Vicki's Wednesday Word

  1 Peter 3:13-18 New Living Translation 13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. One of the biggest myths surrounding “evangelism,” or sharing the good news, is that you have to be a biblical scholar in

1 Peter 4:7-8 New Living Translation 7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. All I can say is, “Praise be to God!” As Peter put it, love does cover a multitude of sins. I cannot think of a single relationship that has not benefitted in this regard. Haven’t you ever heard someone say, “He had a face only a mother could love?” Growing up in my house, we lovingly accepted the little quirks and foibles of our relatives. After all, everybody has them. Weaknesses, I mean. In our house today, no one knows our shortcomings better than we do. That’s where love comes into the mix. After forty-three years together, love is certainly not blind. Our eyes are wide open and we’ve seen it all! But, instead of judgement and condemnation, there is love. Instead of derision, there is encouragement. Unconditional love covers a multitude of sins. Whi

  Colossians 1:9-10 New Living Translation 9 " So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." I cannot remember a time when I did not know about God. I know that my parents taught me to say my prayers as a very small child. “Now I lay me down to sleep…” Next were the sweet lessons of Sunday School, followed by Confirmation classes. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to be closer to God. I wanted to be close to my friends. Through the next few decades I studied a variety of religions and philosophies. No matter what I may have encountered along the way, Jesus was always in the back of my mind and in deep my heart. While my life was full and rewarding, there

John 4:19-24 New Living Translation 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” 21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”   The conversation at the well took place early in Jesus’ public ministry, foretelling the change that was at hand. Later, at the very end of Jesus’ mortal mission, Luke 23:44-4