The dungeon of John the Baptist stinks with the stench of doubt. John is cut off from the evidence of Jesus’ saving grace. Perhaps prisoners with him taunt him: “No big changes happening outside your cell.” Now his voice cries in the wilderness of prison, “Are you really the Messiah we’ve been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else?” How the message from Jesus must have comforted him as a glass of cool, clear water to his parched spirit!

As great as is John, the least in the Kingdom is greater than he is. No matter what your circumstances, whether bound by the prison of doubt, or simply resting in the confines of your patio or summer garden—go deeper. There is within you an inner boundary of the Kingdom into which the Lord invites you to enter as his most intimate friend.

Matthew 11

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: “Come to me: I give you rest.” v. 28

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In the season of Pentecost this year we read Matthew 8 to 18.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Chapter 5 is like the fifth gear in a standard shift car. The previous four chapters have gathered the momentum of the past, so that Paul can have us cruise into the present. The verses flow easily, each one with a potential to open your spirit more and more to the power of God to drive your life.

Rejoice to rediscover what God has done to restore us to friendship with God. Just as in the case of the Psalm yesterday, spend today being deeply aware that friendship in all its depths is what God is offering to you in Christ.

From verse 12, Paul develops a comparison to continue his thought, this time setting Adam and Christ before you. Pray these verses slowly until you experience by faith the power of God’s grace to move you on the road of your life to its heavenly destination, empowered by the saving grace of God.

Romans 5

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Suffering makes endurance. v. 3

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the season of Pentecost this year we read Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

For all the Firestarters in the original version, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these Firestarters with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Tap on the image for a video meditation on Psalm 25.

Imagine you are at a great reunion. Almost everyone has arrived, including some you would rather not see. However, there is only one person that you really want to embrace. All your attention is on the loved one for whom you are waiting. Then the arrival—full joy, total attention, everything and everybody else recedes into the background.

That is how the psalmist is today. Waiting for the Lord and union with God are all that matters. The psalm breathes the air of expectancy and hope as the writer waits for God to intervene against all that is pressing upon him. Each verse blends with the next one, expressing growing intimacy with God.

Pray this psalm often in the course of your day as you take breaks to be with your closest friend who is also your God.

Psalm 25

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example: To You I lift up my soul. v. 1

We continue to follow the Psalms in numerical order.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information