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

  There Is Only One (Ephesians 4:4) "There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism."  Ephesians 4:5 KSB    In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul boldly declares that there is only one body , one Spirit , and we have been called into one hope of our calling. Over the next few days, I will be exploring the powerful truth that there is only one, one power, one presence, and one source of all life. That power and presence is God. It is good, it is in us, it flows through us, and it works as us. I AM one with God. I AM one with all life. I AM one with the One, because there is only one.  Paul says there is only one Spirit. Some may call alcohol “spirits,” and others may believe in many dark or negative forces, but the truth is there is only one Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. This divine breath of life is in every person. It is the breath causing our lungs to expand and contract, the one breath God breathed into humanity’s nostrils at creation.  ...

  God Is Blessing Both of Us: From Eviction to Divine Provision (Genesis 21:13) "I will bless the son of the slave woman and make him a great nation also, because he is your offspring."  Genesis 21:13 KSB                                    Abraham Sent Hagar And Ishmael Away  Blessings, especially the kind that come after hardship. This message continues from yesterday’s teaching, but now we return to Genesis. While Paul later uses this story allegorically in Galatians, we're looking at the original account of when Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away.  Think of those celebrity shows that ask, “Where are they now?” That’s what we could ask about Hagar and Ishmael after Abraham’s painful decision. He didn’t want to send them away; he loved Ishmael just as he loved Isaac. He cared for Hagar because she was Ishmael’s mother. But Sarah, who once suggested that Abr...