Ministering reconciliation...

Genesis 32:24-32 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[h] and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the s...

Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV) 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In my first 2 posts I talked about the importance of imitating Christ. That is where I got the title be imi tators of Christ. I want to tell you about another aspect that often gets brought up in relation to Christ and how we imitate him. The leftovers of our "...

1 Corinthians 9:24-26 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. Recently, I decided to undertake one of the hardest things I have ever considered. I decided to run the Warrior Dash. For those of you who do not know what that is see this video | V In the process of this training, I have been doing some interval training with my wife, who is now a certified fitness instructor specializing in Mama Wants her Body Back, Stroller Strides, and Fit4Baby. For more info, click here Back to ...

1 Samuel 22:1-4 1-2 So David got away and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. When his brothers and others associated with his family heard where he was, they came down and joined him. Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all. 3-4 Then David went to Mizpah in Moab. He petitioned the king of Moab, "Grant asylum to my father and mother until I find out what God has planned for me." David left his parents in the care of the king of Moab. They stayed there all through the time David was hiding out. Have you ever heard the term "David's Mighty Men?" We hear about the exploits of them all the time. In fact, the stuff they did changed the course of human history! Here's the cool bit, when they started, they were "losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts." Then something happened. They became what the bible later calls me...

1 Samuel 19:18-24 18 When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19 Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”; 20 so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. 23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. 24 He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say,...

Galatians 3:28-29 28-29In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises. Take it deeper A few months ago, I had a good friend of mine at World Vision ask me a question. I answered his question, and then he said, “You know…” I could tell he was about to delve into something very thought provoking and deeply spiritual. He is a deep thinker and a question asker. So he says to me, “You know Sam, you are a very unique person. You look at people and just see them.” After saying thank you I explain to him, “God showed me a secret on how to love people no matter what they do. The secret is to separate the person and their actions.” What I mean is you have to be able to look at a person, regardless of what they have done, and love t...

1 Samuel 18:10-11 10 The next day an evil[a] spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. As I was reading this a few things struck me. Saul was prophesying. The spirit of God was still present on Saul, but God had also allowed an evil spirit direct access to Saul. Notice that the words here are " Came forcefully ON Saul. It didn't say that it "in-dwelt" Saul, or that it possessed him, but it was there to OPPRESS him. There's a difference. Know this, a believer cannot be possessed by demons. In the words of Jesus, "what fellowship can light with Darkness?" Sometimes there comes an evil spirit looking to not possess, but to just mess with us. It stirs the pot, it causes fear, concern, confusion, discord, and strife. It comes to see if it can...