Inaugural Address

If Jesus were to give an inaugural address for his ministry, the Sermon on the Mount would be it. The message is for the disciples alone; the multitude far below is not ready for these words.

Matthew sees Jesus as the New Moses. He wants us to be aware of the lines of connection between the Mount of the Beatitudes and Mount Sinai. On Sinai God spoke face to face with Moses when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments; here God in Christ speaks face to face with the disciples. He invites you to be there and listen to the wondrous new ways of walking in the freedom of God’s kingdom in the intimate, face-to-face union with Jesus.

Jesus invites you to be his closest disciple. Will you let the Sermon on the Mount lift you to new heights of your awareness of self, so very close to God?

Matthew 5:1–20

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: The meek inherit the earth. v. 5

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In the seasons of Advent to Epiphany this year we read Luke 1 2; Matthew 1 7.

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.

Your Nine-to-Five Job

Practical Applications for Life:” such is this third and final division of Paul’s letter to the churches in the province of Galatia. Freedom and bondage; life and death: these are the two polarities. Ask the Lord to show you whether you are clinging to the freedom the Lord Jesus gives, or are losing the grip, swept away and bound up in external legalism. The opening inspiration is meant to startle you.

In freedom, you do the clinging; in bondage, an outside force does the clinging to you. God welcomes us to cling to the cross of Jesus to protect us from the vicious tide of evil that seeks to sweep us away.

Here is your “nine-to-five job:” take one of the nine fruits of the Spirit for each hour. The Spirit will birth them in you, one hour at a time.

Galatians 5

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the seasons of Advent to Epiphany this year we read Titus, Philemon, Galatians and Philippians.

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.

Engravings Every Hour

Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and Psalm 9:1-10.

Tap here for a video meditation on Psalm 9.

This psalm, together with next week’s Psalm 10, forms an acrostic: the first word of each two verse stanza begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This literary style provides a thread of unity in the absence of a more developed sequence of thought. Some early Bibles counted these two psalms as one.

When taken individually, each letter of an alphabet stands on its own. Do the same with each group of verses that make a stanza or strophe. Imagine each one printed or engraved upon your soul. The psalms are prayers of strong expression.

From the deep, inward experience of David and other psalmists, let each stanza make a powerful impression. You might engrave and shape every hour of your day by each one.

Psalm 9

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example: I thank You with my whole heart. v. 1

We read 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