Month: December 2025

Joy, Prayer, & Trust – Philippians 4:4–9

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Paul opens this passage with a call to rejoice, and he repeats it as if to make sure it is heard. He then tells believers not to be consumed by worry, but instead to bring everything to God in prayer. There is an implicit command here about focus. Rather than fixating on needs, fears, or unanswered questions, Paul directs attention toward God and the good things that come from him. Trust and prayer are meant to replace anxiety, not coexist with it.

For me, this is a needed reminder. It is easy to focus my prayers on what I lack or what feels urgent. Those things matter, but they are not meant to dominate my thoughts. God calls me to dwell on who He is and what He has already shown Himself to be. When I focus on His faithfulness instead of my concerns, it reshapes how I see everything else.

This passage calls me to approach God with joy and expectation. I do not know how every situation will work out, but I do know that God is always good. He is always faithful, and He always does what is best for me, even when I do not understand it. My role is to bring my requests to Him with thanksgiving, trusting His character rather than trying to manage the outcome myself.

Taste & See – Psalm 34:1–10

Psalm 34:8 (NIV) – “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

This psalm is an outpouring of praise. David is not speaking in theory. He is responding to a very real moment when he cried out to God in fear and was heard. God protected him, provided for him, and surrounded him with care. David describes the angel of the Lord encamping around those who fear God, a picture of active, personal protection. He even goes so far as to say that those who fear the Lord will not lack any good thing.

That last statement can feel bold, even uncomfortable. When I read it alongside the rest of the Psalms, it becomes clearer. David also wrote many psalms of desperation, pleading for help when things were not going well. This one shows the other side of that story. God was not ignoring him. God was (and is) at work, even when it may not have looked that way in the moment. Still, it raises honest questions when we look at people around the world who are crying out to God and seem to be lacking so much. We also need to remember that scripture does not pretend those situations don’t exist.

What this passage reminds me is that no problem is too big for God. His provision and protection are not limited by the size of the need. God cares about my fears, my needs, and my safety. Even when I do not understand how provision shows up, I am called to trust that God is bigger than the problem and that He is paying attention.

Saved for a Purpose – Ephesians 2:8–10

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV) – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

This passage is carefully structured to make one central point clear. We are saved by faith, not by works. Our own behavior, no matter how well intentioned, cannot earn salvation. Scripture is blunt about that elsewhere, comparing our righteousness to filthy garments in Isaiah. If salvation depended on our performance, every one of us would fall short. Paul removes that possibility entirely. Salvation is a gift, given by grace.

At the same time, Paul does not dismiss good works. He places them in the right order. We are not saved by good works, but we are created for them. God has plans, prepared ahead of time, for how his people should live and serve. That distinction matters. Good works are not the entrance requirement. They are the result of a life already changed by grace.

This passage is a strong reminder for me. I do not do good things to earn God’s favor. I do them because God has already shown me grace and has intentionally placed opportunities in front of me. That means I should be paying attention. God created me for this purpose, and I need to be more focused on recognizing and stepping into the good works he has already prepared.

The Way – John 14:1–6

John 14:6 (NIV)
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

When Thomas says that he does not know the way, Jesus gives one of the clearest and most direct statements in all of Scripture. Thomas was possibly looking for something along the lines of, “Make a left turn at Albuquerque.” But Jesus does not offer directions or principles. He says that he himself is the way. He is not pointing toward a path. He is the path. No one comes to the Father except through him.

This verse is often recognized for its exclusivity, and rightly so. Jesus does not leave room for alternate routes to God. That can be uncomfortable in a culture that prefers many paths. But if Jesus is telling the truth here, then other paths do not lead to God at all. Believing otherwise would require believing that Jesus is just crazy, wrong, or intentionally dishonest.

What is easy to forget is that this is not meant to make Christians smug. The same Jesus who died for my sins also died for the sins of people who are trusting in paths that cannot deliver what those “paths to God” promise. This should not produce pride. It should produce urgency. Gratitude for the truth and a deep concern for those who do not yet know it should shape how I live and how I engage with others.

Preparing a place – John 14:1–6

John 14:2–3 (NIV)
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Jesus tells his disciples that he is leaving, and that he has to leave. He speaks about preparing a place for them and promises that he will return so that they can be together with him. I always interpreted that like Jesus is talking about construction in heaven, as though something still needed to be built. But now I’m thinking that I was wrong about that.

What Jesus was preparing was not a location, at all. His preparation was his work on the cross and, later, the giving of the Holy Spirit. He was not saying that heaven was unfinished. He was saying that access to God was. His departure was not primarily about going to heaven. It was about doing what only he could do so that his people could ultimately be with him.

That reframes this promise for me. It shifts my focus away from speculation about heaven and back to gratitude for what Jesus accomplished. I need to remain thankful that Jesus did what was necessary so that being with him was even possible at all.

Forgiveness – Colossians 3:12–17

Colossians 3:13 (NIV) – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

In Colossians, Paul paints a picture of what Christians are actually supposed to look like. Kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness are not optional traits for us. They are markers of a life shaped by Christ.

Above all of them sits love, which binds it all together and creates real unity among believers. Forgiveness is a natural result of biblical love. Unresolved grievance destroys that unity faster than almost anything else.

This passage is a reminder that forgiveness has to be intentional. It does not happen naturally, and it is often difficult. But Scripture is clear that forgiveness is not a side issue in the kingdom of God. It is a priority.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Christian forgiveness. Refusing to hold anger and bitterness is biblical. Handing someone the keys after they repeatedly crashed my car is not. Forgiveness releases guilt and resentment. It does not require ignoring real results of our actions.

If I want to live in a way that reflects Christ, then forgiveness and love cannot be theoretical. They have to show up in real relationships, even when it costs something.

God of the Lowly – Luke 2:8–20

Luke 2:11 – “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

The first people to hear about the birth of Jesus were shepherds, out in the fields doing an ordinary job. They were not powerful, educated, or respected in society. The angel’s appearance would have been terrifying and completely unexpected. God chose to announce the arrival of the Savior to people who were low on the social ladder, which says something important about who this message was really for. The shepherds went anyway, despite have a lot of sheep. Whatever else was going on, they responded immediately.

It’s easy to imagine a message that would change the whole course of human history going out to kings…that is if I had designed it. Or maybe it would’ve been the top scholars. I don’t know, because I have never been a part of announcing something that big.

But the Father didn’t do it that way. No, he planned from the beginning of the universe to announce this first to people I never would’ve picked. God’s work often shows up in humble places, and that His grace is not reserved for the impressive or important. It is given freely, right where people are.

Show Love – 1 John 4:7–12

1 John 4:9 (NIV)
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

Love is the central issue John is addressing here. Not feelings, not romance, and not vague goodwill, but a love that has a source and a definition. God is the origin of that love, and He made it visible by sending His Son. John is clear that people come to know God, not through arguments or religious performance, but through the way His people love one another. Christian love is not self-generated. It flows out of what God has already done.

What strikes me is that this passage does not really change based on time or context. If I believe that God loved me enough to send His Son, even when I did not deserve it, then that love has to move outward. It cannot stay theoretical. It is not only something to be believed, but something to be lived.

That means love should shape every interaction I have with people. Not just by talking about God’s love, but by showing it through patience, kindness, and grace. I fall short of that constantly. I am human and sinful. Still, this passage calls me to try, to let God’s love be seen through me, even when it is inconvenient or undeserved.

No Condemnation – Romans 8:1–11

Romans 8:1 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8 does not begin a new idea so much as it finishes one. The word “therefore” ties it directly to what Paul has just said about his own inability to fully obey God’s law. Even the apostle admits he cannot win this battle on his own. That is the point. If righteousness depended on perfect obedience, everyone would lose. Romans 8:1 is the answer to that problem. Jesus steps in where the law and human effort fall short.

Paul then draws a clear contrast between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. The flesh represents our natural limitations and impulses, while the Spirit represents God’s transforming presence within us. For those who are in Christ, the Spirit changes the entire equation. Freedom from condemnation is not permission to live however we want. It is the foundation for a completely different way of life.

For me, this passage is meant to shape everything. I want to be fully surrendered to God’s direction and his kingdom, trusting that the same Spirit who frees me from condemnation is also the one who empowers me to live differently.