Author Archives: chadzaucha

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Job 28:1-30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 22:7.

2 Cor. 2:14-16 (NIV)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. [15] For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. [16] To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

When you enter a room, does the presence of Jesus Christ in your life instantly impact the character of that room? We are called to be catalysts for Christ, affecting the culture wherever we go – salt and light, ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom. May the Holy Spirit within us be free to spread the aroma of Christ every moment of every day.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Job 16:1-19:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 22:1.

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)

 ¹³ Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.^[c] Be strong. ¹⁴ And do everything with love.

The victorious Christian life requires constant vigilance.  We are to be continually on alert and ready for Kingdom action.  I have begun to start each day with the simple question, “Lord, how can I serve you today?”  I fully expect that when I ask the question in sincerity and take the time to listen, I will get a clear response.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Job 8:1-11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 21:28-29.

⁵ “Without warning, he moves the mountains,
overturning them in his anger.
⁶ He shakes the earth from its place,
and its foundations tremble.
⁷ If he commands it, the sun won’t rise
and the stars won’t shine.
⁸ He alone has spread out the heavens
and marches on the waves of the sea.
⁹ He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
¹⁰ He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.

How great is our God!  Worship Him today!

Here is today’s Bible reading: Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29;
Proverbs 21:25-26.

Job 1:20-21 (NIV)
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship [21] and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”

How to Job respond to the tragedy in his life? He worshiped God. May our response be the same.

Job 2:10 (NIV)
He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Here is today’s Bible reading: Esther 1:1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20.

Proverbs 21:19 (NIV)
Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

I thank God for the blessing that my wife is. She is a Godly woman with a servant’s heart.  I am a far better man because of her.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18.

Proverbs 21:17 (NIV)
He who loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.

We have become a culture that values pleasure above all else.  We can blame Democrats and Republicans for our nation’s financial woes, but our lust for pleasure and its cost is ultimately to blame.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16.

1 Cor. 10:23-24 (NIV)
“Everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive. [24] Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

There are a lot of choices that we can make that are okay – but are they the best? How high are the standards by which you live your life? Are they standards worthy of one in the service of the King?

Here is today’s Bible reading: Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 21:13.

1 Cor. 9:24-27 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. [25] Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. [26] Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. [27] No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

This is a great passage on the heels of the Olympics. We greatly admire the discipline required to be great in athletics. But Paul tells us that it takes the same attitude toward discipline to reach our spiritual potential. Athletes need coaches and peers to push them to athletic excellence. Likewise, we need mentors and peers who will challenge us spiritually and hold us accountable.  Athletic training is painful.  It requires self-denial. Spiritual training, which is of far greater significance, also requires self-denial and an accompanying pain. But the reward for those who run the race well far exceeds the cost.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Nehemiah 7:61-9:21; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 21:11-12.

Neh. 8:2-3 (NIV)
So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. [3] He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

Neh. 9:2-3 (NIV)
Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. [3] They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

This is a beautiful picture of what true revival looks like:  people hungry for the Word of God, conviction of sin, and repentance.  The fact that we could not get away with reading aloud the Word of God for even a half hour in a worship service (let alone a quarter of the day), tells us something about our hearts and the fact that revival is yet to come.  Revival will come when our desire for God’s Word is greater than our need to be entertained.

Christy and I will be out of town for the next week catching a breath before the excitement of Fall ministry begins. I will not be blogging regularly during this week. There will likely be some sporadic Twitter updates (on the sidebar of this page).

Thanks to Tom for looking after Cleo and the house.