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...

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 J...

  Acts 2:42-47 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. It is no wonder Methodists are crazy for their Carry-In Dinners. It’s right there in the Bible! The kind of community described here sounds like joy to me. When you stop to think that the Crucifixion had only been a couple of months before, these things ca...

  John 7:10-17 NLT 10 But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. 11 The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” 13 But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders. 14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. 16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.” Some people thought Jesus was going to lead them in overthrowing the Roman...

  Habakkuk 2:1-2 NLT 1 I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost.  There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint. 2 Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. The end. We don’t like to talk about it very much. It makes us very uncomfortable. If you have studied your Good Book, you know it is coming. While Habakkuk is referring to the imminent Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the end of life as the people of Israel knew it, the end of our world will come someday as well. The Lord let Habakkuk know that he will still be in charge, no matter how it may seem or how long it takes. The same thing applies to us today. No matter what is going on in the world around us, b...