Walking with the Way

As we finished Acts we read, "The brothers and sisters there (Rome) had heard we were coming, and they traveled as fas as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.  At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged." (28:15)

The believers that went to see Paul were most likely the ones who received and read the letter we are starting today.  Paul hadn't traveled to Rome yet, so these people only knew Paul through this letter.  He wrote to them at least two years earlier when he was in Corinth, getting ready to leave for Jerusalem. So, these Christians traveled a long way to see someone they grew to admire, through a letter, received over two years earlier!

I wonder if I would have traveled to see Paul?  I guess I would have if the letter was life changing.  Boy, these thoughts are getting me excited to see what the letter says....let's get started!!....

So, I just finished the first two chapters.  It's hard to start a letter and then s…

It's my nature to think of my self first.  😝If I was Paul caught in that storm while heading to Rome, I would naturally be saying, "God, why are you doing this to me?  I have been loyal to you! I've been in prison for 2 years already!  I can't take anymore!  Give me a break!"

Well, hindsight is always 20/20, right?  Luke would have been an encouraging friend when Paul finds himself under house arrest in Rome.  I can imagine Luke with his scrolls reviewing with Paul what he wrote; getting to see the bigger picture that went beyond enduring the storm.

Luke:  I recorded that there were 276 people on board the ship we took to get here.

Paul:  Look what God did!  I can see now that if that storm didn't happen, I would not have had the opportunity to stand in front of all of them and tell them about God. (27:23)

Luke:  I also recorded that it was three months that we were on Malta.  That time went fast!

Paul:  Looking back, I can see that was a loving thing God …

I am sure you have heard the argument that the story of Jesus was made up by one brilliant men, Paul.  Well, if that were true, would that brilliant man be willing to sit in jail for 2 years in one stretch and two more years in another stretch....for a made up story?....I highly doubt it!!

If you noticed, Paul's story doesn't change over time.  The encounter he had with Jesus was life changing and unforgettable!  He recounts his testimony to King Agrippa exactly how he told the story to the crowd in Jerusalem two years prior.  (It's easy to forget that it was two years since we read the story in one chapter.)  When one has a real encounter with Jesus, the story doesn't change!

I am so thankful that God used Luke to record the facts for Theophilus (so that he could know the certainty of the things he had been taught-Luke 1:4).  While reading Acts, I have noticed that Luke first recounts his research and interviews with those who saw things first hand, and then shifts t…

One of the accusations the Jews had against Paul was, "This is the man who teaches everyone, everywhere against our people and our law and this place (Acts 22:28).  Well, nothing could have been farther from the truth!
Paul was justified in saying, "I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." (24:14-125)

I read an author once who said, absolutely everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus.  It is through that lens that we are to read Old Testament Scriptures.  For example, the Sabbath instituted by God was fulfilled in Jesus (Col. 2:16-17).  Every feast in the Old Testament points to Jesus and how he fulfills them (see John 7:37-44 when Jesus connects the dots).  In addition, the temple, a holy dwelling is now perfectly completed in the body of Christ, his church (2 Cor. 6:16).  And…

What is standing out to you in the reading?

As Paul was addressing the rioting crowd, telling his story, the words of Ananias stood out to me, "And now what are you waiting for?  Get up be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." (22:16)  Have you noticed, like I have, that baptism for new believers back in those days was immediate!?!
Remember Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:36), Cornelius (10:48), Lydia (16:15), the jailer (16:33) and Crispus (18:8)...they were all baptized immediately!  I find that very interesting!

Something is being communicated to these new believers so strongly, that it is a "given" that they do the act immediately.  Listen to the words of the Ethiopian, "Look, here is water.  What can stand in the way of my being baptized?" (8:37).

We know that baptism is not a prerequisite to salvation (as evidenced by the thief on the cross), but it is still an important act.  It's an act that forces the answer to the questio…

I really admire that Paul was a "tentmaker" (18:3).  When he needed to make money, he knew how.  However, when fellow companions were with him, he allowed them to help him so that he could spend all his time teaching (18:5).  They seemed to have a good system down, providing for the needs of their group as they worked to "proclaim the whole truth of God." (20:27)

This verse stood out to me today, "You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.  In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'." (20:35)

Talking about a work ethic! He worked manually to meet his physical needs, mentally to study scripture and he worked spiritually to share God's love (all night long if necessary! 20:7).  Boy!  That puts me to shame when I have worked during the day and …

Athens....it's the capital of Greece to this day...I've been there and walked around the Parthenon temple.  It sits on top of a hill for all the surrounding people in the city to look up and admire.  One thing that is very noticeable about the landmark is that it is empty.  It's majestic columns hold up nothing and there is no Athena statue for people to worship. Everything that was "greatly distressing" Paul as he walked through the city (17:16), every idol, has been wiped out.

Don't get me wrong, Satan is still alive and well deceiving people in different ways, but the overt idol worship has been replaced with little statue replicas for sale in tourist shops.

Paul was so right when he said,"The God who made the world and everything in it is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands" (17: 24).  I feel so blessed that God has revealed himself to me!  I know that my God isn't going anywhere, he can't be dest…

Can I just say....being a Christian doesn't leave you immune from having "sharp disputes" with fellow believers.

Hopefully, always, things can be discussed until a resolution can be found.  We got to see two examples of that in today's reading.  Paul worked so hard to get a resolution to the circumcision debate that he went all the way "to the top", so to speak, to discuss the matter.  Notice he didn't pull the "I saw Jesus personally" card to enforce his authority and establish policy on his own.  Rather, he went to the elders and presented his case in regards to this doctrinal issue (15:2).  As a result there was God given resolution.

In regards to his personal issue against John Mark (15:37), he and Barnabas came to a conciliatory agreement to "divide and conquer".  They both set off to do the same thing, "encourage and strengthen the believers' (vs34), yet with different partners.  Since we don't know the details of…

When reading Acts, one can just read it as a story recounting how the gospel spread out from Jerusalem.  However, in the details of the story are some phrases or wording that can cause profound theological ideas, for those who are so inclined, to ponder!  
For example, as we are reading how Paul and Barnabas traveled to the cities in Galatia on their mission trip, we read, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” (13:48)
What is that? …all who were appointed?  Well, I like to ponder theological issues!  Is this a verse to hang my “predestination hat” on?  Well…not so fast….Scholars have spent a lot of time studying the word “appointed” (Greek= tasso).  I am going to defer to their study since I don’t have the time to do it myself.😜 The phrase “are appointed” can also mean “have been arranged”, like putting in order or positioning.  Therefore a paraphrasing of this verse could be, “As many as h…

There are a couple of things that I just can't figure out, no matter how many times I read through the New Testament.  But, that's OK with me.  It proves God is so much bigger than me and my little brain.  That is the kind of God I want!  One bigger than anything I can figure out, so I can feel safe and secure knowing that he can take care of me and my little issues.

So what are these mysteries?  One is "free will" verses "predestination".  The bottom line on that subject is that the Bible speaks to both God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.  Therefore, to me, the answer is both!  If the Bible speaks to both, both are true.

Today, my reading pointed out the other perplexing issue for me.
I thought it was interesting that Barnabas was sent to Antioch and “when he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encourage them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.“ (Acts 11:23)  Humm... why did Barnabas need to enc…

I love reading how Saul got baptized immediately after he could see again – even before eating!!  And, “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of God.” (9:20)
What a great example for us!!  If a conversion is real, why wouldn’t one want to show changes in their life right away?! Paul didn’t slowly change, i.e. “I think I will persecute less Christians every day from now on!” No... his lifestyle changed over night! The same should go for us! We don’t slowly eliminate sin in our life, we do a 360 away from it when we realize who Jesus is! As a result,, for Paul, it was obvious to all who saw him that he had become a follower of Christ. The same should go for us! There should be no doubt in other people’s mind’s who we are following!

I also loved how Saul was so bold! Can you imagine if everyone’s conversion story was immediate and bold like his?  The world would be converted in a matter of days!

The best line of all, for me, in today’s reading was, “Yet Saul…

We are so fortunate to live in America where we can make long speeches with relatively little fear of being killed for our words (although it does seem like our culture is changing ever so subtly in that regard)! At first read through, it seems that Stephan’s speech is just an oral account of Jewish history, that his audience would have known well.  Why would they get so upset?  Well, at the very end, he says something that I think provoked down right fear.  “Look”, he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56)  This very crowd could have been some of the same people who heard Jesus tell the council of religious leaders, “ But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” (Luke 22:68) These were the exact words that sealed the deal on the death sentence for Jesus!  I bet the men who heard those words out of the mouth of Jesus were shocked out of their minds and filled with terror! “Oh no!! His words were tru…

You know Gamaliel, who stood up in the Sanhedrin?  He was a pretty wise dude!  Even though he was a teacher of the law (a group of people Jesus often called hypocrites), he seemed to have more sense than the others.

Luke, the writer of Acts, tells us Gammy was "honored by all the people" (5:33). Paul was even under his teaching (22:3).  I can see why!  He showed his wisdom when he said, "But, if it is from God, you will not be able to stop those men, you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (5:39)  That is good advise!!  It's like he is saying, "Time will tell."

I often say to my kids, "Just wait.",  "See how it goes." , "You don't need to respond right away."
God works at his pace not ours, right?!
What I know of God is that he is patient (Rom. 9:22, i Pt. 3:20, 2 Pet 3:9) and slow to anger (Ex. 34:6, Num 14:18, Neh. 9:17, Psalm 86:15. 103:8, 145:8, Jonah 4:2, Nahum 1:3 - to name a few).
Therefore, Sata…

I have a feeling that after Jesus rose up into the clouds, the disciples hurried back to Jerusalem, got out their dusty old scriptures they had at home and started to read.  Or if they didn't have a copy of their own, they went to the synagogue where they could get their hands on a copy.

I can just imagine their minds being blown away when they opened the scriptures and began to see what had been there the whole time.    I bet they squealed with excitement every time they came across a prophesy that they had witnessed Jesus doing.....

John:  Pete, listen to what I am reading in Psalms!!! "They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garments."  They did that!!! I saw that the soldiers didn't want to rip that really good coat Jesus had, so they gambled for it!!

Peter:  OMG! That's incredible!  Listen to what I am reading in Zechariah!, "..see your king coming seated on a donkey's colt."  I went and got that donkey!!  Jesus told me exactl…

I always pictured the disciples watching Jesus ascend into the clouds, leaving, with them feeling really sad.   I would be!.....don't leave me Jesus! 😫

But then, I remembered something Jesus said back in John.  "Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." (John 16:20)

After being reminded of that verse and reading what the two men dressed in white said to them (he's coming back), I actually think they were filled with joy and eager expectation! They were probably excited thinking about what it meant to be "baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:5)  I don't think they turned from the scene and headed back to Jerusalem somber and filled with grief.  Rather, I bet they hurried back to Jerusalem with the excitement a kid feels on Christmas morning!  They're probably thinking, "What is Jesus going to do now??"  True, Jesus left them, probably, a little dazed, pr…

Two days ago I mentioned that I can remain in Jesus by staying in his word.  John says basically the same thing in today's reading!

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (20:31)

John wrote his account so that we may believe that Jesus is the Messiah.  Luke also wrote his account so that Theophilus "may know the certainty of the things" he had been taught. (Luke 1:4)
Lucky us, we get four written accounts to help us believe!!!

Once again I am thankful for this reading plan that keeps me in the word daily.

Have you EVER met anyone who was actively reading the Bible and says, "I don't believe."?  I have met a lot of people who have stopped reading the Bible and started spending a lot of time in other people's writings.  Those people seem to …

I thought I would give a little FYI today to help clarify a verse.  It clarified it for me at least!

"For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." (John 17:19)

I needed clarification because it's weird to read that a holy God (Jesus) needs to make himself holy. 🤔
So, here is the thing.  When Jesus says he "sanctifies" himself, it can also be translated "consecrate" which means "dedicated".  In light of that definition, Jesus is saying he is dedicating himself (which he did, to the cross) in order to make others holy.

Well, that makes sense!  So, it's like he is saying,"For them I am dedicating myself to the cross so that they may be holy as I am holy."

That word study helped me!  Hope it helped you too!

So, yesterday I learned that the focus of my prayers and their results should be to glorify God.    With "glorifying God" fresh in my mind,  this verse stood out to me:
"This is my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be my disciples." (15:8)

Yesterday I learned that in everything I pray, it is to glorify God and then today I am learning that everything I do should glorify God.  Everything I pray?  Everything I do?
Well, in my humanness, that's a little overwhelming!  I can't do it!  My nature is not one that naturally thinks about God and how to glorify him every moment of my day.  I'm just being honest here....
I can be focused on myself a lot of the time!  😞

So, I re-read the verses to figure out how to do bring glory to God even though I am an extremely inadequate human.
The answer was easier than I thought!  I don't have to struggle to "bear fruit" or live a life that is so above reproach that no one ca…

I have to admit, I have been waning in my prayers lately.  Under my prayer tab on this blog,  I explained how I use a shopping list pad of paper to write down the names of the people I pray for.
I thought it was a good idea, and still do, except for one thing... that piece of paper gets separated from my Bible from time to time.  Then it ends up floating around the kitchen, then my desk...when it's out of sight, it's out of  mind.  😝 But, to be honest, I have been feeling "out of sorts" on my prayers with or without the list.  When a name stays on the list for over a year, it can feel discouraging.

Well, it's a good thing I am reading the Bible everyday!  It has a way of re-inspiring me to be diligent with my list!!

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask for anything in my name and I will do it." (John 14:14)

Did you notice Jesus repeats himself?  He says, "in my name" twice. …

Well, I guess I am a creature of habit! Therefore, when my day gets thrown off,  I get thrown off! I always get up, make my coffee and sit down to do my reading first thing in the morning.  But, two days ago I started to read, checked off the day ( ✅before I was finished with the reading) but then found I had to run out the door earlier than normal, causing me to return to my reading later in the day.  When I went back to my reading, I looked to see where I was, forgot I had already checked my box and went on in the reading to the next date that wasn't crossed out. 😛  Oh dear!  I get way too excited to do my little check!  I need to learn to wait until I'm done with the reading!! So, there you have it!  That's how I missed Day 38...I am very sorry for any confusion I may have caused if you thought you got behind on the reading!! I probably messed up your check marks as well!! 😞
So, chapters 7& 8, how did you like them?  😁
I asked this question awhile back to other reader…

The disciples had just questioned Jesus about the safety of going back to Judea since his life had been threatened.  "Jesus answered,  'Are there not twelve hours of daylight?  Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble for they see by this world's light.  It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for  they have no light.'" (John 11:9)

I think that is a super weird answer!  "Jesus, are you sure you wanna go back to where they tried to stone you?  Well, maybe if we walk there during the day, at least we won't trip on the stones as we go!"  At first read through, I didn't even think Jesus gave them an answer to their question!

No wonder that in other gospels, the close disciples would ask Jesus when they were alone, "Master, please tell us what you mean!"
John isn't clear in recounting the meaning of verse 9 right away, but he does share more of what Jesus says on the same topic of being the light in the next chapt…

Almost a year ago, I was reading this section of scripture and had the same thoughts I had today.  So, I thought I would post what I said before to encourage each of you to share God's work in your life!


God loves to display his work!  It is seen in his creation of the universe, and the earth (Psalm 104:24).  He also likes to display his work in people! “Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (9:3) God works miracles in peoples lives to display his work!
What a great reason to share your testimony! Your life story, if changed by God, needs to be told in order to put His work on display! 
Every believer has a story.  The miracle that must be displayed is that your heart opened to the truth.  I think Christians get caught thinking that they need a spectacular story like the man who was blind from birth.  That was pretty amazing!  Yet, thinking that your story needs to be as spectacular undermines the miracle…

Did anyone notice that Jesus repeated himself four times in chapter 6?!

"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (6:39)
"I will raise them up at the last day" is also found in 6:40, 44 and 54.
If Jesus repeats himself four times, he is obviously making a point, right?

I think the writer, John, is using the words of Jesus to give hope to his readers.  Perhaps by the time John is writing his gospel believers are being persecuted for their faith and several of the disciples have already died for their faith. So hearing these words of Jesus would be very encouraging!

As I was reading commentaries to see what others said about the 4x repeat, I found another interesting take on the topic.  Most say that "last day" means the second coming of Jesus. But, there are variations of interpretation as to when or how the "last day" would play out.  So, something that se…

Do you ever think about how the people in the Gospel stories went on with their lives after their encounter with Jesus?  I think about that a lot! 
Did the changing of the water to wine change the life of the master of the banquet or the bridegroom?  Did the woman at the well have a life change because of her encounter with the man who said, “I am he” (4:26) when talking about the anticipated Messiah?
It’s hard to know!  The Gospel writers don’t tell us what happens in each person’s life.  We can make some guesses however.  I think Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Jesus “at night” did appear to have a heart change that altered his lifestyle.  Let me explain.  It’s thought that since he came to Jesus at night, he was “hiding” from his own people- his fellow Pharisees that hated Jesus.  Later, however, we will read that in broad daylight, in the view of all the Pharisees who had Jesus crucified, he boldly took part in preparing the body of Jesus for burial. (John 19:39)  He was no long…

We start the last of the four gospels today!!
How are you feeling about the reading?  Any new insights?  I would love to hear!!
I noticed today that I can relate with John.  He was absolutely convinced he heard from God…..but then at a later time, when things were difficult, he questioned himself and God.  I can relate with that.  How about you?
Here was John’s moment of absolute clarity: “And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”  I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (1:33)
I have had times in my life that I have dubbed “God Moments”, times where I am absolutely convinced God made things happen or did something that was miraculous in my life.  No one can convince me otherwise.  Somethings just aren’t coincidence! 
Yet, when I find myself in hard times, I have actual thought, “Is this all real?  Is there a God?”  Thankfu…

The criminal who rebuked the other caught my attention today.  The more I think about him the more I admire him!
Yes, I know that at first he participated in taunting Jesus (Matt 27:44).  But at some point in the day, he stopped.  
I can imagine at first, he was only thinking of the agony he was in. “I can’t breath!”, “I can’t feel my limbs.”, “Every part of my body hurts.”, “I’m so thirsty” (Those would be the thoughts about the physical, but then there are the emotional thoughts.) “I’m naked!”, “Everybody is glaring at me!”, “There’s that girl I liked in school. This is so embarrassing! What must she be thinking of me!” , “Argg, there’s the jerk that turned me in!, Oh, if only I got away!”  Crucifixion is a slow death, he had a lot of time to think…and become introspective… I would think every single thought would be about his misery!  So, how surprising to read the change of heart that he displayed!  
“We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserved.” (Luke 23:41)  
Wh…

Why do we get so stressed out when someone says, “Do you want to go evangelize?”  Eekk!..No way!  That’s not my “gift”.  I’ll leave that to someone else…..
I have three kids in college right now.  When they call, telling me how stressed they are with their work load or a big test is looming, I pray with them.  I don’t pray, “Help them do well on their test”, rather, I pray, “Help them to have a clear mind to remember all they have studied.”   I take the time to remind them that they have put the hours of study time into the subject, they are prepared!  
Yet, getting stressed out has a way of blocking logical thinking. I can relate with that!  Illogical trains of thought pour into my mind when I am “stressed”!  
This verse stood out to me today, “Make up your mind not to worry before hand how you will defend yourself.” (21:14)   For some reason, it had such a calming effect on me reading,  “Make up your mind!” I can choose NOT to stress!   It was like my heavenly father was saying, “You kno…

I thought the parable Jesus tells of what the servants did with the money the king gave them, was about three servants.   Today, my observations skills we're doing better than usual, I guess!  Haha! My Bible even titled the parable, “The Parable of the Kings Ten Servants”! “Put this money to work until I come back” (Luke 19:13) The first made 10 “mina” more than the one he started with. The second made 5 more. The third “laid it away”. What about the other seven??????  
Here is a thought…are we the other 7?  
Think about it….we live in between the resurrection of Jesus and his  2nd coming…just as the servants lived between the time the man left and came back king. Were the other 7 not mentioned because we are in the process of investing our money?   That idea goes so well with the parable we just read the other day about the “shrewd manager”.  “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)  I think it a…