Connecting with Christ

Connecting with Christ with Total Abandonment

To be a true follower of Christ as Lord, there must be an exclusive abandonment of everything else for Him and an exclusive loving attachmen...

New Testament Yearly Reading Plan (Connecting with Christ – Download)

New Testament Yearly Reading Plan (Connecting with Christ – Download)

The Favor of God is Life

The Christ Child comes as light shinning in the shadows, a warmth beckoning through the cold, a myriad of color dancing in the moment, a ful...

Unseen Beauty

The arctic air is bitter and bracing against the skin, causing it to respond with tautness and corresponding sharp aching pain on your face....

Far and Near

Far and Near Christ is far above all things, for all things were created by Him and through Him. God in every extent, far and wide gives bre...

Releasing the Lump into the Hands of the Potter

ottawagraphics, pixabay.com Our lives, as Followers of Christ, and Children of God, if they are given up and over to God, are being constant...

This New Day

A New Day Here, it is before you, a new day. A day unknown in its full content, as to whether it will be busy or quiet, or eventful in its d...

Ever Thankful Prayer

A prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving Ever Thankful for You, Oh Lord! Ever Thankful for You, Oh Lord! Thank you, that I dwell in the shelter o...

Joined to Christ

Every substance, thing or person is separate from the parts which make each substance, thing or person what it is and who they are. At the ...

A Living Hope

Easter brings us a living hope … “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to ...

Our Savior and Lord

In a familiar garden, He cried out, desperately, for the passing of this course before him, yet He humbly forfeited his broken will to the F...

He saw and He sees ...

And when He drew near and He saw the city, He wept over it (English Standard Bible, Luke 19:41). The accolades of honor in announcing the co...

Your Savior King Comes to You … Palm Sunday 2024

“Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Here comes your king, riding on a young donkey.” (Good News Bible Translation, John 12:15) Here is the “Goo...

Something else.

“I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a ...

Ever Thankful Prayer (Congregational Format)

Ever Thankful for You, Oh Lord! (A Psalm 91 Prayer – Congregational Version) Thank you, that we dwell in the shelter of You, God Most High a...

The Compassionate, Loving, Merciful, Redeeming, Grace Lavishing Father (The Truth of the Matter in an Old Story)

The story of the “Prodigal Son” in the Bible represents the awful rebellious, self-centered and selfish nature present in all humanity when ...

The Parable of Two Sons, Who Do Not Know Their Father

There once were two sons, who lived a life of abundance. Their father had considerable wealth. The younger son was ungrateful, rude, impatie...

Going out to Deeper Waters

4 Now when He was through speaking, He said unto Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft.”5 And Simon answering...

Weakness

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary...

This New Day

“To give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise ...

What we are, matters!

It could be said, “What we see, is not always what matters.” Appearances can be deceiving and if the truth be laid bare about human tendenci...

The only Peace, that is peace beyond the moment …

The world surrounding us clamors and longs for peace. The soul within us aches for peace in the midst of life events and disruptions, losses...

A Branch on the Vine

At the center of all that is living is the One who created and gives all there is to life. It is a gift of grace from our Creator to be give...

At the speaking of our name …

“But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own s...

The Bread Which Brings Real Life

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that ma...

What water are you drinking?

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will...

He is worthy of all praise ...

The light of the day is being folded into the dusty gray of the blanket of another night sky, dimming the world of color and life. The choru...

Humble before our God ...

Humble before our God ...

As the Color Fades Away

There is a distinctiveness to the fall ... stunning colors of every shade and hue highlight the trees and bushes in most locales. People ven...

All will worship …

It will be the greatest moment in all of creation and all of history. It will predate creation and history, for it will extend backward when...

The Indescribable Gift of Creation and The Incomprehensible Creator God

The Indescribable and The Unsearchable, Unfathomable God Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is [so vast and prof...

Someone at the door …

You are busy eating and someone starts knocking on your door.  It is not a hard rapping but yet the knocking seems intentional, as if the gu...

More than just a saving act!

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since...

The Living Hope

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope th...

Being great in the Kingdom of God?

In our society and culture, so much time and energy is spent on striving for greatness. The idea of greatness is elevated and rewarded. Grea...

Thinking what you show, matters … when what matters to you, really matters!

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship...

Do you look for the Master in the storm?

Why are we so easily immobilized in fearful situations and why do we look at the situation around us, instead of looking for the Master who ...

Seeing ...

Seeing ...

A Prayer to Our Father in Heaven

Oh, Father in Heaven, You are magnificently beyond and above all of your creation which is vastly incomprehensible in its scope and complexi...

A Diminished Recognition and Neglected Reality As the Words Become Common

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9, KJV) The prayer is short but profound. It is well-known and spoken rep...

Dear Jesus, be my Good Shepherd, now and always ...

Oh Lord, come again and be my precious Shepherd … Thank you for keeping me in your constant care. Help me to want only you and your provisio...

So thankful for the Good Shepherd

A Psalm 23 Paraphrase The Lord is the Good Shepherd of my life, He is always good! He satisfies every want before me, fulfilling all my year...

The Guard at the Gate

A guard protects and watches for danger. A guard is alert and vigilant, scanning the surroundings and hidden edges of the protected space as...

Knowing the Truth

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting...

Living and dying ...

Life on earth can be short or long. We cannot know the number of our days on this earth. The realization that life on the earth is fleeting ...

The fire that burns us from within …

“If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; for when you are an...

Meeting the Savior on our rebellious roads …

“For by grace are ye saved through faith …” (Ephesians 2:8; KJ21). For centuries … parents, poets, politicians, philosophers, teachers, prea...

What we have in Christ

What we have in Christ

Alive for Today

All persons throughout the earth are alive, if they have life in them. The life in each person alive must repeatedly breathe in oxygen for t...

No Words

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit (English Standard Version, Matthew 27:50). There are not enough words ...

Of all the things …

Then shall He answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me’ (Mat...

Connecting to Christ

Connecting to Christ

Looking Again, to See as God Sees

There is an aspect of seeing that we can miss at times, even if we have eyes to see everything around us. We can in our casualness become un...

Busy Days

The days get busy and we rush around doing many things, but what is value.

Christ is the True Light and Life

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in al...

Come to Me

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, ESV). It is one of the greatest common struggles k...

God is good!

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed fr...

More of Christ

“Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6, NASB). One of the strongest of all o...

Our Lord

“When the evening had come, they brought unto Him many who were possessed with devils, and He cast out the spirits with His word and healed ...

Possessing a Bible Means Nothing

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and ...

Realizing the blessing, mercy is to us!

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7, NLT). You and I are completely undeserving of the great mer...

The Serving Savior

To serve another person requires two essential elements. Serving someone requires your having something of value and your being able to free...

The Soil of Our Hearts

We have hope in the seeds we eagerly and expectantly plant in the garden each spring. We trust in the name, quality, and potential of those ...

The Tender Savior

A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discou...

Made Anew ...

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and ...

When we have nothing to bring to the altar.

“But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high! I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him wi...

God is the good in all things!

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:...

The Ultimate Love of Christ

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us...

Life from Death

From Death to Life The miracle of something becoming alive through death is one of the most remarkable facts in the birthing, sustaining, an...

What is faith?

What is faith? How could faith ensure the promises of God would come about in Abraham’s life? Faith is found in our acceptance of Christ as ...

Hypocrisy is Not a New Thing

An ancient and modern thing … Why is it such a common practice and such an easy thing for humans to vocalize and act one way and be hiding i...

The Gospel is Good News

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to...

Christ comes for everyone!

He comes for everyone. “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that...

Gates

Gates are interesting objects. They can be ornate or simple. They can be functional or decorative. They can be massive or flimsy. They can b...

Spirit, Breath, and Wind

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, respo...

There is only One

There is only One

The Glistening Temple

The foundation was laid with massive stones hewn from deep in the earth. The walls leading up to the sacred place were true, straight, and p...

Our Savior and Lord

In a familiar garden, he cried out, desperately, for a release from the brutal path before him, yet he humbly forfeited his submissive will ...

The Crushing in the Garden

41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from ...

Recounting of the Failure of All

As we come mid-week into the events of the Holy Week of Easter, we find a cluster of failings on the part of groups and individuals. Those e...

A Tear in His Heart and a Flow of Tears from His Eyes

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it (English Standard Bible, Luke 19:41). The human heart in this perfect and godly man ...

Our Humble King

Our Humble King On the next day many people who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of ...

The Yod

The Yod The Mighty One, God the LORD has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down … Let the heavens declare ...

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The fruit of our days … “But the Holy Spirit produces this fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,...

There is something about grace ...

Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You are no...

God is Good

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed fr...

Beware of the adulterous heart …

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the wo...

A Prayer from James

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. ...

Pure Worship is Pure Faith

Pure Worship For something to be pure, it must be free from all defilement, deceptiveness, and distortions. Religion can be pure or it can b...

Being rich or poor …

Since ancient days in most cultures, certain people have been given an elevated position and others have been disregarded. Generally, poor p...

Pure Worship

For something to be pure, it must be free from all defilement, deceptiveness and distortions. Religion can be pure or it can be false, and t...

Unchanging in a changing world.

Every day as we look around us, things change.  People change, positions change, prospects change and even our health changes.  Some changes...

At Our Side

Imagine, you are a king. At your side, stand attendants, eagerly awaiting every command and longing to address any particular need that may ...

Out of the Pit and into His Hand

Out of the Pit and into His Hand “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all ...

Being Still

“Be still (quit striving), and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10 NIV & K...

Steady My Gaze

Steady My Gaze Every second, every minute, every hour, every day, and everything yet to come, is in your hands, Oh Lord. I trust you with it...

Seeing God in All Things We really cannot see the complexities and interrelating nuances in the multitude of things happening around us and ...

A Prayer

“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have...

Connect with Christ

Connecting with Christ We are all part of humanity. Humanity coming alive from what source? Humanity, given breath and life for what purpose...

Today

Today We often wonder why! We often try to understand! We cannot make sense of the unexpected, the unreasonable, the circumstance, or the ch...

Surpassing Greatness

We can try. We can endeavor to illicit every facet of our cognitive and reasoning powers to wrap around who God is. We can let our minds del...

Connecting with Christ ... A Love Beyond Compare!

Longsuffering and liberating, overcoming and overreaching, valiant and vigilant, and extravagant and eternal are words that describe God’s l...

Giving Your All to the One Who Gave His All for You

For all that He was, He revealed in the flesh.  All that He revealed in the flesh, He redeemed in His death. He victoriously gives to all wh...

Connecting with Christ

New Connecting With Christ Devotions starting February 20, 2023