Month: April 2020

The Kitchen Table            Day 83

Today’s Reading:  Ps 23; Ex 2:15-25; 1 Peter 2:9-12

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.  Ps 23:1

It’s an awesome thing to be on the mind of God and in the eye of God.  His love is amazing!  Remember, you have been chosen and you have received mercy.  Moses found that to be true in his life and we do too when we don’t let the passions of this world/life lead us in a different direction.  Believers enjoy being on the mind of God and in the mercy of God.  We can live in His passion or by our passions.  So many things come as pleasure and leave as pain, but God doesn’t.  He is our good shepherd and we shall not want.  God says that and He means what He says.  Live in God’s word and He will do the rest.  You’re on His mind and in His eye.

The Kitchen Table            Day 82

Today’s Reading:  Ps 134: Ex 24:1-11; Jn 21:1-14

Come bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.

Ps 134:1

Do you know what God is saying to you and me today?  It’s “come”.  He’s calling us into His space and His grace.  We have a choice every day to “come” to Him or go somewhere else.  God said to Moses and his men, “come”.  Jesus shows up on the shore early in the morning and says to His disciples, “Come and have breakfast”.  Never forget that of all the things you might think God is saying to you or about you, the Bible tells us that He is saying “come”.  The best thing we can do today is to “come” to Jesus and bring your luggage with you; He is not afraid of our baggage.  He wants us in His presence and even though God is everywhere, He wants us to come away from all the distractions and spend time with Him.  It blesses Him when we “come” away to be with Him and let Him bless us.

The Kitchen Table            Day 81

Today’s Reading:  Ps 134; Proverbs 8:32-9:6; 1 Peter 2:1-3

For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.  Pr 28:35

We have choice in this life to live simple or to live shrewd.  The Bible never really calls us stupid, but it does what we can be simple.  A simple person walks in death.  The preacher writes this morning, “whoever finds me finds life”.  “Me” is wisdom and whoever finds “wisdom” finds favor from the Lord.  To live simple is to live from the skin or from the outside in.  To live shrewd is to live from the spirit or from the inside out.  Simple people live from the skin, doing what their senses tell them.  Shrewd people live from the spirit, from what they believe and know to be true.  The simple can’t get out of their own way, falling over their own feelings and fears.  The shrewd don’t let their feelings and fears determine their future but rather let their faith fix their focus  on the future.

The Kitchen Table            Day 80

Today’s Reading:  Ps 134; Gen 18:1-14; 1 Peter 1:22-25

Life up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord.  PS 134:2

Do something productive today and just bless the Lord.  Live in His praises by praising Him.  Give Him thanks, His love creates hope that inspires faith.  He is the God of the living, not the dead.  He calls things to life that the world calls dead and done.  He spoke life into Sarah in her old age and she gave birth like a young woman.  He gives us the imperishable seed, the seed of life that does not die, and we find new life in Jesus.  Live in life today by lifting up your hands, your voice, your heart and praising God.  Blessing God will keep us from being dead before we quit breathing. 

The Kitchen Table            Day 79

Today’s Reading:  Ps 116; Is 26:1-4; 1 Pt 1:13-16

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

This world runs best on love.  I know it does not always look that like but it does.  And it all begins with loving God who loves us.  Peter wrote, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13  Grace is the undeserved and unreserved love of God working in our lives and when we live in that love as well as live out that love, we are made holy, just like Him.  Today, live knowing God’s love and live showing God’s love.  It makes life work and the world a better place to live.

The Kitchen Table            Day 78

Today’s Reading:  Ps 116, Ps 25:1-5; 1 Pt 1:8-12

Though you do not see Him, you love Him… 1 Pt 1:8

Love operates by faith, not sight.  The Psalmist writes, “I love the Lord because He has heard my voice.” (Ps 116:1)  Love operates in our lives because of what we believe, not necessarily because of what we behold. In fact, what we behold is determined by what we believe.  What are you going to believe today? It will directly affect what you behold today.  Those that don’t believe in God’s love can’t really behold God’s love but those who do believe in God’s love can and will behold the love of God working in and through their lives and it is wonderful.  Live like you’re in love with God today because you are, and you will see His love throughout today as you live.  Just love Him, what He says, what wants and what He does and let His joy fill your heart. It’s great to be in love.

The Kitchen Table            Day 77

Today’s Reading:    Ps 114; Jonah 2:1-10; Mt 12:38-42

who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water. Psalms 114:8

Don’t spend your life looking for signs so you can believe; look for life because life is what God does.  He brings things to life through love. We say, “Show me and I will believe.”  God says, “Believe and I will show you.”  Jonah was raised from a watery grave and Jesus was raised from a permanent one. God raised life-giving water from a rock in the desert. Look for life. Look for life and you’ll find God.  Why? Because God is love and love produces life. Look for life today and if it’s not in the room, bring it by loving rather than loathing. Look for life today, not death, by loving God and others. It takes belief to love and it takes love to have life. Look for life today by loving the God you believe and now know loves you.

The Kitchen Table            Day 76

Today’s Reading:  Ps 114; Jonah 1:1-17; 1 Cor 15:19-28

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.  Psalm 114:7

The presence of God can be a powerful and scary thing.  It’s because the presence of the Lord brings things to life and believe it or not, we’re used to living among what’s dead.  God’s presence makes things and people come alive where they live and move and have their being.  In Christ shall all things be made alive (1 Cor 15:22).  If you want to hold on to life, let go of death.  Enter and enjoy the Lord’s presence and life will come.  Life is what God does.  Put dead things in the grave and let God raise them by just abiding in His presence.  It’s scary but it’s amazing what the life-giving power of God’s presence can do in me and in you.

The Kitchen Table            Day 75

Today’s Reading:  Ps 114; Jud 6:36-40; 1 Cor 15:12-20

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:20

Understand this, because He lives, we live.  We can and we will live.  Unless we believe in the resurrection, our faith is in vain.  The resurrection was the victory.  The resurrection defeated the devil.  The resurrection put the nail in the devil’s coffin.  Because He lives, we can and will live.  That’s our proof in the pudding.  Jesus rose from the grave.  Why do we praise, pray and live this way?  Jesus rose from the dead and because He lives, we can, will and shall.  Why do we pray?  Jesus lives!  Why do wesing?  Jesus lives!  Why do we live like we live?  Jesus lives!  No more questions, no more tests, Jesus is alive and that’s all we need to know.  Because He lives, we can, so let’s live today in the victory of calvary AND the grave.  We can because He did and don’t forget it.

The Kitchen Table            Day 74

Today’s Reading:    Ps 16; SOS 5:9-6:3; 1 Cor 15:1-11

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16:11

Today, choose what’s beautiful.  Really, think about it and choose what is beautiful.  Sometimes it’s not about right or wrong, it’s about what’s beautiful.  The path to life is a path of beauty.  In the reading for today bride praises the beauty of her beloved and the apostle praise the beauty of God’s grace.  The path to life is a walk of beauty in the middle of an ugly world.  Who else or what else offers us a life of beauty other than Jesus?  And sometimes it’s just about choosing what’s beautiful.  Love is beautiful, love what is beautiful, it makes this life more doable.