bojackson54

[bojackson54]

Good Decisions Come From Not Making Bad Decisions

If you ever have to make decisions, there are a couple of contrasting templates in the Old Testament you can use as a reference. There’s what I call the Saul method, and then there’s the David approach. King Saul of Ancient Israel made decisions very differently than David. They also had very different outcomes. Consider the Source Saul sometimes used consultants when making decisions. He went…

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#1 Chronicles 10:13-14 #1 Chronicles 14:10 #decisions #good decisions #King David #King Saul

[bojackson54]

Garth Brooks Isn't Alone: Maybe YOU Have Friends in Low (or High!) Places

The Low-Down on High Places In the ancient Middle East, there were worship centers called “high places”, where all kinds of pagan ritualistic mischief took place. They show up in Joshua and Judges with regularity, and there is a lot about them you probably have never thought about. The key word here is “pagan”, and it’s safe to say that it is probably hard for the average person reading this…

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#2 Kings #2 Kings 12:1-3 #Garth Brooks #Gideon #God #high places #Judges 6:30 #pagan

[bojackson54]

LOTS of Trees, Only ONE Job in the Garden of Eden: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

My friend Charlie Henderson worked for years in our manufacturing facilities, and he is well-acquainted with both machine failure and human error. There are funny memes saying, “You only had ONE Job”, and I know Charlie heard that around the manufacturing plants all the time. One of his favorite sayings is, (especially when we see something that is patently ignorant or incredibly ill-conceived)…

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#Adam and Eve #Bible #Garden of Eden #Genesis 2:15-17 #God #one job #trees

[bojackson54]

Slavery Reversed: How The Worst Day Became the Best. Day. Ever.

Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into slavery when he was just a teenager. It might have been better than killing him, but their actions still put him onto a difficult path in life and caused him great hardship. The Book of Genesis tells how Joseph overcame those hardships and grew in many ways beyond his circumstances. (Remember Potiphar’s wife? Prison? Pharaoh’s dreams?) As he languished in…

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#Genesis 50:18-20 #Genesis 50:20 #Jesus #Joseph #Romans 8:28 #slavery

[bojackson54]

"Greatest" Doesn't Necessarily Mean What You Think It Means

Sports fans like to argue about who the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) is, regardless of the sport. Is it Michael or LeBron? Nicklaus or Tiger? Ali or Tyson? Caitlyn Cook or Sheryl Swoopes? Who is the Greatest Of All Time? In sports, it’s kinda fun to argue about who the Greatest is… But consider this, when it comes to true greatness: Our society has many standards, and most of them are wrong. We…

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#GOAT #greatest #Jesus #Luke 22:19-20 #Luke 22:24-26 #servant leadership

[bojackson54]

You've Succeeded. Give Credit to the Foundation of Your Success

Whenever people work together, there is always a question that comes up: Who Should Get the Credit? (And we’ve all worked on that school team project where somebody does nothing but still gets the grade you worked for!) The human ego is an amazing thing, fueled by the survival instinct, self-interests and a hierarchy of needs and hidden agendas that would make Maslow’s head spin! I’ve often…

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#Chris Farley #credit #Ephesians 6:12 #foundation #Isaac Newton #Jesus #John 4:37-38 #Matt Foley #success

[bojackson54]

Certainty Gives Scientists the High Ground. Or, DOES It?

Certainty provides comfort. And, some types of Wisdom seem to provide certainty. But, do they really? “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”. (I Corinthians 3:18-19,…

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#1 Corinthians 3:18-19 #abortion #Big Bang #certainty #God #science

[bojackson54]

Pain is No Picnic. But, Is it Possible We Couldn't Grow Without It?

Pain is a bad thing. It certainly isn’t something we enjoy or want to experience; but, is it always bad? What can it possibly be Good For? Jesus offers us some insight: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he taketh away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:1-2 KJV) We often…

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#1 Thessalonians 5:18 #Hebrews 12:11 #Jesus #John 15:1-2 #pain #spiritual growth #Winston Churchill

[bojackson54]

A Credible Resurrection Requires Credible Witnesses

(The resurrection on Easter Sunday, the last of the Ten days of Passion Week)  All over the world, people today are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. It’s an interesting phenomenon because most rational people know that it is impossible to raise anyone from the dead, right? And yet, believers everywhere accept by faith that the resurrection actually occurred. Why? Is there a reason why…

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#1 Corinthians 15:16-19 #1 Corinthians 15:3-8 #1 Peter 1:3 #credible #Jesus #John 11:25 #Matthew 28:5-7 #Passion week #resurrection #Romans 6:5 #witnesses

[bojackson54]

Wednesday May Have Been Quiet, But Things Were Escalating

Of the Ten Passion Week Days that Changed the World, Wednesday was a quiet day at Bethany, not really mentioned with much detail in the Gospels. Mark 14 and Matthew 26 record three snapshots of the day: the scheming Priests and elders decide to kill Jesus; Jesus is anointed by a woman at a dinner party in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper; and Judas agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces…

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#Jesus #Leviticus 23:5-6 #Luke 23:56 #Mark 14 #Mark 16:1 #Matthew 12:40 #Matthew 26 #Matthew 26:1 #Matthew 26:2-5 #Passion week #Wednesday

[bojackson54]

Cleansing the Temple is One Thing; How About Cleansing Our Hearts?

Day Four of the Ten Days that Changed the World: Monday of Passion Week was a day of travel and cleansing, Mark 11:12-18. Jesus and the disciples walked from Bethany to Jerusalem and back. Remember, that’s about an hour’s walk each way, so these guys were in shape! We don’t live in an age of walking, but it gave life a different pace, and certainly provided time to talk, discuss and teach as…

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#cleansing #Cleansing the Temple #Mark 11:12-18 #Matthew 11:15 #Matthew 3:8 #Matthew 7:18 #Matthew 7:19-20 #Monday #Passion week #Proverbs 20:10

[bojackson54]

Saturday Before Good Friday: Ten Days That Changed the World

Yesterday, we began a day-by-day look at the Passion Week, so our “week” is actually ten days, starting BEFORE Palm Sunday… Here are some observations about the Saturday before Good Friday, which would have been eight days before Easter. It is a quiet Saturday, a sabbath, so there is no mention of any activity until we read John’s account  of Supper at Bethany. Eyewitness Account (John’s Gospel…

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#Jesus #John 11:49-50 #John 12:1-2 #John 12:23 #John 13:22-25 #Mark 14 #Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34 #Matthew 16:21 #Matthew 20:17 #Matthew 26 #Passion week

[bojackson54]

Passion Week (Plus Three): Ten Days That Changed the World

Starting today, we are headed towards Passion week. We are beginning on the Friday before Good Friday, and we will follow each day preceding Christ’s death and resurrection, discussing the details and (sometimes) debates that surround each day. Bill O’Reilly’s book Killing Jesus…

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#Bill O&039;Reilly #Easter #Friday #Jesus #John 11:54-57 #Killing Jesus #Passion week #Roman Empire

[bojackson54]

Who Matters More? Critics? Or Those Who Strive to Compete?

There are plenty of critics in the world. As Benjamin Disraeli pointed out, “How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.” The Apostle Paul encountered criticism during his ministry, and Paul gives critics the same answer that God does…read this and see if you agree:“For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to…

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#2 Corinthians 10:10-11 #Apostle Paul #criticism #critics #God #Teddy Roosevelt #Theodore Roosevelt

[bojackson54]

There's Only One Way You Can Be Separated From the Love of Christ

At one time, Saul of Tarsus hated Christians, so he must have hated Christ as well. But as we know, something changed for Saul. He grew to believe that he could never be separated from the love he found in Jesus Christ. In fact, he made an astounding statement for a man who had pursued and persecuted followers of Jesus: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,…

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#Apostle Paul #Jesus #love of Christ #Pogo #Romans 8:38-39 #Saul of Tarsus #separated

[bojackson54]

180 Degree Turn Around: The Non-sailor's Guide to Repentance

Bob Seger has a song titled “Running Against the Wind”, which laments the transient and sometimes difficult nature of life. It might seem crazy, but the Bible comments on that very subject: If you’re sailing against the wind, Turn That Boat Around! At least that’s what John the Baptist told his audiences at the beginning of his ministry… In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the…

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#Jesus #John the Baptist #Matthew 3:1-2 #repent #repentance #turn aound

[bojackson54]

Sow Seed However You Want To; But, If You Sow Wisely...

Have you ever sown seeds and watched them grow? I remember the bean we put into a jar in kindergarten. It was so cool to sow it properly and watch it come to life!! Well, think about what it means to Sow and Reap: Consider both the process and the outcome. “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains…

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#Daily devotional #Galatians 6:7 #Hosea 10:12 #sow #sow and reap