Scott Householder

Job 23:12 (NKJV): I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. Job confesses that in all his pain and misery that he has lost track of where God actually is. Job confesses that he cannot see where the LORD has gone. But in that confession, Job knows that God is still there. Job knows that even if he doesn’t feel the presence of the LORD that God has not abandoned him. Job in his suffering knows that God is still there for him. Today’s verse is a confession of one of the ways he knows God is still there. It is because Job has continued to follow the commandments of the LORD. Job has continued to follow the path that God laid out for him. Job has not walked away from the LORD and knows that God has not walked away from him. There are times in our lives that we find we are not feeling the presence of the LORD. There are times when we feel that we are alone. Let Job be a reminder in those times that we are never abandoned by the LORD our God. Let Job be a reminder that the LORD our God is there for us always. Let Job be a reminder that the LORD our God still loves us no matter what. Today, may we continue to follow the path that the LORD our God has laid out for us even if we are not “feeling” it.

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Love isn't love unless it includes everyone.

Romans 8:5 (NKJV): For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. We have a choice to make each day that we are given breath by God. We can choose to live our lives guided by the Holy Spirit, or we can live our lives guided by our desires and lusts. One way makes Jesus the center of our lives. The other way is hostile to God’s presence in our lives. One cannot focus on the desires and lusts of the world without excluding the presence of Jesus. One cannot focus on the desires and lusts of the world without putting aside the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not live for us to become fully selfish in our lives. Jesus did come to this world so that we would learn to trust and obey God. Jesus came to show us who to live in agape love with everyone, including God. Jesus came so that that the power of the Holy Spirit could dwell in us. Today, may we allow ourselves to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us for the glory and worship of Jesus.

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It seems to be a time of revelation for how many people disguise themselves in order to prey on us.

Deuteronomy 4:13 (NKJV): So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to preform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. There are times when we need to be reminded of who God is and where we have come from. Moses is reminding the people of what they have been through. Moses is reminding the people of the things God had done for them and through them. Moses is reminding the people that God did not abandon them. God was there in all that they did. God was giving them life in the desert. God gave them hope for the future. God gave them the things they needed to survive in the places they were going. One of those things was the Law. To make sure that they would not forget, God put it in writing for them to always have with them. The LORD gave them a way to know always what the correct thing was to do. The LORD gave them a physical reminder of the great love that God has for us. Each day, the LORD’s presence is in our lives guiding us, strengthen us, and loving us. Today, may we allow the presence of the LORD our God in our lives guide us to the places we need to go that need to know the great love that is offered to all.

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Fascism is here and yet we insist on continuing to make things. Keep creating. It's so important. Do not let the fascists colonize your imagination or curtail your creativity.

Have we migrated into Jesus 2.0?

Apparently, this is impossible for some people.

Psalm 24:1 (NKJV): The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. Some days we need a reminder of who God is in our lives. I do not know about you, but I am really good at taking things for granted. This leads me some days to be on a sort of autopilot. I just do things because they are habits, or I do things because they meet a momentary need. So, it is good to have a reminder that the LORD our God is there and who the LORD is. It is good to have a reminder that the LORD our God is all encompassing in life. There is no where we go that God is not already there. God is front of us preparing the way. God is next to us along the way. God is behind us with protection as we move forward. God forms a hedge around us as we go through the day. There is no where we can be that we are truly alone. God is always with us. The question for us becomes are we paying attention? Are we putting God first before we do anything? Do we allow ourselves to be reminded that all the earth is the LORD’s, including us? Today, may we start our day with remembering who the LORD our God is and why we are surrounded by such love and strength.

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Dude wants a robot not a person

Don't hog love. True love can't be hogged anyway. And won't be.

NEW: Natasha Korecki at NBC reports that in light of the SCOTUS tariff ruling, Gov. Pritzker sent President Donald Trump an invoice of $8.6 billion.

Titus 2:14 (NKJV): …who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Jesus came into the world to live a life that showed us how to be set free from the bondage of selfishness. As an only child of two only children, I am well acquainted with what it means to be completely selfish. I am well versed in what it is like to think that the whole revolves around you. There are long periods of my life filled with me being the center of the universe. So, I know that selfishness is a trap that easily fallen into. I also know that it is a trap that is extremely difficult to get out of by yourself. Alone, being in the trap of selfishness feels good most of the time. When you are caught in it, you think you know everything and should be the one calling the shots. Sometimes I think my selfishness combined with my introvert nature kept me from doing more damage to myself and others. I also know what it is like when Jesus breaks through that wall that was built around me by my selfishness. I know what it was like to be called by Jesus to live a life that was different. A life that is based on sacrificial love and not selfish ambition. A life that centers God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and no one else. A life that is about bringing to others the forgiveness, joy and peace that was so freely given by Jesus. Today, may we find ourselves being zealous to do things that Jesus is calling us to do for the glory and worship of God.

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Sow hate, reap hate. Sow love, reap love.

It’s really that simple.

Galatians 6:10 (NKJV): Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. The Greek word that is translated “opportunity” means “an occasion”. It can mean a set or proper time. When I read this, my question was: is there ever a time that it is not an opportunity to show agape love to someone else? I do not think we always get to pick and choose the occasions when we are called by Jesus to show agape love to someone else. I think that it is always our calling to see every moment as an opportunity to reflect God’s glory. I think it is always our calling to show love to others so that God is worshiped. We like to structure our lives so that we can schedule our moments of compassion, but the Lord does not work like that. God does not say that we should come back at such and such time to receive forgiveness. No, God offers the forgiveness in the moment, each day. The opportunity is always upon us to reflect Jesus in our lives. Every occasion is an occasion to allow the Holy Spirt to lead and strengthen us. Today, may we allow ourselves to live in the agape love of Christ Jesus and do good to all.

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“Learn to swim” still my favorite lyric of theirs

Isaiah 58:6 (NKJV): Is this not the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? The people ask why God is not seeing what they are doing and responding. God replies that they are doing what they call “fasting” for themselves and not for the Kingdom. The people have been putting on a show to look righteous. God tells them that they are seen, but they are seen doing the wrong things. God tells them they were not called to do things to make themselves look better. The were called to glorify and worship the LORD. We have that same call on our lives: to glorify and worship the LORD. Today’s verse is a call to examine our motives and our motions in light of our calling from God. Are we doing what we do so that people will think how great we are? Or are we doing what we do so that people see how great the LORD is? Today’s verse is a call to put our desires and egos aside and do the things that build the Kingdom: forgiveness, mercy, justice and love. We are to do the things that show others that God sees them and loves them. We are to live our lives out of the love and strength that the LORD our God provides to us daily. Today, my loosen bonds, undo burdens, give freedom to those who are in need and love to all who are around us.

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A brown bear on all fours in shallow water as a tern flies above and to the left.

tern left and bear right

Proverbs 3:13 (NIV): Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. The Hebrew word translated “find” means “to come forth to”. The word contains the idea that something exists, and that it can be attained. There is also the idea that if something is being found, then it was somehow missing prior. I can tell you that if you look at the years of my life it is apparent that wisdom can be missing from one’s life. I would even say that there were long stretches when wisdom and I were complete strangers. But that is part of the beauty and grace of the LORD our God. No matter how far I strayed from wisdom and the love of God, the LORD still pursued me to bring me back into relationship. No matter how much a stranger I was to wisdom, the LORD kept offering me opportunities to learn wisdom. No matter how stupid I was, God kept offering me understanding. No matter how selfish I became, the LORD my God kept offering me love and mercy. There are days that I think I am starting to acquire some wisdom; then there are days that I wonder if I am fooling myself. What I have come to learn that through all these times of my life, that the LORD my God has never failed me. The LORD my God has never quit loving me. The LORD my God has never quit pursing me. Today, may you and I both allow the LORD our God catch us and teach us wisdom for the glory of the Kingdom.

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Matthew 13:44 (NKJV): Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. I am sitting here this morning after reading this verse a couple of times and looking up the words in it, and I am realizing that God is trying to say something to me, at least. I have talked the past few days about being all in for God. Today’s verse is a further statement that the Kingdom of God is worth more than anything else that I may have. It is worth more than the house I live in. It is worth more than the vehicle I drive. It is worth more than what is in my IRA account. There is nothing I have nor that I could accumulate here on earth that would compare to the Kingdom of God. Yet there are many times in my day and my life that I am not all in with Jesus. There are still times I want my ego to be satisfied. There are still times that I want my desires fulfilled. There are still times when I am completely selfish in life. Today’s verse is a reminder that Jesus is calling us to lay everything aside for Gospel. Jesus is calling us to put aside everything we hold precious and go all in on the serving the Kingdom of God. Today, may we set ourselves aside so that the One who redeemed us can use us to show forgiveness, love and mercy to ourselves and to those in our lives.

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Been pushed aside since questioning your beliefs? Are you now on your own? I have a private online community called The Lasting Supper where you can talk about it and process without being judged or corrected or advised. Check out The Lasting Supper website. Doors close tonight!

Matthew 22:39 (NKJV): And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Today’s verse is a continuation of the verse we looked at Friday. That verse told us that we need to be all in with following and loving the LORD our God. We start with following Jesus and loving God. That will lead us to the second commandment: loving others. Once we know how God loves us, then we will know how to love others. Once we fully believe that Jesus came to live for us and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, then we are able to live in a way that shows that we love and care for others. When we are full in on God’s design and path for our lives, we learn to center Jesus in our lives and not ourselves. When we learn to center Jesus, we find that others are no longer a threat to us. When we learn to center Jesus, we find that loving others flows out of us in a way that smashes our selfishness. When we learn to center Jesus, we find that we are no longer in control of everyone around us. The love of God will permeate our lives when we allow ourselves to fully live in the forgiveness, love and mercy of Christ Jesus. Today, may we help change the lives of those around us in love and peace for the glory of Jesus.

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Yes it’s Valentine’s Day. But it’s also the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass who was born in 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped from slavery & rose to become the most eloquent and forceful voice for the abolition of slavery & for Black voting rights in the U.S.

My wife and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. I mean, we give it a head nod, but it ain't really our thing. If it is your thing, by all means, keep doing you. 1/4

Psalm 116:1-2 (NKJV): I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. One of things I have come to realize over the years is that people want to be heard and seen. Even someone as introverted as I am wants the occasional recognition that I exist. We all have a need to be validated as a person. We all have a need to be loved and cared for. Some of us received validation at a younger age. Some of us received no validation at a younger age. The amount of validation we received put us on a course that has affected our entire lives. Some it may have led to seeking validation from the wrong people. Some it may have led to being able to give validation away to others. The only problem is that validation from people is fleeting and wanes. However, there is One who’s validation never falters and end: the LORD our God. The LORD will look us in the face to see us. The LORD will incline to hear what we are saying. The LORD will never ignore or reject us. The LORD will always welcome us into the presence of God. The LORD will always validate that we exist and are wanted. Today, may we seek fully the presence and love of the LORD our God in our lives.

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Matthew 22:37 (NKJV): Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind.” The question was: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Today’s verse is the answer Jesus gave. The thing I always notice with the specific commandment is that there is no qualification. There is not an out. Either you are fully in with God, or you are not. There is no just dipping your toe in the water to get an idea of what the water is like. No, our relationship with God is more like those who carried the ark across the raging river. They had to commit fully to the act of stepping into flood waters. Carrying all that gold on their backs and they did not get to ease into the river. They stepped off the side of the river down into it. Instead of being caught by the water and swept away to drown to death, the LORD our God stopped the water and made a path for them. Today’s verse reminds us that God is there for us even we do not sense the presence of God. Jesus is there to show us love and the way forward even when we think we are lost. The Holy Spirit is there to strengthen us when we think we are weak. The LORD our God is there each day for us in whatever we are going through. Today, may we be all in on our relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

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1 Corinthians 13:3 (NKJV): And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. The Greek word that is translated “profits me” means “to be useful”. It comes from the word that means “to heap up”. There are different motivations for us to do things. We can be motivated by desperation. We can be motivated by lust. We can be motivated by duty or obligation. But none of those motivations is based in the agape love of Christ Jesus. None of those motivations require us to set ourselves aside for something greater and more eternal. We can do things because they make us feel good in the moment. But that does not require agape love. Making ourselves feel good is a temporary thing. It does not last, and it does not require sacrifice. Doing things out of agape love requires that we put ourselves aside and let the focus be on Jesus. Doing things out of agape love requires that we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit and not our lusts. Doing things out of agape love requires that we center God in our lives and not ourselves. The Kingdom is not built out selfish ambition, but it is revealed through the loving acts that seek to glorify Jesus. Today, may we seek to put Jesus first in our lives and act out of agape love.

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Proverbs 11:4 (NKJV): Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The Hebrew word translated “righteousness” means “rightness” in the abstract. Objectively it means “justice”. There are many ways in this world to accumulate massive amounts of wealth. Most of them involve ways that exploit other people for selfish gain. The accumulation of great wealth is not about God but is about ego and pride. The accumulation of great wealth is about putting yourself at the center of life. It is not about obtaining justice for others. It is not about showing love for others. It is not about building community with others. Riches drive a wedge between us and other people, and most importantly between us and God. Working for justice and rightness, however, brings us closer to God and others. If we approach life with a focus on forgiveness, love, justice and peace, we are allowing others see God in us. There are ways we act where others only see us when they look at us. Today, may we choose to live lives that reflect the glory of God.

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we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad