few pages, we will see WHY. He turns out to be wise. He speaks with his heart in the right place with God, but his boots are on the ground. He leads an important local church. That is, a bunch of knuckleheads. Just like...
I’d Start With These HIGHLIGHTS S6e33 Galatians Summary
May 10, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. Here are some highlights of the book of Galatians: if the people in your church have disputes, then Galatians is the book for you God is PLEASED to reveal Himself Faith is DIRECTIONAL. Faith is important. The OBJECT of the faith is CRITICAL Paul majors on two things that are NOT TRUE: that he(Paul) has been crucified and that he(Paul) is not alive. Abraham is a good example of faith and a bad example when he takes matters into his own pants It is ESSENTIAL tha...
A New Sheriff In Town S6e32 Gal6:15
May 09, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBSend us a Text Message. Paul authorizes his final thoughts to the Galatians by emphasizing the "marks of Jesus," his scars from being stoned to death, that the Galatians gave him. Ouch. He is serving as a good example the the NEW SHERIFF in town, the NEW CREATION that we are in Christ. This new creation is a a practical creature that obeys the "new" command of Christ: Love one another as I have loved you. It is a love that serves and bears burdens and restores the fallen and carries its' ...
Weary Of Goodness S6e31 Gal6:9
May 08, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.19 MBSend us a Text Message. Do not grow weary of doing good. It is a reminder to be doing good in the first place. It calls us to be in a place were the goodness of service and love and bearing burdens is an expectation. It is a call to especially love those in your household of faith. What are my duties? Love, serve, bear burdens, do goodness. To whom are they owed? First to the household of faith. Second, to everybody. So, set your mind not to grow tired of goodness. Expose yourself t...
Be A Joy To Your Pastor S6e30 Gal6:6
May 07, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.42 MBSend us a Text Message. Are you a joy to your pastor? How would he know? If we asked him about his congregation, "who is a joy to you?" Would your name come up? We are drilling into pure practicality today. The theology is already laid out in the first 5 chapters. Now we ask the squirmy questions: Are you putting yourself on the path of service? Are you putting yourself on the path of fellowship? Are you putting yourself on the path of worship? Are you putting yourself on the path o...
How To LOVE S6e29 Gal6:2
May 06, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.19 MBSend us a Text Message. Let's get down to the brass-tacks of how to love. After trashing the old LAW for five chapters, Paul reminds the Galatian area churches of a NEW LAW, given by Jesus at the Last Passover/First Supper. It is to LOVE as HE has loved and be known by others by this. Of particular note, this love is a TESTED love. Check your work. Look over your life. See how you are bearing your load. See if you are bearing the burdens of others. See if you are putting yourself in th...
Elon Musk Is RIGHT! S6e28 Gal6:1
May 05, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.35 MBSend us a Text Message. Sometimes things blow up in Rockets and in the Church. The big question is what do you do just AFTER something blows up. Do you freak out and shut the doors? Everybody cries and goes home? Or, do you engage a process of restoration to return us to our valuable main goal? SpaceX has a terminology for Rocket EXPLOSIONS: Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies (RUDs). They have had a few. They ask the question time and time again, "Is our goal worth the trouble of the re...
2nd Most Precious Thing At Church S6e27 Gal6:1
May 04, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.31 MBSend us a Text Message. What's the second most valuable thing given away for FREE every Sunday at church? It is FELLOWSHIP. It is the protective cloak that God gives as a gift to the Church of people. We need each other. Why? Because we're a bunch of knuckleheads. Join a church, you'll see... So we mess up. Is the church to toss everybody who messes up? Nope. The church would be e-m-p-t-y. Jesus doesn't do that. We shouldn't either. It calls us to be IN FELLOWSHIP; be close eno...
Eating The ELEPHANT Of The Spirit S6e26 Gal5:23
May 03, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.09 MBSend us a Text Message. How do I get the FRUIT of the Spirit? A little at a time. Just like eating an elephant. At first, the list of Galatians 5:22-23 is absolutely overwhelming. So, perhaps let's identify ONE to work on. Or, if you are like me, perhaps someone around you has identified an acute needfulness in your character. We will look and see if goodness, patience and faithfulness characterizes our walk with the Spirit. We'll consider when I walk with the Spirit, the thing that...
WANTING The War S6e25 Gal5:22
May 02, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.27 MBSend us a Text Message. Indulge me as I "change the Bible" for a second. It may help understand the context of the rainbows and puppies verse of Gal5:22. But the fruit of the FIGHT of the Spirit is love the fruit of the FIGHT of the Spirit is joy the fruit of intense spiritual OPPOSITION is peace the fruit of the WAR is patience the fruit of the CONFLICT of the Holy Spirit with the flesh is kindness the fruit of the FRONT LINE fighting is goodness the fruit of the WAR is faithfulness...
No FRUIT Without The FIGHT S6e24 Gal5:17
May 01, 2022 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.83 MBSend us a Text Message. I had the opportunity to meet the BEST FARMER in Mozambique. She was universally recognized as such by her peers. The vote was unanimous. When I inquired as to why she had the best yielding plot in the nation, she humbly described dragging bags of manure and working the soil long before the sun came up; doing battle with every bug that desired to eat the leaves or fruit (she went through every plant and picked them off by hand all day long), etc. She did battle ev...
15 ½ Things You’ll Want To Do S6e23 Gal5:19
April 30, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.23 MBSend us a Text Message. Before faith, there are 15 ½ bad things you will want to do. After faith, there are 15 ½ bad things you will want to do. I lumped them together: Mis-(use your) Zipper; mis worship; mis-relationship; mis-contentment; and mis-conduct. As if that doesn't cover it all, Paul adds, "and other stuff like this." At the moment of conversion, God could have made these 15 ½ bad things disappear. POOF! Gone! But no, this list of 15 ½ things still exists for not-yet believers a...
My Kingdom For A HORSE! S6e22 Gal5:16
April 29, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.3 MBSend us a Text Message. "A horse! A horse! My KINGDOM for a HORSE!" So says the king in battle in Richard III by Shakespeare. We will say the same today for the SPIRIT. One difference is that King Richard did not have a horse at hand, but we HAVE the SPIRIT. We are at war. Today you will battle. At least, you SHOULD have battled. Part of this challenge is to SEE the BATTLE you are in, hopefully before it has passed by. We have a precious, valuable SUPPLY. It is the Spirit. He is S...
Spiritual Super Hero SERVERS S6e21 Gal5:13
April 28, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.28 MBSend us a Text Message. Every person in your church should be serving; doing something for someone who physically or metaphorically "poops in their pants." It is one of the essential element of the church, because it is one of the essential elements of God's character, when it is motivated by LOVE. In fact, this is how we demonstrate our belief that we do not need to "earn our way to God" by doing certain acts of the ceremonial law. Everything has changed since Jesus came. We don't nee...
Jesus Is OFFENSIVE Or He’s Not A Savior S6e21 Gal5:11
April 27, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.42 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus is OFFENSIVE. He has to be. The sin He came to erase is nasty. The holiness He is bringing us to is vast. The path to get there is one of suffering, blood, curse, and death. From our view, there is much NOT to like about this whole process: that my sin is THAT BAD. That I cannot save myself. Not by works, actions, efforts or trying. That I did not make the rules That Sacrifice is required; a life even. an innocent life no less. Animals for a long time, ...
Christ is of NO ADVANTAGE s6e20 Gal 5:2
April 26, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.21 MBSend us a Text Message. Christ either is of NO advantage or He is of GREAT advantage. The Galatians have dropped the ball. They started well. They fell into old habits of thinking. It matters. Having Jesus in our lives is supposed to be our SECRET WEAPON. Having Him near is supposed to make a difference. A good difference. An ADVANTAGE. Our thinking, our view of God is to spill out in the actions of love and service. So then, let's LEAN IN, and ACT like Jesus is an advantage by ...
Taking Matters Into Your Own Pants S6e19 Gal4:28
April 25, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.06 MBSend us a Text Message. Abraham serves as the shining good example of how we are to have faith. Abraham also serves as the shining bad example of doing it exactly wrong. The fact that God put both accounts into the Bible just amazes me. For a season, Abraham and Sarah take matters into their own hands, by taking matters into their own pants about a promised child. They sin against God and Hagar as they try to perpetuate their line outside the bounds of faith in the promises of God. They...
Become As I Am EXCEPT…s6e18 Gal4:12
April 24, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.99 MBSend us a Text Message. Could you say, "Become as I am."? That is, could you tell your young mentee to be like yourself? With a PERIOD at the end of the sentence? Paul did. We'll explore this concept by making a few exceptions. Perhaps we'd say something more like this: Become like I am EXCEPT... for the way I drive. Other people are just idiots. for my giving habits. I give some. The rest is mine. for my church going habits. Do you know how messy they are in there? for my discipl...
You Can Do Better S6e17 Gal4:17
April 23, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. Do we surround ourselves with people that only say we are terrific? The Galatians had some false-teachers that engaged in the deceit of FLATTERY. It was like they were getting a participation-trophy just for back-sliding into their old ways. "Yea! You are wonderful." Christianity is not always like that. I so admire anybody who becomes a believer and shows up to a good church each Sunday. Why? Because the Lord sometimes needs to say: "You can DO BETTER." Real Chr...
Being KNOWN By God S6e16 Gal4:9
April 22, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.44 MBSend us a Text Message. What is it like to be KNOWN BY GOD? What is it that He sees when He looks inside of us? What if it isn't perfect? How does He tolerate us? What does He see that "makes it OK?" and He doesn't smite us? His forbearance obviously tells us something about HIS Character. It is all for His glory, and lots of that is not understandable to us just at this moment. If He knows we aren't really good, WHY DOES HE STAY WITH US? I think it is because He chooses to see not our...
You Were Born For This S6e15 Gal4:6
April 21, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.29 MBSend us a Text Message. If your "birth mother" was a law that just frustrated you because of your inadequacy, to be "adopted" out of it into the family of God, you'd be pretty JAZZED by it. The new, spiritually-adopted kid CRYS OUT in joy, "ABBA, Father"! It is an intimate, personal name for God akin to our DADDY. Like the Ronco TV commercial, "But wait, there's MORE!" After fulfilling a law we couldn't fulfill; after rescuing us from something called slavery here; after adoption; after...
Waging Wretched War With Commentary S6e14 Gal3:24
April 20, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.23 MBSend us a Text Message. The purpose of the Law is to make sure you know that you have lost the war of trying to earn your way to heaven; of accomplishing your way to God. It is supposed to imprison and suck the life out of your spiritual self. All the while, there is a personal tutor, teacher, guardian who stays with you and makes soul-commentary: "I don't think you are making it on your own; You are losing this war badly; You are not doing well. You are a wretched man." So, not only do we...
Are You Sick Of Your Sin? S6e13 Gal3:22
April 19, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.48 MBSend us a Text Message. If you are sick and tired of your sin, you are in exactly the place God wants you. He sent a law, let's say the 10 commandments, to literally, "frustrate the hell out of you". That is, the perfection of God's law just tells us we aren't going to make it that way. Paul uses two fantastic pictures of what this is like. The first is of PRISON. We are jailed, and held captive by this burden. The second, my personal favorite, is of a tutor. It is a teacher who cons...
Saved By The Law S6e12 Gal3:13
April 18, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.22 MBSend us a Text Message. "The Law" definitely gets a bad rap in the sense that in the end, we are "cursed by the law." But the story doesn't stop there. Jesus rides in and perfectly accomplishes the law, becomes the perfect sacrifice and saves those of the world who have faith. So, in that sense, we are all SAVED BY THE LAW. It is just not by OUR accomplishment of the law. It is by HIS accomplishment of the law and our faith in His accomplishment. Oh, and BTW, Abraham wasn't a Jew. The...