The Bishop’s Mind: Christian Wisdom, Daily Devotionals & Empowering Messages for Kingdom Living

Balancing Discipleship & Friendship Jesus, the King of the Kingdom R EAD | John 11:1-45 “ Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus, the one whom Jesus had raised from the dead, lived (John 12:1).” Jesus, our Wayshower, was a very busy man. He spent a lot of time preaching and teaching in various cities. Training the disciples and answering their questions was a big part of his daily routine. His audience always needed him to perform another miracle such as turning the water to wine, calming the raging seas, healing the sick, raising the dead, or feeding the multitudes. Jesus’ To -Do List was full of giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, or the restoration of limbs to the lame. Despite his heavy calendar of events, he took time with his friends. Jesus loved the sibling trio of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Their home in Bethany was a refuge for him from the demands of minist...

Balancing Ministry & Family Jesus, the King of the Kingdom R EAD | Matthew 12:46-50 “ Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, my sister, my mother, my family (Matthew 12:50).” When Jesus, the Wayshower, said my Father, he was claiming his personal relationship with God. His relationship with God superseded the religious rituals and dogmas of his time (John 10:30- 36). Not only did Jesus say, my father but he also said my brother, my sister, my mother, my family. While Jesus was in the middle of teaching, his family of origin was requesting his time and attention. Jesus chose to continue his ministry assignment and to take this opportunity to declare his right to choose his family dynamic. He was saying that my family is no longer limited to blood, marriage, or law. It is important that we pay attention to how we use the word, “my”. Whenever we say, “ my ” , we are claiming someone or something as our own. ...

Balancing Time Alone and Time with Others Jesus, the King of the Kingdom R EAD | Luke 6:12-17 (Luke 6:12).” Spending quality time with family, friends and like-minded people allows you to benefit from the gifts that they are and for them to benefit from the gift that you are. This quality time spent together is called fellowship. The root of the word, fellowship, is fellow, which means that to have fellowship, there must be unity and equality. Unity means that you see yourself as one with all people. Equality means that you see other individuals as your equal (Luke 6:31). Therefore, whatever you do to others, you do to yourself and ultimately to Christ (I Corinthians 12:26). Formal fellowship takes place when you regularly gather physically or virtually with others for prayer, services, classes, and events (Acts 2:42). Informal fellowship provides an opportunity for like-minded people to do fun things together. Both formal and informal ...

Balancing Temptation & Truth Jesus, the King of the Kingdom R EAD | Matthew 4:1-11 After Jesus received validation of his identity from God, affirmation of his identity through John the Baptist and confirmation of his identity from the dove that descended on him at his baptism, Jesus needed time to integrate all that happened, before he began his ministry. He took time to be alone so that he was able to make meaning of it for himself. The wilderness was the perfect place to do that. Every disciple of Jesus has their own wilderness experience. The wilderness experience is a soulful experience which empowers you with the necessary tools to address anything that comes up while you are doing ministry. Jesus experienced integration in the wilderness. Jesus as Wayshower successfully navigated through his wilderness experience because he knew the Truth of the scriptures. He was a Student of Truth. Therefore, he was able to quote the Truth ...