Category: Unique and United

Aiming for Restoration – 2 Corinthians 13 – 2025 Day 264

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 52, 2 Corinthians 13

My heart breaks with Paul as he closes this letter. I know what it’s like to desire reconciliation and harmony with people who keep going back to their sin. It’s hard to stand by and watch as people continue to turn their backs on the goodness of God’s grace. But, ultimately, we aren’t in charge. We speak words of grace and truth, and we pray, and leave the results up to God.

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:11-14 ESV

Heavenly Father, I trust you in the good things and in the hard things. I know that often the hard things are the good things. Please encourage my heart so that I can encourage others. I pray for unity in the body of Christ. And I pray that the body of Christ would be a holy, separate people, unstained by the world. I pray that your children would be faithful to exhort their brothers and sisters to love and good deeds and to share the good news with the lost. Conform us to the image of your Son, Jesus Christ. May we be humble and kind and gentle and bold and courageous. In His Name I pray. Amen.

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New Creation in Christ – 2 Corinthians 5 – 2025 Day 256

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 44, 2 Corinthians 5

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV

Kelly Hall and I first met almost thirty years ago when I was a first year teacher at Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Missouri. Little did I know then how God would mightily use Kelly and her courageous faith in my life. Kelly and I had lost touch after exchanging annual Christmas letters for many years only to be reconnected when I discovered that my faithful Memphis-area prayer partner, Beth, also knew Kelly from their husbands’ mutual service in the air force in Texas! Isn’t God amazing?!? He is the great tapestry weaver.

I hope you’ll take a half-hour of your time to tune in to my interview on Kelly Hall’s Unshakable Hope podcast and subscribe, so you can be alerted as she releases new ones.

https://kellyhall.org/podcast/episode-19-from-out-spoken-atheist-to-devoted-follower-of-jesus-kim-endraske/

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TODAY’S PODCAST – Act Like Men: Stand Firm, Be Strong, Love Well – 1 Corinthians 16

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ACT LIKE MEN: Stand Firm, Be Strong, Love Well.

Or click HERE to watch it on YouTube.

Building Up the Body – 1 Corinthians 14 – 2025 Day 249

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 37, 1 Corinthians 14

I remember many years ago when my oldest daughter was about five years old and playing on our town’s youth soccer team. My husband was the coach, and I was standing on the sidelines keeping one eye on our two-year-old son and one eye on the game. Midway through the game, the ‘soccer mom’ standing next to me struck up a conversation with me. Somehow she ended up asking me where I went to church and if my church was spirit-filled. I didn’t really understand what she meant, and I just replied with a brief, somewhat confused, ‘Yes, we were,’ because, well, we believe that people are filled with the Holy Spirit when they are born again by faith in Christ. After talking to her more, I came to understand that she was asking me if we spoke in tongues. Why, I wonder, has “Spirit-filled” come to mean, “Speaking in tongues”?

Maybe because of my background as an atheist, I have always really struggled with the pettiness of so many denominational differences, so I have really enjoyed studying Paul’s words on spiritual gifts here in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 – 14. 1 Corinthians 14:12 sums up my thoughts really well.

So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV

Sadly, in my experience, including that day 20 years ago on the sidelines of a soccer field, the people who have talked to me about the gift of speaking in tongues have been more concerned with building up themselves than with building up the body. The scriptures are clear. If the Lord gives you a gift, it is to be used for building up others and glorifying God, not yourself. We ought to see ourselves as stewards of whatever it is that the Lord has given us, whether that’s time, treasure, talents, testimony, or a spiritual gift of speaking or serving.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who guides me and convicts me. Please help me to exercise the gifts You have given me for the building up of the body of Christ and for Your glory. Remind me that any good thing that I have is a gift from Your merciful hand, and any good thing I do is the fruit of Your work in my life. Keep me humble and grateful that Your light will shine such that people’s attention is drawn to You, the Gracious Giver of every good and perfect gift. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

God, the Uncreated One (King Forevermore) Official Lyric Video – Keith & Kristyn Getty
Today’s Podcast on YouTube

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Unity in the Church: A Symphony at Sunset – 1 Corinthians 12 – 2025 Day 247

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 35, 1 Corinthians 12

But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

1 Corinthians 12:24b-26 ESV

God could’ve created mankind to reproduce like clones, each new being identical to the others, but He didn’t. Rather, every single one of the billions of human beings who have ever lived was created as a unique individual, each one formed in the likeness of his or her Creator. And when a person is born again by faith in Jesus Christ, God endows them through His Holy Spirit with special gifts and interests, so that His children might all fit together as one breathtaking sunset of magnificently varying colors.

As I wrote yesterday, conflict is sometimes needed to bring about peace, but let’s remember the goal of this conflict is peace, wholeness, and unity, not division.

God designed the members of His church to live together in harmony, in one accord, each a valuable player in His heavenly orchestra, playing a symphony like no other, as we each produce our unique notes under His guidance, working together for His glory.

Heavenly Father, You are the giver of every good gift, the writer of every perfect song. You are the conductor of this orchestra that has been designed by Your hand to fit perfectly together as a masterpiece that even Beethoven could never achieve. I pray that we would trust Your direction and follow Your lead. Things may look messy to our untrained eyes or sound out of place to our untrained ears, but in Your perfect hands, there is peace. Weave us together into a tapestry of Your glorious design for the glory of Your Name, we pray. Amen.

For more on this topic, I recommend a 2-part message titled, “UNIQUE AND UNITED,” that I shared at our church women’s retreat a few years ago.

Ode to Joy – Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Hymn of Heaven – Phil Wickham
Today’s Podcast Episode

Or CLICK HERE to watch today’s podcast on YouTube.

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God’s Fellow Workers – 1 Corinthians 3 – 2025 Day 240

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 28; 1 Corinthians 3

He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9a ESV
  • Where are you preparing soil?
  • Where are you scattering seeds?
  • Where are you watering and tending new little seedlings?
  • Who has God placed in your life to work alongside?
  • Who are you partnering with in furthering the kingdom of God?

These are just a few questions to ask yourself that you might be transformed more and more into the image of Christ, who came to seek and save the lost and who chose a wide variety of disciples to serve with toward that end.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for putting women into my life to minister to me, as well as giving me women to serve. Thank You for the precious gift of a wonderful weekend full of sweet conversations and much-needed refreshment and encouragement. Thank You for the drawer full of sisters who sharpen me, each in their own unique way. I am so grateful, Lord. Everything I have is a gift from Your good hand. You say to whom much is given, much will be required, and I know that You have given me so much. Please, Father, take the things that You have given to me and multiply them in my hands, my mouth, and my life. Make me Your fellow worker for the glory of Your Name and the expansion of Your glorious kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings I pray. Amen.

“Song of the Saints” – Phil Wickham (acoustic version)
God’s Fellow Workers – Today’s Podcast on YouTube

Listen to today’s podcast HERE.

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Worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth – Deuteronomy 12-13 – 2025 Day 203

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 22, Deuteronomy 12-13

  • “Have it your way”
  • “Do what you want to do”
  • “Be yourself”
  • “Follow your heart”

Our modern American culture is screaming at us from every side to do whatever seems right to us, that everyone is different and should be free to express themselves however they want. Yet, Proverbs 14:12 says otherwise, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

Here in Deuteronomy we read that God has a specific place for the Israelites to worship Him and a specific way that He wants to be worshipped. He says “destroy … tear down … dash in pieces … burn … chop down” the places where false gods have been worshipped. God says, “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.” (Deuteronomy 12:2-4) God says, “Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? – that I also may do the same.'” (Deuteronomy 12:30)

Let’s not look to Eastern religions or rock concerts
for direction on how to worship God;
let’s look to the Word.

The Word tells us to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24), and “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28b-29). We are to “ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” (1 Chronicles 16:29) Let us, present our bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

A Psalm for giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5 ESV
Psalm 100 Psalter

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