It is not uncommon for some Christians to be entirely focused on the writings in the New Testament. This makes some sense, because that is where the stories of Jesus and the early Christian church are written. However, there is knowledge and wisdom for us in the Old Testament as well.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

The prophets include those more familiar, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, but also the less familiar, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obediah, Jonah, Micah, and others. Most of the prophets were giving the people of that time messages from God, trying to get them back on course after having strayed from God’s will. There are messages in there for us today also. One of the additional benefits for us is the historical evidence for the Bible. Many of the prophecies have been the fulfilled, and modern archeology has confirmed these Bible prophecies including the first destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian captivity of the Jews, the return of the Jews, and rebuilding of the temple.

Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:19-21, “… we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

Dear Lord, We thank you for the confirming evidence of the Bible available as a result of the prophecies. Help us read them with introspection into our own lives and how we may be off the track you desire for us, and bring us back in line. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

How often we limit ourselves by believing that we cannot do something because we don’t have enough influence, enough education, enough money, enough time, etc. We don’t pursue the dreams in our hearts, or make the contributions in our communities or churches, because we think we need more of something before we can start.

I think one of the lessons of the story of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000 is the process he took to do something tremendous starting with the limited resources he had. John’s account of the story in John 6:11,12 goes, “Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God, passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate until full! “Now gather the scraps,” Jesus told his disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.” And twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers.”

The simple steps are 1) Believe 2) Start with what you have 3) Thank God for what you have and what he will do 4) Get started.

Dear Lord Help us remember these simple steps you taught us to follow. Help us remember there is no limit to your power, and therefore no limit to what you can do through us. We thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It has become pretty clear in modern times that we have much more to learn about how our brain works, how the conscious and subconscious activities affect each other, and the power our brain has on the rest of our bodies and our state of being. Our thoughts can change our emotions, and it is clear that our thoughts can affect our physical condition making us ill and healthy. It is also clear that we have the ability to control what we think about.

These concepts remind me of Paul’s words in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” One version writes it like this, “….. but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

I have recently heard it said, “Your personality is the combination of your thoughts, emotions and actions, and your personality creates your personal reality.”

Do we let circumstances decide how we will think, and thereby what person we are? or do we let God transform us into the people filled with, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” as Paul tells us the Holy Spirit gives us in Galatians 5:22-23?

Dear Lord, help us transform the way we think so we become the new people you would have us be; Living lives that bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There is a fable, you may have heard, about an American banker taking a vacation and encounters a fisherman in a small Caribbean village. The banker was impressed with fisherman’s catch, and asked how long it took to catch the fish. When the fisherman said, “not too long,” the banker asked what the fisherman did with his extra time. The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends”

As the story goes, the banker suggests that the fisherman work a little harder, save some money to get a larger boat, grow his business, move to a larger market, and eventually after 15-20 years of working hard building his business, he could sell it for lots of money. The fisherman asked what would he do then, and the banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”

I am not advocating being lazy, or providing less than our best to the marketplace, but the story makes us stop and think about our priorities.

1 Timothy 6:9-13, says, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

Dear Lord, you have provided us so many opportunities to contribute and things to experience in our lives, help us find the balance You desire for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I am sitting here reflecting on the amazing blessings that I have and continue to experience. I am blessed with an incredible wife, amazing parents, children and siblings, wonderful sister and brother in-laws, great friends, wonderful life in the USA, a church and church family that is vibrant and supportive. It is humbling, and almost challenging to find anything to complain about, and for all that I am incredibly thankful, and strive to be joyful.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul writes to the believers there, “Always be joyful, Always keep praying, No matter what happens, be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I am sure some of the folks Paul was writing to had wonderful lives, and some had problems like we do. Arguably, their problems were more dire than we can imagine in the developed world of 2021. But he tells them, and us, to be joyful. God is always there for us, and whether things are going our way, or we are struggling, God knows, and is there with us.

Dear Lord, Help us remember Pauls words, and be Joyful and Thankful. Joyful because we are saved and we know you will support us through our problems, and Thankful in for this amazing gift. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.