Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – Colossians 1:15-24 (day seven)

 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. vs 17

Do you ever find yourself asking God in retrospect where He was at when you needed Him? “Where were you God? Why did you not help me there?” Those questions reveal more about our understanding of God than they do His absence. If you listen closely, you will hear His reply, “I was there the whole time.”

Jesus is in all things! He does not just hold the whole world in His hands, his hands are what holds the whole world together. The interconnectedness of our universe points us to a Creator who is connecting all these things. From the device you are reading this on, to the walls surrounding you, to the very breath you breathe, Jesus is in all things. How might we become more aware of His presence, so that we may more readily invite Him into the difficult moments of our life? We need to know are never alone!

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day seven)

… present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

This week I came to a realization: I am not as young as I used to be. Some of you are now laughing at me, but as our bodies change with age, there are changes that we must choose to make. If I want to keep up with teenagers and toddlers, I need to make sure my body is up for the challenge. Not only is it about health, but this scripture tells us that it is a part of our worship. Our bodies are not our own. Our bodies have been given to us by God (in the image of God) to be given back to God in an act of worship.

The way that we treat our bodies is an indication of how we view God. In the Old Testament every sacrifice that was brought before God had to be Holy and acceptable. Deuteronomy 15:21 tells us that these sacrifices could not have defects, so as we look at what it means for us to present our bodies as a sacrifice in worship, we should work to remove the defects, spiritual and physical, that make it unacceptable. When we remember that our bodies belong to Him, He will help us make the decisions to keep it Holy!

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 31:8  (day seven)

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 pt. 2 (day seven) 

You wove me in my mother’s womb. Vs. 13b

The message behind our Imago Dei series is that we are all created in the image of God. With that being the case, we believe that life itself is sacred, a gift given to us from God that begins in the womb. We are entrusted protect these gifts at all costs. Every life is important, from the womb to the tomb. From conception to final breath, every person has a right to live this God ordained life.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Jesus came that we might live a full life and might lead all others into a full, joyful life with Him. The question becomes, do we care about the lives of others? We may call ourselves pro-life, but if someone followed our every steps and documented it, what proof would there be that we actually care about the lives of others? Do we do unto the least of these? Do we help widows and orphans? Do we care?

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 (day seven)  

And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me. vs 16

Your life is a story that has already been written. Some of us are in comedies, some of us are in tragedies, some of us are in dramas, but in reality, we will have a little of it all in our lifetime. You have probably already seen that to be true, but what you may not recognize is that the totality of our story, from beginning to end, is a true love story.

God wrote you into His story, knowing your flaws, knowing your habits, knowing that you will turn your back on Him. He wrote your name in His book. He loves you so much that despite your flaws, habits, and perpetual rebellion, He continues and will continue to love you. The coolest part of it all, is that your story, though it has already been written, is not over yet. God has a plan written down for the rest of your days. How will you engage in His love story today?

Re:Verse passage – John 9: 1-3 (day seven)

True Story: My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. A preacher showed up on her doorstep and told her that she needed to repent of her sin if she wanted to be healed. He made her feel like it was her sin that caused the cancer.

To be fair, sin did create it. Cancer is a product of the broken world we live in due to the fall. Cancer exists because sin exists. Yet, it is not the individual diagnosed with cancer who invited the sickness into their life due to poor choices. If that were the case, shouldn’t we all have cancer? Jesus plainly tells us here, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

My mother was healed. It was not due to her repentance (which I am sure she did and does often), but it was to display the works of God. Two years later, I was born. I exist because God exists. As do every one of us. We exist so that the works of God might be displayed.

Re:Verse passage – Revelation 5:9-10 (day seven) 

and they will reign upon the earth. Revelation 5:10b

Modern atheism would be defined as a a belief that there is no god, but the practice of modern atheism would point to a belief that you are your own god. This is the belief that each person is in charge of their own destiny and thus, their own god. Modern culture, even those who do not claim atheism, would encourage such behavior as well. Culture would tell you that you are the definer of your own truth, the maker of your own path, and the ruler of your own world.

The irony in all this is that through God, you are promised to rule the world. Despite our constant striving to be God, we find ourselves missing the very thing we have been working so hard to attain. We were in fact created to rule in this world, but we cannot rule without recognizing that we were first created to worship. When our priorities are correct, and we follow our Lord Jesus Christ, He will instill in us the desire and ability to lead others into joyful life with Him. This is our dominion.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:28-30 (day seven)

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son. Romans 8:29 

We tend to not like tension. It makes us uncomfortable. We view it as two opposites that are rubbing against one another, so we often try to avoid tension at all costs. In reality, or at least scientifically speaking, what we are attributing to tension is actually friction. Tension is two forces pulling against one another removing the slack that once lay between them. Tension straightens the line. When we feel tension in scripture, we should not run from it or glance over it because we are uncomfortable, rather, we should look at the the things which are causing the tension to figure out what it is that is being straightened out.

Here, many people will read the word predestined and attribute it to a certain line of thought. This may cause them to skip over the passage or jump to conclusions on what that word might mean, but if we let the tension pull us a little, we will look to see what is pulling on the other end. That would be a choice. That choice is to be conformed daily to renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). Conformity and foreknowledge are creating a tension that we may not fully understand, but we recognize that the presence of both are essential to our sanctification. That is a tension we can live in.

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 4:19–21 (day seven) 

One of the things I have noticed in our time here in Europe with the First Youth Worship, is that America is not the only country that is polarized. The tension that we are feeling and the issues we are facing in the United State are prevalent around the globe also. Why is that? Why are we so divided? You may be able to draw some conclusions that may attribute to the tension such as social media or cable news, but the short answer is that we are more divided than ever because the devil wants us to be.

We as christians need to be the peacemakers in the world to fight against the enemy’s division. We need unity. I get that it can be difficult in a time where a tribe may cancel you if you do not agree with their particular set of beliefs, but this passage sets the standard for us and sets the example for which we Christians should be striving: to love our brother. We cannot say we love God if we hold hatred or disdain for those who do not think the way that we think. We are called to love. Love your brother (love your neighbor) even when you don’t agree!

Re:Verse passage – Jeremiah 29:10–14 (day seven)

This passage contains another “coffee cup verse” or as I like to call them “tattoo verses.” These are verses that nominal Christians will know by heart, but it is obvious that they don’t recognize the context surrounding them. I saw many teammates in football who would have tattoos of Bible verses, but that ink was the only thing that told me they had ever opened a Bible.

People want to believe that God has a plan for them, plans that “give [them] a future and a hope.” Yet, they aren’t willing to go past that verse to see how God defines and modifies that promise. The future hope is only becomes fully recognized through personal prayer and sincere seeking. If you truly want to know the future that God has laid out for you, you have to be seeking Him, and in order to find him, you have to be seeking Him “with all your heart.” 

Do you feel like you are seeking God with all your heart? What do you think might happen if you put more effort into your seeking? Don’t you want to know what God might show you if you sought Him with all your heart!?