Salty Zebra

  “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”  John 14:15 “But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.”  James 1:22  I hate to say it’s a formula, but it’s a formula. When we are anxious or worried about something, the Bible tells us to pray about it. Once we’ve prayed, we’re supposed to obey. Through those things and what God brings about, our faith will be increased. Like I said, a formula. That doesn’t mean it's up to us or we can force God into anything. It means that God has given us promises in His Word and when we obey Him, He meets us there!   When was the last time you were anxious about something? Maybe it was a presentation you had to give at work or a difficult conversation you needed to have with a loved one or wondering what yo...

“They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”   Acts 2:42 “And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.”  Hebrews 10:24-25  Fellowship is a pivotal and beautiful thing that has changed how it looks over the centuries since these verses were written. How lovely to live in a small community where we could walk to each other’s homes and the temple courts. If I were even physically capable of it, which I’m not, according to Google Maps, it would take 5 hours to walk one way to my church.  Since Covid, my relationships and engagements have changed as well. Really, it probably started when I finished homeschooling my kids. Back during my homeschooling days, we got together with other homeschooling families at le...

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”  Acts 1:8  Yesterday my husband and I had the privilege to worship at “PAINT” church. It stands for Panama International Church. We worshipped alongside people from all over the world, from nearly every populated continent. It was a little slice of heaven. Even when I didn’t understand the words of the songs that were done in a different language, the same Holy Spirit was there, drawing us all into fellowship with one another and with God Himself. The pastor gave a great message that summarized much of what I’ve been learning over the ...

  “Jesus said to him, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.””   Matthew 22:37-39 “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””  Mark 12:30-31  Love. It’s a much abused word. I love my husband and I love coffee. What does it really mean to Love God and Love Others? Of course, I am going to visit with my old friend, Webster , to see what he has to say about it: LOVE ,  verb transitive  luv. [Latin libeo, lubeo.  See Lief . The sense is probably to be prompt, free, willing, from leaning, advancing, or drawing forward.] 1.        In a...

  “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”  1 Corinthians 12:27 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”  Ephesians 1:22-23  Something that has broken my heart ever since I started walking with Jesus are denominations. I recognize that it’s important for people to be able to worship and serve alongside others in the way God intended for them, and I can see how different denominations would serve that, as we are all so very different. But why must there be such division between them?   I wonder if, for some people, seeing that someone believes differently about something than they do makes them question their own beliefs. They don’t want to consider that someone else could be right because then they would be wrong. And if they’re wrong about one thing, take communion for ...

 “and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”   2 Timothy 3:15 “So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.”  James 1:21  What was your Bible study like today? What passage did you look into? Do you even remember it? James 1:23-25 has a very interesting analogy I’d like to look deeper into today… For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out - he will be blessed in what he does.   (James 1:23-25 NET)   I have struggled with the metaphorical aspect of th...

 “The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the Lord are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.”  Psalm 19:7 “Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him.”  Proverbs 30:5   Last Time , we talked about all the proofs that make us comfortable trusting God’s Word and seeing it as the Authority in our lives. One of those things, the many copies and versions of texts that have been found, helps us also to believe in the inerrancy of God’s Word, or the fact that there are no errors in it. When we talk about this, we are referring to the original texts, or as close to it as we can get these days.   The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Until the invention of the printing press in the 1400s in Europe, the Bible was copied by hand and passed down from generation to generation. These original language texts continued to be copied and passed down even afte...

Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17  Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet's own imagination, for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.  2 Peter 1:20-21    Christians look to the Bible as the Word of God.  We trust that what it says is God speaking to us. But how do we know this is true? Let's take a look today at how we can trust the authority of God's Word.   There are two types of evidence regarding the Bible: internal and external.   Internal evidence is what the Bible says itself. In today's verses (above) we read that all scripture is God breathed.   The prophets didn't imagine it or make it up, it came from God.   ...

 Ok, friends. I know some of you are NOT snake enthusiasts, and I apologize for any discomfort that the next video brings, but the analogy was just too strong for me to pass up!   “For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality.”   1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy.”  Hebrews 10:14  This morning as I considered sanctification, that progressive growing to be more and more like Christ, I was given the image of a snake shedding it’s skin. I didn’t want to go there, snakes having the bad reputation that they do…, I even researched hermit crabs and lizards to find a suitable alternative. But, eventually, I found the video above and it was clear that this is what God was trying to teach me.   As a snake grows, it’s skin does not stretch like ours. The snake within the skin grows larger, but the skin stays the same size causing it to feel tight and constr...

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”   Romans 5:1 “yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”  Galatians 2:16   Last time I wrote about sanctification. Turns out I got a little ahead of myself because that’s tomorrow’s topic! The team that put together Firm Foundation did a fabulous job of structuring it so that the topics build on each other well. Today we look more deeply into something I alluded to last time, justification. According to the real Webster , justification is, “In theology, remission of sin and absolution from guilt and punishment; or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous, on ...