John Shirk

JOHN SHIRK- Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Exodus 15:13.

There were songs of celebration after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea safely and were delivered from slavery in Egypt.

They celebrated God’s deliverance with these words: In your unfailing love, you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

This was not only true for the Israelites, but also a picture of the Gospel for those who follow Jesus faithfully today. With His blood shed at the cross, He has redeemed us from sin and condemnation. He leads us in His unfailing love, and He has a glorious destiny for us in His holy dwelling at His heavenly throne.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to trust in God’s unfailing love to guide our steps in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Mark 16:20.

After Jesus instructed His disciples to preach the Gospel, we learn that they carried out the great Commission faithfully.

Mark 16:20 says, “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”

These men were changing lives as they followed Jesus and proclaimed His good news. The reason why this was happening was because of the Holy Spirit working in them and through them. He was their power source.

Just as an electrical device needs a power source to work properly, we need to be connected with Jesus and plugged into the power source of the Holy Spirit. This happens when we respond to the invitation of Jesus to follow Him with a faithful heart.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to follow Jesus and share His Good News in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3XuezITFhUSHU1yVYettYX?si=ccc5bd6cbae24209

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is Sharing in the joy of others.

There are moments of celebration that our loved ones and family members experience-graduations, births, baptisms, and promotions. These are occasions that give us opportunity to offer congratulations and to share our heart-felt happiness with them.

This happened in Luke 1:58 when Elizabeth gave birth to a son when she was advanced in years. That son was John the Baptist. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

If there is one thing happier than a happy occasion, it is the opportunity to share that joy with our loved ones.

Sharing in the joy of others is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is First Corinthians 10:13.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

God is not our tempter. Temptation might come from our own evil desires, or the crafty voice of the devil. How can we overcome? The best way is to be close to God. He is our solution. In a relationship with Him, He is able to give us the desire to do what is right.

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to endure temptation with the help of God’s grace in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is Second Chances.

Sometimes, our disappointments with people who let us down in the past can keep us from giving them second chances in the future.

In Acts chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas were planning to follow up on some places where they had ministered together. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark, but Paul did not think it wise to take him because he had deserted them and had not continued with them in the work.

As a result, they parted company. Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and went in another direction to strengthen the churches. God worked through this disagreement to form two missionary teams out of one.

Mark is the author of one of the four Gospels that we read in the Bible, so the encouragement of Barnabas was apparently a big influence in John Mark’s faith.

Giving people second chances is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verses are Exodus 13:21 and 22.

This is how the LORD helped the Israelites as they departed Egypt for the Promised Land.

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”

The Israelites needed directions for going forward, and God gave them what they needed-His Presence. The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire were signs of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites. Where God guides us, He provides what we need to accomplish His purposes on the journey of faith until we reach our glorious destiny.

These Faith-Building Verses inspire us to be encouraged by God’s provision and follow where He leads us in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Mark 14:24.

Jesus said to His disciples, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”

There is power in the blood of Jesus to forgive our sin and cleanse us from guilt. His blood shed on the cross was the price that was paid for our redemption. Without His sacrifice, we would still be in our sins. But because of His sacrifice, there is a way for us to be set free from condemnation. Jesus died so that we might live for Him and with Him forever.

First John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to acknowledge the blood of Jesus as full payment for our sin in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is Clay in the Hands of the Potter.

We find this element in Isaiah 64:8. “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay; you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Construction sites can be messy. Things are torn apart and broken down for a season. But there is a designer at work with a plan to put it back together again new and improved.

That is how God works in our lives, as He develops godly character in our lives. Things can get messy in the process, but there is a Designer at work, building a masterpiece, so that we can be useful instruments in His Kingdom.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Clay in the Hands of the Potter is a key element for Thriving Relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is growth into spiritual maturity.

God’s will for our lives is to grow in His grace and become mature in our character. That does not mean having a holier-than-thou attitude. It means living out the words of Galatians 5:6, which says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

When we turn to Second Peter 1:5, we see the writer urging us to grow in several character qualities including Goodness, Knowledge, Self-Control, and Godliness. That list starts with faith and ends with love. Faith is at the foundation of our relationship with Jesus. Love is the expression flowing out of our relationship with Jesus.

Verse 8 says, “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Growth into spiritual maturity is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com