People in Jesus' time hated paying taxes as much as we sometimes do, even more so since they were paying them to the corrupt Roman government. So, was it right to pay taxes in such a situation? Some religious leaders tried to back Jesus into a corner with that very question. In today's verses, Luke 20:24,25 from the NLT, we find his response:
"Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
"Well then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God."
We should bear these verses in mind when we have a hard time of letting go of those things that belong to others, or of those things that belong to God.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
How many times have your heard Christians, or at least those claiming to be Christians, accused of being hypocrites (and often rightfully so)? It's one thing to say, "I'm a Christian," but it's something completely different to act like one. Today's verses, Galatians 5:25,26 from the NJKV, entreat us to walk the talk:
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
We should keep these verses in mind at all times as we make those moment-to-moment choices that affect the way we interact with each other and the world around us.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
We live in a world that's constantly changing, where something you depend on today may be gone tomorrow, or completely different. Change can be good, but it can also be confusing. It's reassuring to have at least one thing you can depend on to stay the same, one area of consistency in your life that you can put your trust in. In today's verse, Hebrews 13:8 from the NJKV, you'll find it:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
It's the perfect verse to bring to mind if you find yourself in the midst of change and need to place your spiritual feet on solid ground.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
It's amazing how many people have formed a negative opinion about God without ever having experienced Him for themselves. They base their opinion on hearsay, inaccurate information, or pretty much anything other than God Himself. Today's verse, Psalm 34:8a from the ESV, extends an invitation for each of us to check God out personally:
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
This verse is especially worth considering when you think about just how much may be at stake when you make your final decision about God.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
In show #105 we talked about the need to deal with anger as quickly as possible, ideally before the day ends. But what's the best way to do that? How should we respond when someone sins against us and feelings of anger or hatred are stirred up within us? Today's verse, Proverbs 10:12 from the NJKV, offers the answer:
Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.
This is a really great verse to keep in mind when we have a choice to react out of hatred or respond out of love!
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
Do you worry about financial and physical safety? We all do at one point or another, but our primary concern should be about spiritual safety since that's the only kind that can have an eternal effect on our lives. Today's verse, Psalm 16:1 from the NIV, is a simple prayer from David to God, asking for help in staying safe:
Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.
It's a great verse to commit to memory and use as a model for our own prayers for safekeeping.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
None of us like to suffer, obviously, but it's a part of life that sometimes we just have to go through. As long as we can't avoid it then, is it at least possible to benefit from it? According to today's verses, Romans 5:3,4 from the NIV, it is:
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
When we're going through difficult times, especially as Christians, these verse help to remind us that we are growing stronger through our trials.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
Christianity is often accused of being an exclusive club. While it's true that you do have to make a choice to be a member, God's invitation to membership is extended to everyone. Today's verse, Joel 2:32a from the NIV, makes this clear:
And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved.
Keep this verse in mind if you ever have doubts that God could want someone like you, or someone like them, to be part of His kingdom. He does.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
Anger is a difficult thing for most of us to handle, regardless of whether we're on the receiving or the giving end. While there are situations where it can be constructive, most of the time it's an indication that we have some unresolved issues we need to take care of! Today's verse, Ephesians 4:26b from the NLT, advises us to take care of these issues quickly, before they have a chance to grow:
Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry.
Thinking about this verse during challenging situations can help us deal with the cause of our anger at the source before it gets out of control.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
Finding someone you can trust unconditionally is virtually impossible. No matter how well-meaning people are, they have a tendency to change, to forget, or at the very least to put their needs over ours at the one time when we really need them not to. We all do this; it's part of being human. But there is one place we can put our trust and today's verse, Isaiah 26:4 from the NLT, tells us where:
Trust in the LORD always,
for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.
This is just one verse of many in the Bible that talks of God's trustworthiness and how He can be depended on from generation to generation. It's a good verse to keep in mind when life seems to be letting you down.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
There are so many different messages about Christianity circulating in society today, both good and bad, from within church walls and without, that it's often difficult to know what comes from men and what comes from God. Today's verse, James 3:17 from the NJKV
, provides a start in learning how to differentiate between the two:
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
If we keep this verse in mind as we listen to and read what others have to say about Christianity, it will quickly become clear whether we're hearing their perspective on the subject or God's.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
We have a choice as to the kind of legacy we leave behind when we depart from this world. Will we be remembered as someone who was constructive, destructive, or will will be hardly remembered at all? The simple choices we make each day will determine the answer to that question and today's verse looks at how God views those who make one type of choice. It's Isaiah 52:7 from the NIV:
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
Thinking about this verse will help us make different choices in the way we interact with others, choices that build up instead of tearing down.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
When someone says or does something against us, our first instinct is usually to fight back or, at best, to hold a grudge. That's not the healthiest approach though, and it's a good thing it's not the approach God takes with us! Our verse for today talks about this. It's Ephesians 4:32 from the NIV:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Thinking about this verse and how God has forgiven us can go a long way towards helping us be more forgiving towards others.
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
Sometimes life can seem overwhelming, and living the way we would like to can seem all but impossible. Our verse for today addresses this. It's Mark 10:27 from the NIV, and it picks up with Jesus talking with His disciples about the challenge of living a Godly life:
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
This is a good verse to keep in mind when life's challenges spring up!
God bless you!
Background music provided by and copyright Craig Anderson (dub4k.com).
