Devotions

1st Corinthians 10-13 BODY OF CHRIST Sometimes Christians are referred to the body of Christ. This makes sense, as we all are different parts of this huge loving body. And as expressed in today's reading, we are sometimes unhappy with other parts of God's body. However, if one of the parts are failing, the whole body fails. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:17-20 I also liked this analogy: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 We all have different roles, and

1st Corinthians 5-9 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ DON'T BE QUICK TO JUDGE. People often judge others too quickly. Not only do they look past their own flaws, but assume that they're much better than everyone else in the process. What's up with that? Why have humans evolved into people that constantly have to be better than the next guy? God loves us all the same, the straight-A students and the murderers. He might be a little more pleased in someone, or happy with their decisions, but regardless, He is still a happy loving God. Two verses stuck out from the rest for me that really help me try not to judge others: I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 1st Corinthians 7:7 Don't think you're better than anyone else! We're all sinners and we're all loved despite of the fact. Let others live their life witho

1st Corinthians 1-4 Read these short chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . CHOOSING THE UNEXPECTED. I hate when the expected happens. In today's reading, it explained how God does unexpected things. Therefore, I've found another reason to love God. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God could have done the boring thing and made Jesus be some super strong guy with a hugely famous family, that way everyone would easily know Him and want to follow Him. But instead, Jesus was born into a family of carpenters in a lowly manger. God gives us a choice. He doesn't make His power obvious, but lets us choose whether or not to follow Him. He is unexpected a

Romans 15-16 REMINDER TO ALL Today's message is pretty short. Really simple. Super easy. Do what you came for. Have you ever wondered why we're here? It's the age old question that's pretty over-asked, to be frank. Why must people search all over the world for the "meaning of existence" when it's clearly stated in the Bible, over and over, and proved time and time again? We are here to spread the word of Christ. To let others know of His power, and His love for each and every person living on this crazy earth. The disciples in today's reading dedicated their entire lives to Christ, even when they were persecuted and tried before courts-- their love for Jesus was SO great they were willing lay everything down for Him. I want SO desperately to do that with my life, too. To follow God's commands and go out into the world to spread His word. But for now, I just want to remind everyone to work towards that same goal. Take every chance possible to spread

Romans 11-14 Read these short chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post, or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . There's some pretty powerful stuff in today's reading, which I encourage you to check out! LOVE So, yeah. We're going to talk about love once again today, and I know we talk about it ALL the time. God's love, the love of Christ, love your neighbor, love, love, love. Sorry if I sound a bit repetitive, but today's reading included an entire section dedicated to love, and I'll post it below if you're interested. It's pretty amazing, and I love it :) Love in Action Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you;

Romans 7-10 Read these chapters with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . I love the book of Romans! It's such a blessing. Several times in today's reading I just lifted my heart to Jesus and thanked Him for all He has told us through scripture. I love it! Make sure you read today's chapters now! GOD IS STRONG. I know, you're all probably thinking "Yeah, Carly. I know. Big deal." But today's reading was SO powerful and so moving I couldn't help but start out with the message of God's strength and His mighty unfailing love. There is NOTHING that can ever stop His love for us, and I think it's fantastic, to be honest. I LOVED THIS PASSAGE: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 4-6 Read these phenomenal chapters right now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post, or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . I loved today's chapters! I'm starting to think that the book of Romans is one of my favorites, because it's written by a Christian, and it's focused towards other Christians, and I feel like it's speaking to me. Hopefully it does the same for you! SIN AND DEATH AND OBEDIENCE AND ETERNAL LIFE... OH MY! I loved reading today's chapters because it summed up everything from sinning to being righteous, and what happens as a result of both of the two choices. It's pretty cut and dry-- we're all sinners, and we all have the choice to change. It's a pretty huge concept and a pretty simple concept at the same time. I loved this verse in today's reading: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 It says that we are all sinners, and the sinner's ending i

Romans 1-3 THESE CHAPTERS ROCK! Read them now with the BIBLE READER widget to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . You'll be happy you read them-- they're some of my favorites so far. I kept having to highlight and mark all over the verses, and they're AMAZING. Read 'em now. I can wait for you, I'll be right here... FAITH IN WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE. Today's reading had a LOT of good points. It was hard to shove them all into one clean, themed, devotion, but I'll try. I felt like all of them had this sense of internal faith-- they all focused on not what we do on the outside but with what our hearts think. What we feel and believe inside. Believe it or not, God knows your thoughts. He loves you and knows you better than you know yourself, and even though we sometimes think things we wish we hadn't, God judges fairly and with justice and that's what I love about today's reading. It gave me this sense of hope like no other, whi

Acts 27-28 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ ! UNTEACHABLE I felt bad for Paul today. The chapters are the end of the book of Acts, by the way! So read 'em now so you can understand my frustration. Poor Paul was trying to get his point across to the Jews. He was trying to explain Jesus and His purpose in their lives, and most people ended up believing. But there always seems to be the certain outspoken people who decide they'll become unteachable. They're unwilling to listen, and unwilling to accept Jesus into their hearts. Frankly, it just stinks! For one, you feel like you've failed in giving hope to someone. Then on top of that, that person is missing out out Jesus' love and ETERNAL LIFE! Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ances

Acts 24-26 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at www.biblegateway.com THE LOST GET FOUND. Paul's story is one of the most interesting in the Bible to me. I just find it fascinating that someone who used to persecute Christians can become a believer, and was even willing to bet his life on the gospel. If you haven't read today's chapters, read them NOW, because they're fantastic. It's a pretty short devotion today, because it's pretty much a reminder of something we already know. God can completely transform people! And I do mean COMPLETELY transform. Paul used to HATE the belief in Christ, and in today's reading he got on trial as a believer. Why do we make religion so confusing? We try to tell ourselves it's difficult, and it's going to be nearly impossible. But guess what? Jesus does the impossible. He changed Paul's life completely, and He can totally change yours, too. Yes, being a Christian has a prett

Acts 22-23 Read these fantastic chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Life is short. Many people have come to realize this, especially those who have had loved ones pass away. It's an extremely overwhelming thing to think about, religion, and faith, and the Bible, and for some, it's impossible to decide when to start. But...... it all falls back on the fact that LIFE IS SHORT. You never know when one day will be your last, and that's why sometimes we need to make tough decisions that can change the way we look on things. Yeah, they might be important and life changing, but it's best to make them when you're able. In today's tough world, it's really difficult to keep a positive outlook on things. People are dying, and others are losing everything they have. And although all this depressing stuff SEEMS like it'd be a horrible time to dive into a religi

Acts 20-21 ANTICIPATION So, a lot went on in today's reading. If you read it all through, it seems like it's going by incredibly fast. Paul lands in Jerusalem. Paul is arrested. Paul is put before the people. When, in reality, it was probably a much deeper process. People in today's world have the biggest problem with anticipation. We want things NOW. We want Internet fast, and fast texts, fast replies, fast moving things. But if there's anything you can ever learn from Christianity, it's that God has a plan that might not be going the same speed you are. Pull down to the speed limit of God, as our youth group is learning, so that we can understand what road we're driving on. In today's reading, Paul was put before the people and about to make some HUGE speech of redemption and then-- The chapter ends somewhere in the middle, ending the daily reading. Now, don't get me wrong, I could just keep reading. The Bible doesn't have to be read in 2 chapter-a

Acts 18-19 GOD'S WILL. Often in the Bible, people speak of God's will. People today talk about that, too. What's God's will, and whatever happens happens because it's God's will... yadda yadda yadda. Today, we're going to talk about that certain will. Are all of our moves planned for us? How can we make decisions? Does God know what's going to happen? There are infinite amount of questions I could be asking, but I'm hoping today to find some answers. ...He [Paul] himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will...” Acts 18:19-21 Humans stress sometimes. We get bothered by little things and freak out over things that AREN'T THAT IMPORTANT. So, what should we do? What's this "will" Paul is talking about? Most humans stress and plan EVERYTHING. This isn't necessarily good, because sometimes Go

Acts 16-17 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at www.biblegateway.com , or with your own Bible, of course! LOVE THOSE WHO WANT TO PERSECUTE YOU It's a nearly impossible task, to show Jesus' love to those that have shown you nothing but hate. But, Jesus teaches us to love NOT just the people we love, but those who we reallllllly don't like. In today's reading, Paul and Silas were put in jail for no apparent reason, and if I were them, I would have been FURIOUS, right? I would want nothing to do with anyone, or anything. But Paul and Silas sang HYMNS TO GOD when they were in jail. They didn't complain, but prayed to Jesus. And, guess what? God set them free. The jail guard didn't know what happening, so he was freaking out. All the prisoners were escaping, and he tried to kill himself because he knew he would be in SO much trouble when they escaped! But instead of hightailing it out of the jail, Paul shouted "Wait!&quo

Acts 14-15 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ "GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS" Oh, how I loved today's reading. I loved it a whole lot. Perhaps more than normal days of reading, but I'm allowed to have favorites, right? I thought it was SO great how Peter just blew away his audience. They were asking him about previous traditions, and whether or not they needed to be kept in play. Peter is one of my role-models, because he always takes the chances he's given to tell others about Jesus, and he does it in a way that makes God sound exactly how He really is, no more, no less. I loved this speech from Peter: ..."Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between u

Acts 12-13 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ ! JUMP ON IT! In today's reading, two missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were traveling the land to tell everyone abut Jesus and His mighty love for them. This was an extremely difficult and dangerous thing to do, because of all the Christian persecution and all the hatred towards Jesus. No one would want to talk about Him anyway, right? WRONG. Yes, it is true that many Jews and Gentiles were hesitant toward Christians. However, in today's reading, we get to experience the hand of God as He prepares the way for a BUNCH of people to get to know Jesus! Read this: From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” Standing up, Paul motioned

Acts 10-11 Read these short chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ WE'RE ALL [SOMEWHAT] HUMAN. The Bible teaches us to go out and tell others about Jesus, and to follow His commands even when it's incredibly difficult. There are some humans that I feel I have nothing similar with them! How am I supposed to talk about a subject as important as FAITH with someone I have nothing in common? In today's reading, two different people, Peter and Cornelius, were brought together by nothing but the Holy Spirit. These two people did what the Spirit asked, and were eventually united. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I

Acts 8-9 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . THE (RIGHT) WAY. There are infinite amounts ways to go about life. You can live life according to a certain phrase, or a certain faith, or a particular tradition. You can live cautiously, or boldly, or figure it out along the way. Today's reading, the phrase "the way" was introduced. Jews back in Biblical times called Christians and the Christ "the way." I've heard a few reasons why, but the fact of the matter is that they didn't even want to SPEAK of Jesus and His disciples, so they called Him "the way." Did people ever consider that Jesus might be the right way? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 Like I've said, there are tons of ways we try and life our lives. And one might feel better at the moment, like the rebellious way, or the &quo

Acts 6-7 Only two chapters today, folks! Read 'em now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . PERSECUTION The short story of Stephen was told today. A bit of a downer, if I do say so myself. It was about the guy appointed by the disciples that was to teach people and heal under Jesus' name-- and people were so angry that Jesus' word was getting proclaimed (instead of kings and rulers) that they made up lies about Stephen, and stoned him to death. Doesn't it make you just want to take a deep breath and say "Thank goodness that doesn't happen today!" But guess what? Persecution does happen today. Maybe not in the happy pappy America, because we've got a government that allows us to worship whoever we want. However, in other countries ALL AROUND THE WORLD, Christians are persecuted, just like Stephen. Sorry today is such a downer. Reality is a bit of a downer sometimes. We've got all sorts of tragedies goin

Acts 4-5 Read these short two chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . ANCIENT ROCK STARS VS. THE MODERN ONES Out of ALL of the things I could be talking about, this weird analogy of how Peter is like an ancient rock star keeps popping back into my brain. So. if you're looking for a really deep methodical devotion, you might want to look someplace else. I figure God has put this weird idea in my head for a reason, so I might as well talk about it! As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. Acts 5:15-16 People were just trying to get Peter's SHADOW on them so they could be healed. Nowadays, people look towards creepy rockers with long tongues, and "singers&q

Acts 1-3 REPENT AND BE SAVED! This phrase is used a LOT in Christianity. I've always just understood that all you have to do is repent and believe, and you're saved. But in today's reading, we got to see the origins of the repentance speech, when Peter talked to the Jews at Pentecost. The entire speech is definitely worth reading, but I'll post what I liked best: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:38-41 Yeah, this was said hundreds of years ago. But guess what? Our generation is corrupt. And we need this p

John 20-21 Read the last two chapters of the book of John right now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ SEEING ISN'T BELIEVING! I think often times, people have a hard time believing in something they can't see. It makes sense though, right? It's difficult to have a faith in something that isn't visible to the 5 senses-- something you can only feel in your heart. In today's reading, the stereotypical human was shown-- someone that struggled to believe Jesus came back to life to life unless He saw Jesus himself. One of Jesus' disciples, Thomas, was having a really hard time believing. He was all "unless I see Jesus, and can feel the marks in His hands, I don't believe you all!" The interesting part was that Jesus actually DID show up to Thomas, and revealed himself right in front of him. But what Jesus said afterwards was really riveting: Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed

John 18-19 Read these amazingly wonderful chapters now with the BIBLE READER widget to the right of this post, at http://www.biblegateway.com/ , or with your own Bible, of course :) DRINK YOUR DANG CUP! Today's reading, I'll be honest, was a little depressing. It was all about Jesus' death, and I didn't like reading about Him being crucified. It hurts my stomach to think that the person that came to SAVE THE WORLD was chosen to die by those He came to save. The worst part was how Jesus was being polite about everything, and never ONCE was rude to anyone. He knew that everything that was happening was the fulfilment of the scriptures, and it was all supposed to happen. I hope I'm not the only one that feels a little depressed, am I? It's so sad to imagine being there as your savior was being killed. Howeverrrrrrrrr, one verse just stuck out from the rest of the depression, and that was this, when Peter was trying to save Jesus from being arrested: Jesus commanded

John 16-17 Read these lovely chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . Before I start this mind-bottling devotion, I want to THANK MY FRIEND KEELY for doing my devotional page when I was at a retreat called Bridges. I learned a lot about myself there, and it was a relaxing place that I could meet all sorts of new people. Thanks to Keely, I didn't have to worry about my devotions, even though Libby, Dana, Mikala and I were reading the chapters before we went to sleep every night :) Anyway, I'm so thankful to have great friends like Keely. Thanks, girl :) So. On with my devotion. A TEAM OF FOUR? A lot of times, churches talk about the trinity-- which is the binding of THREE people, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They're all connected, and it's like God separated into three people. Like I said, they're the same person, just in different forms. They go together, and make a team. However in today's re

John 13-15 Check out http://www.bible.gateway.com/ to read todays verses or go to the BIBLE READER to the right of this post. So Jesus does something big in the reading tonight. He washes his disciples feet. washing someones feet was usually done by the lowest ranking person in the room, it was a dirty job because everyone wore sandals on the dirt roads, plus everyone walked everywhere. When Jesus does this he knows that his time on earth is coming to an end and that he needs to teach his disciples another lesson: humility. We all need to take this lesson in, especially in the world we live in today, sometimes we think things are beneath us to do, maybe it's babysitting your little brother, moving the lawn, cleaning up the house, or something more. But we need to learn that we need to be willing to do God's work in the world, doing whatever it takes to get His message out there. Jesus tells his disciples- "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, s

John 11-12 So today Carly is currently unavailable and she asked me to take care of the blogs for today and tomorrow. I've written for her before once or twice and I feel so honored that she would choose me to help out :) My name is Keely, I haven't done this in a while so please forgive me if this makes no sense. Don't forget to read todays chapters at the BIBLE READER conveniently located at the right of this post, or at http://www.bible.gateway.com/ Well todays reading has a couple different lessons in it. The first starting off with Lazarus. Lazarus is the brother to Martha and Mary, mary is the girl who poured the perfume on Jesus's feet and dried it with her hair. When Lazarus got sick Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. Jesus waited two days to travel to Judea. When Jesus and the disciples arrived Lazarus had beed dead for four days. No one understood why Jesus had waited to come and why he hadn't healed Lazarus, and had let him die. Jesus replied "I'

John 9-10 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.bible.gateway.com/ WHY IS THERE SUFFERING? Cancer. Starvation. Poverty. Disease. Death. Again, I ask: WHY IS THERE SUFFERING? Many people have struggled with this question since the dawn of time. Why must good people suffer? Are they being punished? In Biblical times, it was believed that you or your parents sinned if you had a disability. People thought that lepers and blind people were that way because they were BAD people, and that God was punishing them for their sins. Sometimes people think that today, too. But the Bible does NOT teach that. In today's reading, Jesus was explaining why this man was blind. The disciples asked Jesus why he was blind, and if it was his or his parents' fault. I love Jesus' response: As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this

John 7-8 HOLD ON TO THE TEACHINGS. It's important to read the Bible. Maybe not every day, and it might not be necessary to blog about it... but the Bible is there for a reason. It might seem like a bother at times, but it's full of wisdom that will help you with whatever you're struggling with. And get this-- God wants you to listen to Jesus' teachings, too! It's not just me telling you, I promise. Listen to this: "...If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32 I hear you, "Yeah, Carly, that's great. We'll be free. The truth will set us free. Isn't that from some cheesy documentary or something?" Well, maybe... but that's not what I'm trying to talk about. In today's reading, Jesus talks about being free from our sins. Check this out: At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat

John 5-6 MOTIVES BEING QUESTIONED. This blog is a huge deal to me. It gives me a chance to get my thoughts down, and to vent about things that are bothering me, as well as keep track of what's going on in the Bible. It lets me try and apply it to my life, and hopefully have an affect of the people reading. Even though there are many great aspects of the blog, I'm beginning to see that some people disagree with my motives. Some people accuse me of doing this to try and convert people or something. Like I'm trying to force my faith down others' throats. I can assure you, I'm not trying to do that at all. I want people to have a place where they can discuss the Bible, and talk about what it means to them. Is that such a bad thing? A lot of people have asked my WHY I've continued posting everyday. It is a big task to accomplish, and I was wondering why I keep posting, too. Then I read the scripture. How come I didn't think of that earlier? Do not be amazed at t

John 3-4 WHAT'S THE BIBLE'S VIEW ON ETERNITY? I feel like the world gets SO many diverse opinions on eternity. There's one for every religion, and most political stances, and some TV networks... but which is right? Is there any way of really knowing? I thought I'd offer some views on eternity, supported by today's chapters in the book of John. John the baptist is the one who prepared people for Jesus' coming, so he can be trusted :) When I think of eternal life, I think of the verse that we've recited ever since we could speak. Coincidentally, it happens to be in today's reading. Listen to the word of God: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Let's break it down, shall we? I think this verse is perfect to answer the famous question. It's simple and to the point. First, GOD LOVES THE WORLD. He loves me, you, your parents, your enemies, your bes