Having Bible knowledge and understanding is great, however if the scriptures are not living and active in our lives, it is all in vain (Hebrews 4:12-13). The life application selections contain thoughts provoking, real life challenges that will prayerfully transform us to be more like Jesus in our spiritual journey. James 1:23-27 challenges us to not just merely listen or read the scriptures, it says “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” Do not miss your blessings my friends!
“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”
What is weighing you down today?
Life can feel heavy, burdensome, and at times almost impossible to move forward.
Have you ever felt the pain of worry deep in your soul, so intense it felt like an out-of-body experience? I have been there. There are moments when life feels overwhelming, confusing, and even hopeless. The unknown can lead our thoughts, minds, and hearts into places that feed the darkness within our souls.
"No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him."
Have you ever wondered what it will be like to celebrate a New Year—or a new beginning—with Jesus in the new Garden of Eden?
This thought is where the joy of the New Year rises in my soul!
Read with me Revelation 22:1–5:
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
“He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.”
The Word Who Came… and the Word Who Will Return”
This week, people all over the world will celebrate Christmas, the day Christians pause to remember the birth of Jesus.
But I want to ask you a deeper question: What does the birth of Jesus truly mean to you?
Yes, the Word of God became flesh.
He walked among us.
He taught us how to live a transformed life that honors God.
But His story did not end in a manger.
He carried a cross, died for our sins, and rose again, the victory we celebrate each Spring on Easter.
Yet there is another holy day, one that is rarely acknowledged, yet it completes both Christmas and Easter.
"Set your hearts on things above… Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
A friend recently told me she was asked to choose her favorite holiday, and she chose her birthday. I thought that was clever because the day we were born matters; it is the day God breathed His very Spirit into us. Scripture reminds us:
“…the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…”
— Genesis 2:7
After she shared, she asked me, “What is your favorite holiday?”
I gave her an honest answer: I no longer have a favorite holiday.
If she had asked me this question six years ago, I would have said Christmas without hesitation.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”
My friend, what fruits are you producing in your life?
Did you know we have access to two vines? Each of these vines has a purpose in humanity’s story. Two trees—two vines—define the entire narrative of human life:
- The Tree of Knowledge: where humanity reached for wisdom apart from God.
- The Tree of the Cross: where Jesus surrendered His will to the Father and became the Tree of Life, giving humanity another chance to choose God.
The first tree brought separation and death because humanity believed Satan’s word over God’s Word. We must remember: God did not make humankind sin; humanity chose its own path instead of trusting God.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
My friend, where is your heart?
I grew up hearing the saying, “He died of a broken heart.” But let me ask you, are you dying of a broken heart? No, I’m not referring to an earthly love story. I’m speaking about a spiritually decaying heart.
Our heart becomes the house for everything we register through our eyes. What we see impacts our mind, and our mind directs our body, either toward spiritual health or spiritual decay.
Jesus’ statement in verse 21 does not stand alone. He continues by warning us about how the condition of our hearts can lead us into darkness if we store the wrong things inside. In Matthew 6:22–23, Jesus says:
Who Is This Jesus? Ministry, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina.