VERSED

A popular misunderstanding of Jesus is that Jesus was softer and laxer on issues of sin and obedience than the Pharisees. That he was more “loving” than the traditions and laws and upended it. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus' view of sin was much more serious than a list of rules and His call to holiness much more radical.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

I heard Elisabeth Elliot define suffering as having something you don’t want or wanting something you don’t have. That can come in many extremes however big or small but it fits in that definition. There have been hard things in my life just like yours. I can’t say that I know what you’re going through but I can say that I know the one who knows. It’s through the deepest suffering that I’ve learned the deepest lessons. If we trust Him for it be can be assured that He’s got this, he has a loving purpose and he can turn something terrible into something wonderful and that suffering is never for nothing.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You are the average of your five closest friends?” Or another way “You are known by the company you keep?” It’s true right? I’ve found it to be. The people that we choose to surround ourselves with have a strong influence on our beliefs and actions. Until the day we die, the people around us and their expectations shape who we are and what we think. Today’s passage makes this very point as it calls us to acquire wisdom by walking with the wise.

It could be a question you've had for a long time. It could be a question you don't think you need to ask. It could be a question that you needed to be reminded of. Regardless, the answer will change your life. 

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

It could be a question you've had for a long time. It could be a question you don't think you need to ask. It could be a question that you needed to be reminded of. Regardless, the answer will change your life. 

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

We are reading from Ecclesiastes today written by a son of David and king over Israel, Solomon. He was a very wealthy and wise man who described life as a puzzle he couldn’t quite put together even though he was rich and smart and had so much at his fingertips.  It’s identified as the wisdom literature in the Bible like Proverbs that helps answer the questions: What is life? And is it worth it? It’s a book about life and how not to waste it. 

Solomon goes on a pilgrimage to find out the meaning of life and takes his readers with him on his binges of the pleasures of the flesh, the accumulation of wealth, and the reality of death. Solomon can truly say “Been there. Done that” to almost anything. We are reading the closing of the first chapter of Ecclesiastes where Solomon is summarizing the fact that Everything is futile, a pursuit of the wind and there is nothing new under the sun. Uplifting right? Well...I actually think so.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Are you in the midst of perpetual exhaustion? Where just to pick up your foot and place it in front of the other feels like you’ve run a marathon?  That everyone else seems to manage their lives better? Look at them! They’re amazing parents and I bet they’re managing their home and their jobs answering every single email. Maybe there’s something off with me spiritually? Do you feel like there’s a problem with you? That there’s this person in you that can thrive, is glowing, is attractive but your circumstances and exhaustion are pinning you down? Do you actually hate how your taxing life is affecting your relationships? I can say this because I’m there too. Right now. 

Sometimes it can feel like needing to take care of ourselves is wrong. That needing rest is giving up. That taking a break is being selfish. And maybe even to the point where you think it is a sin.

My encouragement comes from Jesus and today’s passage. Jesus got tired. Jesus needed rest. And no, we’re not stronger than him. 

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Think about all the things that you protect. Your passwords, your bank accounts, personal information, your family, your home, your cars, your marriage, and your relationships. We protect those things likely with greater vigilance than we protect and guard our own hearts.  We need to put our hearts on LOCKDOWN. Protect from what? Why? How? We talk about that today.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Paul’s joy at the mere thought of the Philippian church is undeniable in the letter, and it’s that same joy that he wanted the recipients to possess as well. To lead the Philippians to this truth, Paul took them directly to Jesus, teaching them that a community of believers living in harmony with one another comes only through mutual humility modeled after the Savior. Paul gives us some of the most profound reflections on the incarnation (God becoming a man) in the entire New Testament.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

God constantly uses the lives of people to teach us, to inspire us, to warn us. The Bible is filled with these biographies. Stories of truth, relevant to our everyday lives. For today's verse, we are going to zoom into the life of Joseph. This verse is what wraps up the entire story of Joseph. Think of it as the final line of the narrative. It all points to this. 

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Paul uses this phrase to frequently describe believers in his letters, “In Christ.” He uses the phrase 143 times. It’s said that he did this because he understood that all people struggle with sin that is rooted in an identity crisis. He knew that once they were awakened to their true identity “in Christ” that that knowledge would transform their desires, behaviors, and their lives. 

In today's passage, Paul says that when you are “in Christ” you become a new creation. It doesn’t matter if you have been “in Christ” for an hour or for 20 years. Being “in Christ” means you have a new position before God.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon