tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31689925120111556762012-02-16T05:55:28.312-06:00The Jews in Berea, it is said, "received [Paul's] word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-83710418007508425202011-11-25T17:36:00.001-06:002011-11-25T17:49:50.966-06:00

Fully Pleasing Him – Colossians 1:9-12For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-70166773939794995512011-10-06T15:14:00.000-05:002011-10-06T15:14:46.834-05:00

Walk in the Spirit – Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Over and over, the New Testament writers describe the Christian life as a walk. To be sure, we also stand—in God’s grace, on God’s promises, against our enemy—but the course of our life is never static. Whether we think about it or not, we’re always walking. We find an excellent

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-9896633367579253002011-09-28T11:18:00.000-05:002011-09-28T14:54:21.284-05:00

Manna – Exodus 16 And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” Exodus 16:15 It defied everything they had ever understood. It came with the dew and melted with the sun, yet they could successfully bake and boil it. Six days a week it would spoil overnight. On the Sabbath it stayed fresh for two days. Somehow there was always enough for everyone. It was a

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-75189939746389812352011-09-24T14:09:00.001-05:002011-09-24T14:09:30.360-05:00

Leave Your Gift - Matthew 5:23,24Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. As I read this familiar passage this morning, I noticed for the first time that the man who had approached the altar of God

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-4615032730166950712011-09-10T13:35:00.000-05:002011-09-24T14:13:47.904-05:00

Ministers of God - II Corinthians 6:4-10 “But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God.” Every now and then as I do my morning devotions, I find that my readings converge. Today was one of those days. This is what Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost for His Highest.   When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (John 1:48) "We imagine we would be all right if a big crisis

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-81849205443352657652011-05-05T12:48:00.006-05:002011-05-05T13:14:22.541-05:00

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint,

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-47049372043987344762010-10-24T17:35:00.002-05:002010-10-24T17:38:12.010-05:00

To read more of what I've written over the years, please visit my new website, http://www.bereansnotepad.com

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-56210081806288861332010-10-12T09:26:00.005-05:002010-10-18T20:44:29.634-05:00

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."Then He said to another, "Follow Me."But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-33900242492005103042010-07-15T14:08:00.005-05:002010-07-15T15:11:26.384-05:00

Solomon has finished building the temple, they have sacrificed more animals than could be counted, and God’s cloud of glory has filled His house. Now Solomon (with his unmatched wisdom, and with insight gained from ruling the kingdom for at least eleven years) has a list of very specific requests to bring before God. These represent situations which Solomon knows only God can resolve.Then Solomon

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-14185753544682237282010-05-11T20:00:00.007-05:002010-05-11T20:29:11.519-05:00

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."Love is that which binds one person to another. If love is true and complete, it will reside in our hearts, in our minds, in our words, in our choices, and in our

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-13122549302920185092010-03-01T12:03:00.002-06:002010-03-01T12:11:09.179-06:00

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.For quite a few years I had been enjoying FreeCell, one of the solitaire games on my computer. Each possible way the cards can be dealt is numbered, and I had a little scoresheet where I checked them off as I won them. Of course, I knew my propensity to get caught up in this kind of activity, so I

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-52710002064965856012009-12-13T11:33:00.007-06:002009-12-13T12:36:08.252-06:00

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? But will he not rather

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-44689596981342036362009-11-21T10:49:00.002-06:002009-11-21T10:58:34.428-06:00

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, "If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?"'"Then the priests answered and said, "No.

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-84013487101747339172009-10-28T11:32:00.003-05:002009-10-28T12:03:33.626-05:00

The Lord has anointed Me...to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.One of the most devious, and most damaging, of our enemy's strategies is the concept that we have innate rights. By that I mean we have been led to believe we

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-55531448276878590892009-09-02T18:55:00.002-05:002009-09-02T19:25:04.998-05:00

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)James, like many other Bible writers, does not speak of self-improvement. That's a human-level perspective on God's agenda. Rather, he uses these enormous, impossible

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-85039187735982637102009-08-17T22:58:00.005-05:002009-08-17T23:24:49.827-05:00

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-57754568791150471272009-07-10T18:23:00.002-05:002009-07-10T18:30:09.074-05:00

"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."Some of the hardest tests in our walk of faith are the criticisms and rejection of others. We may think we're not really affected by these, but all of us are. Particularly when the judgments come from people we admire, or from those who are our own friends and family,

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-64329268955527141262009-06-16T14:21:00.005-05:002009-06-16T15:16:06.385-05:00

"And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'" In this remarkable statement, Jesus gives us a behind-the-scenes view of how His kingdom operates. At the time Peter did not, and could not, understand what He was saying. But

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-64307280260730332712009-06-12T17:54:00.005-05:002009-06-12T20:36:22.967-05:00

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." We have a propensity, if we are honest, to read scripture mainly for someone else. But in this sobering passage in I Corinthians, Paul is addressing me, because I am someone who truly thinks that she "stands." There's nothing wrong, of course, in believing that I stand, that is, that I am in right standing with God. The danger,

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-4257934729784998742009-05-07T09:38:00.004-05:002009-05-07T09:56:32.499-05:00

"A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."Most of us in our modern world rarely deal directly with the harsh forces of wind, storm, drought and heat that nature can wield. But in Isaiah's day, people were often caught without defense against the rages of the environment. However

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-11052179498265146722009-04-16T12:29:00.005-05:002009-04-16T15:38:49.838-05:00

"And it will be said in that day: 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord, we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.' "Every now and then in Isaiah's flow of fearful prophecy, he peels back the corner of the present and gives us a glimpse of the reality that will become fully visible "in that day." Chapter 25 begins

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-12886247733181798682009-03-17T13:20:00.002-05:002009-03-18T09:10:48.940-05:00

I am always amazed by how confidently the Old Testament prophets spoke of God's sovereign work in the nations. They saw (and thus we should see as well) that all circumstances come by the hand of God. The only way to understand the distresses of our own generation, and the only way to find comfort during them, is to affirm that they are fully ordained by God. The other option, to see our

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-30060179012106393122009-03-04T22:10:00.003-06:002009-03-05T11:14:16.642-06:00

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."It's hard to imagine any Christian these days who has not sung the song "Amazing Grace." The lyrics speak of the astonishing work of grace in salvation, when we are taught to fear God's righteous wrath, and then miraculously He lifts that fear

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-46476098556607806412009-02-14T12:40:00.006-06:002009-02-16T08:10:38.582-06:00

"Christ [is] a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end."The question of eternal security (that is, whether we will make it all the way to heaven once we start out with Jesus) has been wrestled with since theological wrestling first began. Like several things in scripture, there are verses that sound like we can never

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-58690905620527217972009-02-10T12:34:00.006-06:002009-02-11T19:26:14.423-06:00

Most of us who follow Christ believe (or at least, we believe we believe) that riches do not bring happiness. Many of us also have figured out that fame can be a truly difficult blessing. But the one place where we often assume the end of the happiness rainbow can be found is in our relationships.The problem with this is not that there are not great joys to be experienced in healthy

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-73783908423728244822009-02-08T19:18:00.004-06:002009-02-11T19:30:53.096-06:00

Four very specific barriers separate man from God. Each of these barriers is part of our fallen nature, and each requires supernatural grace to overcome. In Psalms 107 we find four pictures that vividly depict these four aspects of our fallenness."They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-23394821180616406182009-02-06T10:12:00.003-06:002009-02-06T10:20:01.703-06:00

"And it shall come to pass in that day that [they] ... will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth."Let's face it. When things get really tough, we depend on whatever seems to us most solid and most real. Usually, that's ourselves. Sometimes it's an authority figure such as a parent, or an authority structure such as the government. But Isaiah is prophesying about a time when

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-82918012718474972352009-02-04T11:04:00.005-06:002009-02-11T19:35:47.685-06:00

"Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away."It is impossible to park on a river, unless I suppose it is frozen or dried up. But in the normal flow of life, life will take you with it. Which, if life were holy and good, would be a good thing. Unfortunately, life in our world is rarely good.And so we must diligently, tirelessly row our boats

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3168992512011155676.post-57369416294204842282009-01-31T17:07:00.002-06:002009-01-31T18:35:31.103-06:00

It seemed fairly random. Jesus, wearied by His long walk from Judea, sat down to rest by a well in the country of Samaria, the very well that Jacob had dug generations earlier and had bequeathed to his son Joseph. But the well was deep, and although Jesus was no doubt thirsty, He had nothing with Him with which to draw up water. Then a woman approached the well, carrying a waterpot. He asked her

Dianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808703514118116824noreply@blogger.com2