Grace Talks

Today I wanted to talk about a book of the Bible that has been sitting in my thoughts for the past couple of months. What was Malachi’s message? That while people looked to be serving God, their hearts were far from worship. The priests, the leaders in their faith, were causing many to stumble. There were cheap offerings being made in the temple, it was for show and a part of their routine. And the people blamed every trouble on God. And Malachi called them out for it. But his message from the Lord starts not with instruction or condemnation - but love and disbelief at the lack of understanding from the people.

For this Bible study, we get to read a short but powerful story about a woman who was at the end of her rope, but then reached out to a man of God in 2 Kings 4:1-7. If you’re looking for a message on trusting God in the midst of fear and unfortunate circumstances, I think this might just be for you.

For this month’s devotional, there was one verse in 2 Corinthians that is so encouraging, I knew I wanted to talk about it this month. So buckle in for a quick word about hope, renewal, and looking forward in faith.  

Additional Readings: 2 Corinthians 4-5; Romans 12; 1 John 3

This devotional looks a little different. Join in as I study 1 Corinthians in real time with you, and ask myself the question: Am I doing enough or am I finding worth in productivity?

For this Bible study, we’re learning about judging others, mercy, and fresh starts. To do that we will be leaning into the perspective of an unnamed woman found in the Gospel of John. 

For July, we aren’t talking about fear. We are talking about casting out fear. Because as often as I talk about God being a protector and a provider and someone to be our refuge, He is also a Father that calls us to step up and do battle with our enemy and his tactics.

And that’s all fear is. A weapon of the enemy. Isaiah 54:17 tells us that no weapon forged against us will prevail. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have to fight.

So how do we fight fear? Let’s ask God.

Additional Readings:

Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 41:10-13, Matthew 10:29-31, John 10:1-18, Philippians 4:6-7, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:6, 1 Peter 3:14

Listen in as my friend Joanie Fleischer and I talk about what it looks like to lead where you are, inside the church and outside of it. 

Additional Resources:

Busyness and rest; God’s response to our exhaustion; and an undivided heart. This June’s devotional focuses on the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18-19.    

Additional Bible Readings: 

Acts 2:37 ; Revelations 3:16 ; Genesis 2:2-3 ; Hebrews 4:9-11 ; Psalms 127:2 ; Exodus 33:14

For this month’s devotional, we are going to be diving into a story of healing in a hopeless situation, stepping into freedom, and the need to choose how you live and who you serve.     

Additional Readings:  

For this Bible study, I decided to commemorate Mother’s Day with an episode about a special mother of the Bible found in 1 Samuel 1-2. The story of Hannah involves comparison, jealousy, accusations, infertility struggles, grief, and answered prayers.