Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Our Mediator

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Do you know what a mediator does? What is his/her responsibility? What they do is to get between parties who disagree and help them to reconcile differences. That is the dictionary definition. Did you know that Jesus is our mediator? He stands between us and God and reconciles sinful man to our holy God.

Arbiter is a synonym of mediator. Have you ever seen this verse in light of the appearing of Jesus? Job was being assailed by one calamity after another and he recognizes God’s sovereignty. He also acknowledges that he needs a mediator…way back in the Old Testament. Some say Job was written before Abraham and after Noah. I don’t know about that, but I do know it was long before Jesus came and Job noticed that he needed a mediator between him and God. So do we all. That’s why God, in His sovereignty and wisdom sent Jesus.

One mediator…Jesus Christ! He is before the Father always and He always defends us once we know Him as Savior. He is the mediator that Job pointed to (with or without prescient knowledge, I don’t know). What I am thankful for is that there is so much in the Old Testament that points to Jesus in the New Testament. The two parts of the Bible all tell one story, of God’s plan. Aren’t you glad that you are part of it?

Fruit for Others

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

If you are like me and get frustrated sometimes about the spiritual growth in your life that you don’t think is coming fast enough, maybe it’s because you have fruit and you aren’t distributing it. I could do a checklist of the fruit of the spirit and say to myself that I feel that I have those qualities internally. But they are not meant to nourish me; the purpose of the fruit of the Spirit is to nourish others, both those inside and outside of our Christian community. It’s great that I am patient with myself and give myself the time to do what I want to get done. But what about when I am waiting for my husband, the Christian closest to me, to accomplish something. At times, I feel like I am patting my foot on the ground and looking at my watch every few seconds waiting for him to “get with the program.” To me, that is evidence that I am not where I am supposed to be. The good news, though, is that since I am aware of my shortcomings and what I am supposed to do with the fruit that God’s Spirit is producing in me, I think I will be more likely to nourish others the way I am supposed to. Christianity is not an overnight change just as fruit does not grow the day after you plant the apple tree. It is a process, and I am thankful that God is still working on me to get my fruit up to par and ready to feed others who need that kindness, gentleness, joy and all of the other fruits. And it’s not one fruit at a time that we are growing but rather all of them so that we can call them up as needed when we are ministering to others or just being a witness to them of Christlike behavior. I want more fruit, don’t you?

The Fruit the Spirit Produces

Paul, the author of the letter of Galatians, spends a large part of his letter explaining what it means to live by the Spirit of God. He describes what it looks like for Christians to live according to the Spirit, and also what it looks like to live apart from the Spirit.

One of the key distinctions for those who live according to the Spirit of God is that they produce certain external qualities. Paul calls these the fruit of the Spirit.

Just like an apple tree produces apples and a vineyard produces grapes, so we as Christians are also meant to produce certain things in our life.

Paul lists nine character qualities that should be evident in someone’s life if they’re walking according to God’s ways. They are:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control

Just like the fruit of a tree isn’t meant for the tree itself, but for others, so also the fruit of the Spirit in a Christian’s life is not meant for themselves, but for others. We are to love one another, take joy in one another, have peace with one another, and be kind to one another.

The fruit of the Spirit is meant to be grown and harvested within Christian community rather than in isolation. We were created for a relationship with God and others.

Take a look at the list of fruit the Spirit produces in a Christian’s life. Be honest and ask yourself: Which fruit am I producing? Which fruit am I not producing, and why am I not producing it? Take note of a few small steps you can take to grow closer to God in those areas of your life and produce more fruit.

A Pure Heart

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

The Levites were the closest people to God of all the Israelites because they ministered before Him. But they had to purify themselves repeatedly. I am not a scholar of Levitical law and practices, but I know that Aaron had to be purified before he first went into the tabernacle. I remember reading that those who were near dead bodies had to be purified and stay away from ministering for a certain amount of time. There were all kinds of laws about purification and offerings that the people made to achieve this goal.

The good news for us is that Jesus paid the price once and for all for us to be purified forever. Our sins were washed away and we are in right standing before God just because of Jesus’s sacrifice. No rituals, no animal sacrifices, just confession, repentance and maintaining that pure heart before the Lord by coming before Him regularly and telling Him where we have failed and need help. I am in awe of God’s plan. What started as so many laws and rituals ended in the cross and therein lies the pure heart that we all want to have before God. Jesus’s death was not an easy one and our daily walk may be filled with uphill battles against our own human nature to sin. But each day, we need to crucify our worldly desires and continue to make the choices to keep our hearts pure. Some days and some choices are harder than others. But it will be worth it…we have the promise to see God!

Is Your Heart Pure?

What do you think about when you hear the word pure?

Do you picture a tall glass of crystal clear water? A freshly washed load of white sheets? Or maybe someone who’s morally wholesome and good?

In the sixth of the beatitudes—a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom—Jesus said this:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8 NIV

The word “pure” means clean or blameless, free from corruption or contamination, purified by fire, or unstained by guilt. None of us can truly be pure on our own—despite our best efforts.

Before Jesus showed up, the highest ranking Levitical priests were charged with ministering and mediating in the holiest spaces (inside the tabernacle in the wilderness and, later, the temple in Jerusalem)—where God’s presence dwelled on earth. But even they had to be purified over and over again.

Now, because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross, He has paved the way for us. His blood covered our sins, and when we accept the sacrifice, He makes us pure. Now and forever, we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God,” where we can find mercy and grace when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16). Now, our bodies are the modern-day temples where God’s Spirit has chosen to dwell.

Being pure of heart is not about being perfect, but trusting in Jesus to purify our souls.

As Isaiah once prophesied…

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you been made pure by trusting in Jesus? Today can be your day. By believing in Him and trusting in Him, you become a new creation, pure and blameless through faith. He paid the price for you to be made pure. Do you receive it?

Daily Routines and God

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Do you have a daily routine? Just about everyone does. You get up at about the same time every day, drink your coffee (or beverage of choice), eat breakfast, take a shower, get dressed and if you aren’t retired as I am, you go to work. What’s missing? Oh, yeah! God!

God does not want to just be part of your daily routine, the devotional you set aside time for every morning or the Bible reading and prayers that you offer to Him. He wants to be the center of everything you do, including your daily routine. I have my devotional each morning because that is part of my routine. But I hope that I don’t leave God behind in my den when I start my errands and get busy doing other things. I take Him with me…He is in my heart, guiding my choices and my activities, if I will let Him.

It’s more important than ever in today’s world to guard your heart. In Biblical times, the people were not assailed by technology and all of the images on screens of all kinds that are meant to tempt us away from a relationship with God. Don’t get me wrong. Technology has its place in a Christian life, but it shouldn’t be in the center of our lives, in the place that God should be occupying. And when we are using technology, we need to ask ourselves if what we are seeing or reading is for the glory of God or just to make us feel good. If Jesus were looking over your shoulder (note that as God, He is always there), what would He see and hear? Does our daily routine make it clear that the Holy Spirit resides inside us, so the ungodly things have no importance to us?

I am working on guarding my heart. It is a struggle daily because of all of the little darts being thrown every time I pick up my phone to check a message or go on Facebook to answer a question from a friend. There is a reason Satan is called the prince of the power of the air, and being aware of that helps me be more aware of what I am allowing into my heart and mind. The GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) principle is not just for technology. It also works the same way for us humans. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” but what we do with God’s great creation (our minds and bodies) is our choice. Knowing that the course of my life and my relationship with God is affected by what I consume mentally, then I plan to be more consistently careful about my choices. I want God to know that He is welcome to be the center of my daily routine and to live like He is right there all the time, because He is, if I invite Him to be and make Him welcome.

Where Are You?

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

In my devotional today, I discovered something that has been in the Bible the whole time, but somehow I overlooked it.

God’s first command to man was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Doing so would result in a consequence of death. That is pretty straightforward, isn’t it?

God’s Mercy

After Eve and Adam were tempted by the serpent, they sinned. When they heard God in the garden that evening, they hid. They didn’t seek out God; rather, He sought them. God is still seeking sinners today. And when He found them, He did not immediately strike them dead as those who are paying attention to what God said earlier would expect. Rather, God showed them mercy. From the very first sin, God reacted with mercy. Yes, there were consequences: hard work for Adam, pain in childbirth for Eve and the ultimate consequence was that both would die someday. But not right away! God was establishing His authority and His loving discipline from the beginning. He is still showing mercy, sovereignty and discipline. Why? Because, just as He loved Adam and Eve, He loves us.

The other thing that I had thought about previously, but it was like a fleeting thought was that this banishment from the garden and the plan for salvation in Genesis 3:15 was not Plan B. God knew what would happen when He told man not to eat of that fruit and He already had a plan in place. Repentance and salvation were always Plan A. That is hard for me to wrap my mind around because I wanted God to stop them before they sinned. That’s not how life works. The temptation is there before us and we have to choose to walk away from it. When we choose to sin (when, not if), then God has a plan to restore us to right relationship with Him. Confess and repent. God looks for us, finds us and desires to restore us.

If you are looking for a good Bible study, I suggest the one I just started with the ladies of my church. It is online and easy to read and understand. It’s on the YouVersion and is called THE BIBLE RECAP. I just completed my first day of the study and what I wrote above is a summary of what I put in my journal this morning. God showed mercy from the beginning. God sought sinful man from the beginning. God is still working on His Plan A. And we are part of that plan. Amazing insights for me…maybe you already knew all this and you are yawning right now. But since I have read through the Bible at least a dozen times, I am in awe that every time I open it, I can learn something new about God, His character and His plan.

May God bless you to have the best day ever! Be blessed to be a blessing.

Meaningless Life

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

Solomon likely wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes and he is considered by many to be one of the wisest men who ever lived. Yet he wrote a book that for twelve chapters expounds on how meaningless life is. I think he derailed his own life by marrying so many foreign women who did not worship the One True God who gave him the gift of wisdom to begin with. I don’t know for a fact, but I think that he left the train station fully intending to follow the track all the way home to God and got derailed by his own lust. He did point out wisely that he concluded one needs to fear God and keep His commandments. Well, that is truth for sure! We cannot keep God’s commandments without a relationship with Him because I think it is His Spirit in us that enables us daily to fight the spiritual battles against all of the darkness in the world around us. I don’t know what happened to Solomon after his death or what his relationship with God was like after he married so many women and built altars to their gods. I do know that he was wise in exhorting us to fear the Lord and to keep His commandments. Without God, life is meaningless. With God, life has purpose because God has a plan for us that He wants to fulfill in our lives. We have to stay on the track and keep chugging along through all of the challenges in life in order to reach our eternal destination that God has prepared for us. Life isn’t meaningless unless we choose the wrong path and go in the wrong direction, away from God and His best for us. Choose God and choose His plan! That is wisdom.

What’s the Point?

There once lived a king whose experience exploring and grappling with life’s perplexities was recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes.

What’s interesting is that this king—likely King Solomon—reigned in Israel during some of the best years in its history. From the world’s standards, he had more power, prestige, and wealth than any other person before him. Yet, still, he summarized his luxuries with one depressing word: Meaningless!

“Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) “Everything is wearisome beyond description.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8) “Nothing under the sun is truly new.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) “I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

Though written thousands of years ago, this bleak analysis still resonates with our own restless yearning for more. We want more than meaningless stuff. We want more than surface-level connections and ambitions. We want more than a seemingly thriving, yet secretly unsatisfied life. We want more—but what we want doesn’t typically satisfy us.

Like the author of Ecclesiastes, we might find ourselves asking: “What is the point of life?”

By the end of the book, “the Teacher” has tried to find meaning in everything under the sun, and he concludes his reflections with these powerful words…

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV

We can chase after everything this world has to offer and it might bring temporary pleasure. But in the end, pursuing those things apart from God will always leave us empty.

The great news is, there’s a God in heaven who created and loves us, and He understands what we really need. He knows that life is best when we follow His design for life. He is worthy of our awe, our honor, and our worship.

So, fear God and keep His commandments. Love Him with everything in you and love your neighbor as yourself. That is the point. Only then will life no longer be meaningless.

Do Good To Someone

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I find this verse a bit challenging. First of all, that word “whenever.” We won’t know when that is if we are not looking for the opportunities to help others that are right in front of us. I think I am personally so focused on what I am doing or need to do that I don’t look around me and see those opportunities that are right there for me to see if I would just open my eyes.

The other word that seems to be a challenge to me is “everyone.” I don’t think I have the ability to do good to everyone, but I do know that if each of us chooses SOMEONE every day to do good for, then that will make a big impact on the everyone we are supposed to be doing good for.

My conclusion in my meditation on this verse is that God never asks us to do something for which He does not equip us and which He knows we could never do. He has a plan, and I think His plan is for us to be more aware of the needs of others and to do as much good as we can to as many as we can. For non-believers, we can perhaps open the door to share with them the love of Christ. For believers, our family members, we can help them along the road to eternity that sometimes gets to be difficult. After all, I am sure someone has helped you at some time, with a smile or a word of encouragement that kept you going during a hard day. God’s plan is not for us to be focused inward, but to focus outward, so that the good we do will reach everyone, in some way.

What do you think about this verse? Does it challenge you or inspire you? When I first read it, I felt challenged and that perhaps God was setting me up to fail. But since I know He doesn’t do that, I meditated, prayed and decided to be inspired by His Word. I’m going to look around today and find someone to do good for. How about you?

Take Up Your Cross

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

I have often wondered what my cross is that the Lord wants me to take up. I have come to the conclusion that it is whatever He asks me to do, I should do it, without hesitation or question. I need to be obedient to Him and His Word, not follow my own desires. We live in a very selfish world, one in which people all seem to be trying to get to the top by climbing over other people. The temptation to “join the crowd” is always present, but we are called to rise above those temptations and take up the cross of self-sacrifice, to put others above ourselves and to love even those we think are unlovable. Jesus wants us to point others to Him, and there is no better way to do that than to be different from the selfish multitudes who are constantly demanding their own way. The cost may seem high at times, but isn’t eternity with God worth it?

The Price of Following Jesus

We know from Scripture that salvation is a free gift that Jesus gives us when we believe in Him. But just because our salvation is free—that doesn’t mean the rest of our lives with Jesus will cost us nothing as well.

Jesus says that following Him will cost us everything. This doesn’t mean that we have to earn our salvation or work for acceptance, but it does mean that following Jesus requires everything that we have.

When we become disciples of Jesus, we follow in His footsteps. We let Jesus teach and guide us. If we are serious about this, then our lives will become patterned after His life. This means that just as Jesus took up a cross and gave up everything He had, by following Jesus we must also do the same.

So what does it mean to take up a cross and follow Jesus? It means that we should be ready to give up everything for the sake of Jesus. It means denying ourselves by surrendering our own desires and plans for God’s desires and plans. Rather than focusing on ourselves, we center our lives around God’s mission in the world: loving Him and loving others as we make disciples. 

Taking up one’s cross isn’t easy, but there is nothing in this life that is better than following Jesus. While immediate pleasure often feels more desirable in the moment, it quickly fades and leaves us searching for more. No possession or position can lead to true satisfaction in life—that is found only in Jesus.

Take a moment to think about your life. Are there things that you’re holding onto that you would be hesitant to surrender to Jesus? Are there relationships that serve your own desires rather than God’s? Commit to following Jesus regardless of how difficult or challenging life might become. The cross, while painful, is temporary—abundant life with Jesus is eternal.

Believe Your Beliefs

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/1201/day/37

It doesn’t do a lot of good to just say you trust God and then doubt that He is taking care of all of the situations that come up in your life. It is easy to fall into the trap of doubting and then getting attacked by Satan’s fiery darts because the doubt left the door open. Keeping on the shield of faith is essential to Christian living. Every time I think of the possibility of a certain candidate being elected and the havoc that will create, I cringe and start to doubt. Then, I stop myself and tell myself that no matter who is in the Oval Office, God is still on His throne. Doubts are alive and well…but so is faith. Which will you choose?

Don’t Be Shoeless

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/1201/day/36

Peace comes from within, from knowing that no matter who or what is coming against you, God is for you. I just cannot understand people who hold grudges, seemingly forever. They don’t understand the harm that their grudge is doing to them, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Jesus was never bitter. He didn’t come back from the grave and tell His followers, “Now, let’s go show those Romans and Pharisees who’s boss!” No, He just peacefully showed Himself to those who believed in Him and left them last words of wisdom and encouragement and their marching orders to go. If anyone had the right to be bitter (no one does), then it was Jesus. If anyone had the ability to avenge Himself, the Lord certainly could have. But that was not His purpose. His goal had been reached and He continued to keep His eyes on His Father and follow His Word. If we put on the shoes of peace, then we are able to follow in His footsteps, closer to Him than we may ever realize.