Something Worth Thinking About with Randy Todd: Recent Episodes
Randy Todd
Something Worth Thinking About is a podcast by Randy Todd that aims to distract its listeners from thinking about the trivial matters of life in order to pull them into something worth thinking about–specifically, something from the Word of God. In the spirit of Philippians 4:8-9 each episode shares a short reading from Scripture and a few words from Randy to encourage the listener both to think more deeply about life in Christ and to find ways to put Christ's life-giving teachings into practice in our daily lives. It is more than power of positive thinking, it is the power of Gospel thinking.
This podcast explores several of the compelling similarities between the original setting for why Hebrews was written in the 1st century and why the church needs to hear this same message today in the 21st century. The letter to the Hebrews is incredibly relevant as a letter to Christians today.
During the Christmas season we are reminded of a lot of angel stories that are now very familiar to us. But do you know the very first angel story? Do you know who this angel visited? In today's podcast we want to encourage our hearts with the original angel story in Scripture. God sees and hear ordinary people like you and me. This is what this story is all about.
In today’s podcast we want to talk about the way God works through ordinary people like you and me by considering again the story of John the Baptist. When we look at our world and start to feel like the darkness is deepening, when we wonder about the future of God’s people in our world, we need to remember the story of God at work long ago in the dark and difficult days that led up to the coming of Christ. God sent John the Baptist to prepare people for the coming of the Lord. Today God is sending the likes of you and me to again prepare people for the coming of the Lord in glory.
In today's podcast we want to linger over the thought that for the follower of Christ every day is to be Thanksgiving Day. It is God’s will in Christ Jesus for us to give thanks to God in all circumstances. But, if we are not careful, we will find ourselves getting sucked into the overwhelming anxiety, negativity, and pessimism of our age that breeds constant complaining. With God’s help we can resist this spirit of complaining. With God’s help we can let every day be Thanksgiving Day.
In today’s podcast we want to challenge ourselves to stop taking everything in our life for granted—especially people and all that they do for us, and especially God and all that our God does for us. In Luke 17 there is an incident in the life of Jesus that underlines the importance of taking the time and making the effort to thank God for what the Lord has done for us. Before we sit in judgment on the mistakes others made in this story, we need to ask ourselves where we are in this story. When is the last time you stopped whatever you were doing to say, "Thank you, Lord"? This is what this story is about.
In today’s podcast we want to be challenged by the story of two people who I dare say had every right to complain and gripe against the Lord, but they chose not to. Instead of grumbling, they prayed to God and sang hymns to the Lord. In spite of what they were going through, in spite of how bad things were, instead of giving into the impulse to wallow in self-pity or anger and frustration, they chose to hold onto the spirit of joyful thanksgiving to God. And if they could do this, so can you and I.
In today's podcast we want to think about the importance of giving thanks to God in every circumstance. Instead of being stuck in criticizing and complaining, God wants us to live with joy and gratitude in our hearts. The joy of the Lord is our strength. The miserable spirit of constant complaining and criticism will be our downfall. There are many places in Scripture where we are reminded of this. Today we want to hear 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
In today’s episode we want to take a few minutes to think about what it means to be holy. A lot of us are intimidated by this word “holy.” We feel like it’s absolutely impossible to be holy. We are convinced that we will fail miserably. We know ourselves too well. But I want to encourage you to think differently about what it means to be holy by considering the Word of God in 1 John 4, where we are reminded both that God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. And that changes everything.
In today’s podcast we want to ponder the opening lines of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the ancient church in Corinth. This was a church chock-full of some pretty serious behavioral problems and significant misunderstandings of the Gospel of Jesus. Yet Paul opens this letter with these encouraging words of affirmation. "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy. . ."
In today’s podcast we continue exploring this absolutely incredible thought that God is calling you and me to be holy as he is holy. God wants us to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. This is not a simple little task or goal. This is epic in every sense of the word. Our God is both calling and empowering us to change the way we live our lives. Now that we have come to know Jesus as Lord, we are to crucify the sinful desires and impulses of the flesh. Instead of letting these desires control us, we are to let the Holy Spirit of God guide us so that we bear the fruit of the Spirit in everything that we do.
In today’s podcast I want to speak into the tragic events that took place today at a high school located in Arlington, Texas, the city where I live and proudly call home. We were reminded again today that we live in a broken world. I want to remind you again today that in Christ Jesus our Lord, we live in hope, not despair. We live in hope for healing and redemption and a future full of love, peace, and joy.
Welcome to Episode 86. In today’s podcast we want to explore the other side of grace as explained in Titus 2:11-14. Grace is not only about our salvation, grace is also about our sanctification. That is, grace is about being changed and transformed into the likeness of Christ. Just as Jesus was the one who enabled the blind to see and the lame to walk, God is the one who enables us to be holy just as he is holy in all that we do. Just as salvation belongs to the Lord, the battle belongs to the Lord too!
In today’s podcast we want to explore the Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. The Apostle Paul urges us to explore and pursue the will of God for our lives in such a way that we please God more and more in everything that we do, including in what we do with our bodies. . . sexually. It is a very private and deeply personal matter, and it is something that deeply matters to God. Our God wants us to be holy and honorable in what we do with our bodies sexually. We need to hear this and we need to think about this. This is God's will for all of us.
Rest assured that today’s podcast is PG and family friendly. And rest assured that today’s podcast is not about American politics or policies. Today’s podcast, as always, is about the will of God. It is God’s will that you be sanctified. This is something worth thinking about.
In today’s podcast we want to continue to explore God’s call on our lives to be holy as he is holy. This calling is given to us in clear and explicit terms in 1 Peter 1:13-16. Instead of being intimidated by this high and holy calling, we need to believe that with God all things are possible. By the power of his Holy Spirit living and working within us, we can be holy in all that we do. We were all once dead in our sins, but God has made us alive in Christ. So, we can rise above our past. We can live up to this high and noble calling in Christ, because our God is the one who is making all this possible. If God can empty himself and become like us in every way as the Gospel of Jesus declares, why do we doubt that God can fill us in every way, so that we become like him? Let’s think and reflect on this together.
In today's podcast we explore the reality of belief and unbelief living side by side in our hearts. We believe, yet we have doubts. And we especially seem to doubt the idea that we can become and be holy in all that we do—even with the help of our God with whom all things are possible. God has called us to be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). Is God asking the impossible from us? Do we really believe God is setting us up for failure? Or do we believe Jesus who once said that everything is possible for the person who believes?
Today begins a new emphasis. We want to spend a few weeks rediscovering and rethinking about God’s work in our lives to sanctify us through and through, God’s work to make us holy, and also to rediscover and reflect on God’s call on our lives to be holy in all that we say and do. We are to be holy as God is holy. It is a high and holy calling that everyone who confesses Jesus is Lord is to answer and pursue according the power of God that is at work in each and every one of us. Today's podcast explores Hebrews 12:14-29 that begins with these compelling words, "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
In today’s podcast we wrap up the summer focus on our fellowship with God by considering the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 1:9. God has called you into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
In today’s podcast we will continue exploring the incredible idea presented to us in the Word of God in 1 John 1:3, our fellowship is with God. Today we want to consider the way Hebrews 2:11-18 explains our fellowship with God. The first step in the process of our coming into the fellowship of God was when Jesus became like us and joined the human family as he was born in Bethlehem so long ago. So the writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.” Jesus became a part of our fellowship as human beings so that we might become a part of the fellowship of God.
In today’s podcast we want to hear the incredible words of Romans 8:37, that we are super-hyper-mega-ultra conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord. Even when all of the evidence suggests that we are losing and all hope is lost, the reality is that we are more than conquerors and will overcome because we belong to the eternal fellowship of God. Specifically, the God who suffered and died and overcame death and all of the powers of darkness by his resurrection back to life on the third day. Since we belong to this fellowship, since we belong to Christ, since the Spirit that raised Jesus back to life now lives in us, we really and truly are more than conquerors.
In today’s podcast we want to think about what the Word of God says happens every time we pray. We want to hear again Romans 8:26-27 and the promise made to us that whenever we pray, we are never alone. God’s Spirit prays with us. God’s Spirit prays for us. God’s Spirit intercedes for us in our prayers. We never pray alone. The Spirit helps us. This is what the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27. This is yet another way that we live in fellowship with God. And this is what we want think about in today’s episode.
In today’s podcast we want to let our hearts be encouraged by the hope that we have that one day our bodies will be completely redeemed. This is the Word of God in Romans 8:23. We are eagerly waiting for the redemption of our bodies. What does this mean? Why is it so important? It is all about our complete and full fellowship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In today’s podcast we want to explore this idea in Romans 8:17 that we too often gloss over or ignore. Paul says that we are children of God, heirs of God and co-heir of Christ, “if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” The suffering and glory of Christ go hand in hand. Let's explore this a bit today.
In today’s podcast we will hear Romans 8:12-17 and emphasize two incredible ideas. First, by the Spirit of God we cry out to our God, “Abba, Father,” just as Jesus did in the garden on the night he was betrayed. Second, we are not only heirs of God, we are co-heirs with Christ. Let’s get excited to think and ponder about these things, and to change our lives on the basis of our hope that all this is true.
In today’s episode we want to think and talk about what it means to live according to the Spirit as Paul describes it in Romans 8:5-14.
In our last podcast we highlighted a lot of the incredible things the Apostle Paul says about our fellowship with God in Romans 8. For the next week or so, the upcoming podcasts will explore and unpack the concepts and ideas that Paul lays out for us here. These truths are deeply rooted in the Gospel reality that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. They are our new reality. We need to believe and understand all that this means for us.
In today’s podcast we simply want to let our hearts be encouraged by all of the different ways that the Apostle Paul describes and explains what it means that we have fellowship with God in Romans 8.
In today’s podcast we want to hear the Word of God in Romans 8:32. Our God intends to give us all things, to give us everything that is his. When Christ returns in glory, God will give us the kingdom prepared for us before the beginning of time. And since time began, God has been at work all in all things to bring about the good he has in store for all of us. Don’t doubt the power and goodness of God. Live by faith, not by sight.
In today’s podcast we continue to explore the theme of our fellowship with God by considering the way John describes this in 1 John 4:13-16.
In today’s podcast we will continue exploring the theme of our fellowship with God. We want to hear again the compelling message of 1 John 4:7-12 and this incredible thought that “if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
In today’s podcast we will want to begin to explore everything that John meant when he said in 1 John 1:3 that our fellowship is with God. Specifically, we will begin to unpack 1 John 4:7-12 and the call of God on our lives to live in God’s love so that we love one another as God has loved us. It is an honor and a privilege to belong to the fellowship of God. And for those who belong to this sacred fellowship, God’s love is what is to define our lives. So much so that John says that if we do not love, we do not know God, because God is love.
In today’s episode we want to take a deeper dive into 2 Corinthians 5:13-19. What else is here? What more do we need to hear and take to heart so that we look not only at Jesus and ourselves, but also everyone else with a point of view that is fully informed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord?
In today’s podcast we want to think about how we look at our world. How do we measure the value and the meaning of our lives? In spite of what we say about how we measure our lives, perhaps the more honest question is to ask, What makes us feel good about our lives and what makes us feel badly? What makes us feel like our life matters versus what makes us feel unimportant and insignificant? All of these are important questions worth probing. But we want to do this probing in the light of our faith, hope and conviction that Jesus is Lord. Along the way, we will look at both Isaiah 53 and 2 Corinthians 5:16 to guide us in our thoughts about how we measure the worth and the value of our lives.
In today’s episode we want to hear some profound words about the Gospel reality of our lives. Christ is Lord of both the living and the dead. Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. In life and in death, we are Christ’s. No matter what, we live and die to the Lord. This is an exciting thought, and it is a sobering and convicting thought that is to guide and shape our lives in such a way that it moves beyond simply an idea to become the reality we fully embrace and pursue. We live to the Lord, who lived and died and now lives again for us.
In today’s episode we want to consider the serious implications of our fellowship with God. The Apostle Paul wrote some incredibly strong words about this in 2 Corinthians 6 that conclude in 7:1 with his appeal that we would “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” We must honor God’s presence in our midst by the choices that we make and the things that we do. To do otherwise is to dishonor our Lord and to disgrace the name of Jesus by which we are saved.
In today’s episode we want to think about what it means to come into the glorious presence of God in the very Holy of Holies in the original and true sanctuary of God in the heavenly realms, the very place where Jesus presented his blood to cleanse us from all sin and make us holy to the Lord. The writer of Hebrews invites us not only to imagine entering this sacred space, he urges us to enter the Most Holy Place with absolute confidence, not in ourselves, but in the redeeming work of Christ. We aren't here just to hang with God, we are here to serve as the priests of the Lord.
In today's podcast I hope to encourage you with the incredible thought that no matter where you go, no matter what you go through, the Lord your God is always with you. He will never leave you. He will never abandon you. He is always right there with you and for you. This is the idea that the psalmist explored long ago in Psalm 139. Let’s hear how the psalmist put it, and let’s think about what this means for us today.
In this podcast we want to consider the ultimate expression of fellowship—sharing your life with someone, as in, sharing absolutely every aspect of your life with someone. And since our fellowship is with God, this means that we are sharing our life with God in response to the Gospel proclamation that God is sharing his life with us. In John 14:23-24 Jesus tells us that both he and the Father will make their home with those who love him. This is what we want to explore in this episode.
We have in the words of 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 a beautiful expression of what it means to live in fellowship with God. In today's episode I hope to encourage your heart with these words of the Apostle Paul that describe the way our God helps us to keep going when it feels like everything is against us. Instead of losing heart and giving up, we look to our God to provide the renewal and hope that we desperately need. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. This is what we want to think about today.
In today’s Wednesday episode we want to reflect on a prayer blessing we find in Scripture that helps us to bring the grace of our God AND our fellowship with God into the same conversation. The passage I have in mind is 2 Corinthians 13:14, which says, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Grace is more than forgiveness. It is everything that comes from belonging to the fellowship of God.
In today’s podcast we are picking up where we left off in Episode 58. We return to Ephesians 2 to hear what else the Apostle Paul said about what God has done for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul tells us that there is more to the Gospel of Jesus than being saved from death. God has both saved us from something and God has also saved us for something. God has saved us from death and God has saved us for life. Grace is bigger than we thought. There is more to grace than forgiveness. Grace is about total redemption. This new life in Christ is what we want to think about in today’s episode.
In today’s podcast we return to Ephesians 2 where the Apostle Paul said something that is mind-blowing. God has already raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus! Get ready to be encouraged by this incredible Apostolic teaching that reminds us, as always, that we live by faith, not by sight.
In today’s podcast we turn our attention to the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23 to hear how Paul is praying for God’s people to come to know and understand what it means to be in fellowship with God, so that we live a life that is full of the love, hope, joy and purpose that comes from the full participation in the life of God that is made possible for us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In today's podcast (Episode 56) we move forward in our exploration of this incredible Gospel truth of our fellowship with God. We will look at 1 John 1:5-2:2 and discover that our fellowship with God means that we also have fellowship with one another. John throws us a curveball as he unpacks all of this. Instead of saying that if we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with God—which is what we would expect— John says that if we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. We cannot have fellowship with God and opt out of fellowship with one another. The two Gospel truths go hand in hand. Listen, reflect and then pray about all of this today.
Today we begin a new emphasis that will take us through the summer of 2021. We belong to the fellowship of God. This is not an overstatement. This is a Gospel statement. And this is what we want to explore and think about and pray about all summer long. Our fellowship is with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the Word of God in 1 John 1:1-3. This is where we will begin in today’s episode as we ask ourselves the all-important question, "What does it mean to be in fellowship with God?"
1 Corinthians 15:16-18. In today’s episode we want to think about what the cross of Christ would mean without the resurrection. For obvious reasons, many Christians tend to focus especially on the cross of Christ. But it has not always been this way. The emphasis of the preaching of the Apostles was Christ is raised, not Christ is crucified. Every knew Jesus had been crucified at the decree of Pontius Pilate. This was old news. The Good News is that Jesus is raised! This is literally the beating heart of the Gospel. This is what we want to think about in today’s episode.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3. Today we want to hear an ancient prayer of optimism that I hope will inspire us to pause and reflect on the good people in our lives, the good people in our world today, so that we give thanks to God for who they are what they do. Don't get stuck on all the problems in the world. Take the time to name the people in your life and in our world for which you are thankful to God.
In today’s episode we want to think about what it must have been like for the early followers of Jesus as they eagerly waited for the promise of Jesus to be fulfilled. They were all gathered together in Jerusalem waiting for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on them. What were they doing while they were waiting? They devoted themselves to prayer. There is certainly something for us to learn from this as we wait for another promise of Jesus to be fulfilled. . . the Lord’s return in glory!
We are now just a few days away from Passover Sunday on May 23. This is the anniversary of the day Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on his disciples, just as he had promised. In today’s episode we want to take a few minutes to explore exactly what happened in Jerusalem on that Pentecost day and why it matters to us today.
Today we want to focus on the matter of Christian prayer. We need to be devoted to daily prayer. Every Christian ought to be praying continually. I hope today’s podcast will encourage you to pray more faithfully in light of our Lord's return to the heavenly realms to present his blood in the sacred sanctuary made without hands. Hebrews 2:11-18 and 4:14-16 tell us that we can approach God's throne of grace with confidence because Jesus knows what it is to be tempted by sin. He gets it. He understands. And he can help us.
In today’s episode we want to think about what it must have been like for the Apostles when Jesus was taken up before their very eyes to return to the Father in glory. This event is known as the Ascension and it took place a little over a week before Pentecost, the day when Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on all of his disciples and the Gospel of Jesus was announced publicly through the preaching of the Apostles. We will talk about the events of Pentecost on Friday’s podcast. Today we want to talk about Christ’s ascension. Thursday of this past week was the anniversary of this event that happened nearly 2000 years ago. What does Christ’s return return to the heavenly realm to take his seat at the right hand of the Father in glory mean for us today? This is what we want to pause to think about in today’s episode.
In today’s episode we want to hear and think about an ancient prayer of confidence and hope. Today’s prayer is a very simple and short prayer that exudes faith and hope. It is, "Marana tha!" or when translated, "Lord, come!" If we dare to pray this prayer, hopefully it will shape our day, our attitude, our behavior, our outlook and our aim. The hope at the heard of this simple prayer is what we want to explore in today's episode.
In today’s episode we want to keep thinking about everything the Apostle Paul said about resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Specifically, we want to hear what Paul said about Christians and the Christian faith, if there is no resurrection. He does not pull any punches. He says that if there is no resurrection, then Christians are to be pitied more than anyone else. For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the beating heart of the Christian faith. If Jesus is not raised, then all hope is lost.
In today’s episode we want to explore what might be surprising, if you do not already know this. There are people living in the world today who identify themselves as Christian, but they deny that Jesus of Nazareth has been raised from the dead. This is not, however, a new thing. During the days of the Apostles of Christ, there was at least one church where some of the members, people who identified themselves as Christians, people who said that Jesus is the Christ of God, also denied the resurrection of Jesus. In today’s episode we want to think about how the Apostle Paul responded to this curious situation.
In today’s episode we want to consider the discrepancy between the number of followers of Jesus in Paul's report in 1 Corinthians 15 versus the number in Luke's report in Acts 1. If Jesus appeared to over 500 of the disciples after his resurrection, how come there are only 120 gathered together in Jerusalem as they waited for the Lord to send power from on high?
In today’s episode we want to hear the incredibly bold prayer of confidence and hope that the Apostle Paul prayed for God's people long ago. God's power, the power God exerted to raise Jesus back to life so that he will never die again, this same power is at work in and among God's people today! And Paul prayed that our eyes will be enlightened and opened to this incredible reality! Know it, believe it, and live it! It's all there in Ephesians 1:15-23.
In today’s episode we want to consider one of the trustworthy sayings that the Apostle Paul gave to God’s people long ago. I’m not sure it is as familiar to us as it ought to be, but I am confident that we will fully resonate with it’s truth. If we will take it to heart, it should inspire us to live for Jesus every day. After all, it all begins with this admonition, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, . . .”
In today’s episode we will hear another ancient prayer of confidence and hope. Today we will hear the prayer Jesus prayed about himself before he went to the garden of Gethsemane. The tone of this prayer is strikingly different from the prayer in the Garden. We are more familiar with the prayer in the Garden. We need to hear and consider this prayer too..
In today’s episode we will explore the bold affirmation of the Apostle Paul that although according to the flesh Jesus was descended from David, according to the spirit of holiness Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.
In today's episode we want to go to the upper room with Jesus to listen and reflect on the prayer he prayed for God's people long ago. He was praying specifically for the Eleven disciples who remained in the room with them, but the need for God's protection from the evil one expands to include all of us. We should take this prayer to heart and pray this same prayer today, both for ourselve and for followers of Jesus all around the world.
In today’s episode we will think about the moment when Jesus told Peter that he would glorify God by his death. Instead of being encouraged and energized by this hope for redemption, Peter looked at John and then said to Jesus, “What about him?” Why did Peter do this? Why do we do this? And what would Jesus say to us that he said to Peter long ago?
In today’s episode we want to walk with Jesus and the disciples on the beach beside the sea when Jesus reaffirms Peter's calling to be an Apostle of the Lord. Peter had blown it, but Jesus did not write him off and cast him aside. Instead, Jesus reaffirmed him.
In today’s episode we want to hear another example of how people who lived in the days of Jesus struggled to believe the Good News that Jesus has been raised from the dead. Believing something so incredible is not just a modern challenge. It has always been a challenge. And it always will be. This is what we want to think and reflect about today.
When Thomas Finally Saw The Risen Lord
In today’s episode we want to be in the room with Jesus and Thomas when Thomas finally gets to see the risen Lord. It must have been a special moment for Thomas. He was the last of the Eleven to see Jesus after the resurrection. His story is important for us because we too at times can wrestle with doubts about the good things we have heard about Jesus. We too need to stop doubting and believe.
In today’s Wednesday episode we want to reflect and think about a courageous prayer of faith that is found in Scripture. Today’s prayer is one of the prayers of Christ. It is believed to be the first words that Jesus spoke from the cross. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
In today’s episode we want to explore a curious phenomenon. The Apostles of Jesus doubted their eyes and their ears when they first heard the resurrection stories of Jesus! Even though they had walked with Jesus and seen all kinds of things that no doubt would make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, they balked when the women came back from the empty tomb to report to them what the angels had said and what Jesus himself had said when they encountered him on their way to tell the disciples the exciting news. What gives? Why did they doubt? This is what we want to explore and think about in today’s episode.
In today’s episode we want to go with the women early in the morning to the now empty tomb of Christ Jesus our Lord. The women returned from the tomb with one story, and the solders who had been guarding the tomb returned with a different story. Guess what? The same thing is happening today! The church and everyone alive today who believes Jesus is Lord says, “Christ has risen just as he said!” Everyone else has a different story. What we believe makes all the difference in the world.
Today is the day that Jesus was crucified long ago. It was a dark, sad, confusing, and scary day. If people and the powers that be will do this to the Son of God, what hope is there for any of us? But Sunday is coming and hope will be restored. In today's podcast we simply want to hear what Jesus had to say as he was dying on the cross. What were his last words? Let's hear them, reflect on them, and treasure them up in our hearts.
In today's episode of Something Worth Thinking About we will consider the time when Peter denied knowing Jesus almost immediately after pledging his willingness to die with Jesus. We want to think about how this story encourages us to keep seeking and serving the Lord, even when we, like Peter, have failed to honor our pledges of loyalty to Jesus, even when we too have denied Jesus by our actions. Our Lord still wanted Peter to serve him and his sheep. He wants the same of you and me today.
In today's episode we go with Jesus to the grove of olive trees where he prayed fervently for the Father to take the cup away from him. He announced that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Yet the disciples all fell asleep. We learn something incredible about Jesus in this prayer and everything that happened after he prayed it.
In today’s episode we want to sit with Jesus and the disciples in the upper room when Jesus drops the bombshell on them. Jesus announced to the entire group that one of them is going to betray him. They were already struggling to comprehend the idea that Jesus is going to be crucified. And now he tells them that one of the Twelve will be instrumental in the events that will lead to the cross. It was a lot to process. And this is what we want to explore in today’s episode.
In today's episode we will consider the moment in the upper room when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. What did he want us to learn from his example and the teaching that followed?
Episode 27 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we want to look at this moment in the life of Jesus that we find Jesus doing something that feels so different from what we typically expect when we think about Jesus. Jesus made a whip, went into the Temple courtyard, tossed over tables, drove out animals, and made a scene! It seems safe to say that Jesus was angry! What on earth?! What would drive Jesus to do this? What do we learn about Jesus in this moment? And what should we learn about ourselves and our passion for God’s house today? This is what we want to explore in today’s episode.
Episode 26 of Something Worth Thinking About. Today's episode explores the scene when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the loud cheers and praise of the crowd. "Hosanna!" they shouted. They welcomed Jesus and celebrated him. It must have been a wonderful moment for him. Yet, even then Jesus knew how the week would progress. The crowd would soon be shouting, "Crucifiy him!" and he would be handed over to die on a cross.
Episode 25 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today's episode we will examine the Lord's prayer in John 17. Jesus prayed that everyone who comes to believe that he is Lord will be one in the same way that Jesus and the Father are one. This is God's vision and hope for his people. This is to be our prayer too.
Episode 24 of Something Worth Thinking About. Today marks the beginning of a new emphasis in our time together each day in the Word of God. This is the season of Passover, so this is the time of year that almost 2,000 years ago Jesus went to Jerusalem, celebrated the Passover with his disciples, and was crucified at Calvary, buried in a tomb and raised back to life on the third day. For the next few weeks we want to explore the stories and events leading up to and surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the church into this world. We will begin this emphasis by looking at the pivotal moment when Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do you say I am?" as recorded in Matthew 16.
Episode 23 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today's episode we finish our look at the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus wraps it all up by telling a simple parable about a wise man and a foolish man. He then compares this to what we do with his teachings. Do we hear them and do nothing in response to his teachings? Or, do we hear his teachings and put them into practice? One of these is like the wise man and one of these is like the foolish man. Which one are you?
Episode 22 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today's podcast we explore the unexpected teaching from Jesus that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? Jesus explains what he means. We need to hear it and we need to take it to heart. It's all right there in Matthew 7:21-23.
Episode 21 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today's episode Jesus tells us how to spot a false prophet or religious leader from a mile away. Even though they may look good on the outside, you can always tell who they really are by looking at the fruit of their life.
Episode 20 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today's episode we will explore the heart of the courageous prayer of hope and faith in Psalm 51. Yes, it is a prayer seeking God's mercy and forgiveness. But it seeks more than this. It seeks healing, hope, and joy. Through this prayer we ask God to create in us a pure heart, and to give us a willing spirit to sustain us in this new way of living and being.
Episode 19 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we will hear Jesus warning us of the danger of simply going along with the crowd and doing what everyone else is doing. “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” So it really should give us pause if our lives and our priorities are essentially the same as everyone else’s that we know. Jesus compels us to enter through the narrow gate and chose the path less taken.
Episode 18 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we will explore the incredible and powerful prayer of hope and confidence found in Ephesians 1:15-23. It is a prayer that we should know, and it is a prayer that we should pray, because it is a prayer for our God to do amazing things to help us live faithfully and courageously in this world until Christ returns again in glory. It is a prayer for God to open the eyes of our hearts and give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know him better.
Episode 17 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we want to take some time to hear a very familiar teaching of Jesus that we know simply as the Golden Rule. We all know it. In principle we all agree with it. But we don’t always live up to it. So let's spend some time today thinking more deeply about the Golden Rule.
Episode 16 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we continue in our journey through the Sermon on the Mount and will hear about what Jesus taught us about being persistent in our prayers with absolute confidence in the goodness of our Father to give us what we ask of him. Ask, seek, and knock!
In episode 15 of Something Worth Thinking About we will be hearing what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about judging others, and the importance of dealing with our own sins first. For most of us this is a lot easier said than done. But Jesus said it and he clearly expects us to do it.
Welcome to Episode 14 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we want to hear what Jesus about not worrying and how he connected this instruction to faith in God. He didn't tell us not to worry because it is bad for your health. He told us not to worry because worry will keep us from storing up treasure in heaven. Worry will push us to store up treasure on earth. Don't worry about tomorrow. Trust God to provide everything that will be needed tomorrow, so that you can seek first his kingdom and righteousness today.
Welcome to Episode 13 of Something Worth Thinking About. Today is a Wednesday episode, so that means we will be hearing an ancient prayer of faith and hope. Today’s prayer is one of my personal favorites and can be found in Psalm 25. It is a beautiful, courageous prayer of faith and hope that asks God to guide us in his ways while he forgives us of our sins and remembers us according to his great mercy and love.
Welcome to episode 12 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we will hear what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about storing up treasure in heaven! How do you do that? Jesus told us how, as did the Apostle Paul. Today we want to think about the things that they said, and why it is so important for us to do this.
Welcome to Episode 11 of Something Worth Thinking About. Today we will hear what Jesus said about fasting to the Lord. In addition to what Jesus said about fasting this text, we will also take a few minutes to talk about the merits of fasting, especially for the sake of those of us who belong to a church that does not typically stress the practice of regular fasting. There are reasons for us to take up this ancient practice of faith in our lives today.
This is episode 10 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we will hear from Jesus on a few things we should keep in mind as we pray to God. This will include the famous Lord’s Prayer that Jesus gave us to show us how simple a prayer can be. Anyone can pray. Everyone ought to pray.
Welcome to episode 9 of Something Worth Thinking About. In today’s episode we will consider what Jesus said about our motives for doing good. Why are we doing the good things that we do? Jesus will tell us that our motives matter. Simply put, bad motives are bad. So Jesus gives us an antidote for what to do when we know that are motives are misplaced.
This is episode 8 of Something Worth Thinking About. It’s a Wednesday, so that means that in today’s episode we will be looking an ancient prayer of faith and hope to encourage us in the way we pray, and to shape the way we look at our world through eyes of faith with a heart that trusts and hopes in a faithful God of love and compassion. Colossians 1 shares with us a powerful prayer for God to be at work in our world to do extraordinary things in and through the lives of ordinary people like you and me. This is what we want to hear and think about today.
In today's episode we will hear what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about loving our enemies. Jesus pointed out that if we love the people who love us, we are like everyone else, because everyone does this. But if we love our enemies and the people who mistreat us, then we are like God, we are like our Father in heaven.
Episode 6 of Something Worth Thinking About.
In today’s episode we continue exploring the teachings of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus said, among other things, that when someone slaps us on the right cheek, we are to turn the other cheek and offer it for them as well. When people do evil things to us, does Jesus want us to simply roll over and do nothing? What is it that Jesus wants us to understand and do? This is what we want to explore and think about in today’s episode.
In today’s episode we will hear what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about being a person of integrity.
In today’s episode we will hear what else Jesus said about “adultery.” It is not new to us, but this idea would have been brand new to God’s people who heard it long ago. So much so that the disciples responded in Matthew 19:10 that if this is how things are between a husband and wife, then it is better not to get married! No doubt everything Jesus said about adultery in the Sermon on the Mount would have captured the attention of his audience, including what he said here about a woman who is divorced by her husband. Let’s hope it captures our attention too.
In today’s episode we will briefly explore the final words of the short and simple prayer in the closing lines of Psalm 29, which includes this memorable line, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” What might we learn from this ancient prayer about how we can pray to God today?
In today’s episode we will be hearing from Jesus on the matter of sexual purity. Jesus will challenge us to go beyond what we can see and touch. We need to realize that sexual purity involves our hearts and our thoughts regardless of what we are doing with our bodies. Sexual purity and immorality is a matter of the heart. This is where we must take the fight in this battle against the sinful desires that wage war against our souls.
In this episode we continue to explore the Sermon on the Mount.
Everyone gets that murder is terrible. Most of us would never even consider murdering someone. At the same time, most of us freely give ourselves permission to harbor anger and use insulting language toward the people we know and encounter every day. Jesus tells us that we need to go deeper in our thinking and our interaction with one another. Just as we avoid murder, we should also avoid getting angry at each other and calling each other by the mean, ugly, and condescending words we all know. We need to stop hurting and being hurt by this kind of behavior. Instead, we need to seek to live in peace with each other.
It's all right there in Matthew 5:21-26.