death

  • Isaiah

Isaiah 65

Isaiah 65 - God has made Himself available. He is standing with arms outstretched ready to help His people. God…

10 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 63

Isaiah 63 - At the beginning of Isaiah 63, we find a familiar theme in Scripture. There is someone with…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 60

Isaiah 60 - Isaiah 60 begins a new section that looks ahead Christ's Kingdom and rule. Remember, Isaiah was a…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 58

Isaiah 58 - Superficial people. We've all endured them. If we're honest, we've probably been one at some point in…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55 - Faith in Jesus without a life filled with Jesus' attitude and behavior is no life of faith…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53 - The opening verse grabs my attention. "Who has believed our message?" It's a rhetorical question but one…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 52

Isaiah 52 - God's people will be redeemed. They were sold for nothing but they will be bought back without…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 38

Isaiah 38 - Let's review what's happened thus far and what will happen in the future. Assyria has built the…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 29

Isaiah 29 - I can remember times in my life when I was simply neglecting the spiritual wisdom of God.…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 26

Isaiah 26 - Disease. Affliction. Poverty. The kingdom of man wrestles with the birth pains of this world. The city…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 24

Isaiah 24 - The somber truth is that our world is headed for judgment. In the end, God will reign.…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 20

Isaiah 20 - Let's first set the stage. Coming on the heels of Isaiah 19 and the oracle concerning Egypt,…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 19

Isaiah 19 - What do we use to replace God in our lives? It's really a thought-provoking question. The temptation…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5 - Six woes are given to the nation of Israel starting in verse 8. The woes include greed,…

1 year ago
  • Colossians

Colossians 2

Colossians 2 - Think of it in these terms. Any philosopher, theologian, scientist, professor or quantum physicist, whether Christian or…

1 year ago
  • Colossians

Colossians 1

Colossians 1 - Who has ever seen God? Jesus answered this question. "Lord," said Philip, "show us the Father, and…

1 year ago
  • Philippians

Philippians 1

Philippians 1 - He who began a good work... Paul qualifies the promise of God completing a good work with…

1 year ago
  • Ephesians

Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2 - Many of us today live under the illusion that we simply can’t change. Hidden deep under a…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 31

Exodus 31 - At the end of the chapter, God reminds Israel of the third sign of their covenant -…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 28

Exodus 28 - "You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 24

Exodus 24 - What does the manifestation of God look like? For Moses and these others, they received a small…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 21

Exodus 21 - God, through His law, established some basic truths that the people were to follow. It's interesting how…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 14

Exodus 14 - Like the Canaanites, ancient Israel thought of the sea as an uncontrollable beast. At creation the Lord…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 12

Exodus 12 - The Passover is a powerful event in both Jewish tradition as well as Christianity. One major difference,…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 4

Exodus 4 - Moses was uncertain about serving God, and his fears represent the same struggles many of us have…

1 year ago
  • 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2

2 Thessalonians 2 - In case you haven't grasped by now, the Thessalonians were deeply concerned with future events. It's…

1 year ago
  • 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5

1 Thessalonians 5 - I want to follow up on what I wrote yesterday from 1 Thessalonians 4 with some…

1 year ago
  • 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4

1 Thessalonians 4 - What do we know about the coming of the Lord? Paul gives us a clue at…

1 year ago
  • 2 John

2 John 1

2 John 1 - We read in 2 John a more traditional opening as it's a letter written to a…

1 year ago
  • 1 John

1 John 4

1 John 4 - When I worked in the computer software industry, I became familiar with the latest viruses and…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 40

Job 40 - Consider Job's humility in this chapter. Consider that he takes up none of the words with God…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 35

Job 35 - This is arguably Elihu's harshest language against Job. It is a message of condemnation with truth mixed…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 29

Job 29 - What does it mean to reflect on the former times? We've all heard people talk about the…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 27

Job 27 - Have you ever just unloaded your heart out of both sides of your mouth? On one hand,…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 19

Job 19 - The most magnificent phrase in this chapter shines in verses 25-26. It is so surprising and unexpected.…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 18

Job 18 - The dating of this time period would have meant that Job and his friends were highly influenced…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 17

Job 17 - Job is pretty depressed here in Chapter 17. He reiterates that he expected his friends to support…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 15

Job 15 - Eliphaz brings a load of sarcasm to this chapter. He claims that his understanding of Scripture and…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 14

Job 14 - Be quiet and give me a chance to speak, and let the results be what they will.…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 7

Job 7 - Job now turns his attention to God. He is fully convinced that he will die soon, and…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 6

Job 6 - Here are some points we can draw from Job's response in chapter 6: Job is under tremendous…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 3

Job 3 - In this chapter, we see the pendulam swing completely in the opposite direction from where it began.…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 2

Job 2 - There are a few differing thoughts that we naturally progress through as we read the story unfold…

1 year ago
  • Ezra

Ezra 10

Ezra 10 - A powerful victory is found here in Chapter 10 with humility and repentance. In fact, the whole…

1 year ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 28

Matthew 28 - The appearances of the resurrected Christ are astonishing! Many people will concede that Jesus was a real…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 27

Matthew 27 - Although we are typically hard on the Pharisees in Scripture, there were a few who sincerely had…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 21

Matthew 21 - During the Passover festival, scores of Jews came from all over Israel and the Roman Empire to…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 20

Matthew 20 - Our plans and God's plans never really pan out the same. He gives us the main idea,…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 16

Matthew 16 - The Pharisees and Sadducees (who demanded signs in this chapter) were two of the five major political…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 14

Matthew 14 - The miraculous feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Matthew 14:21 specifies 5,000 males,…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 12

Matthew 12 - This chapter contains the controversial "unpardonable sin" which involves blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The first question…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 11

Matthew 11 - Yet another piece of evidence that confirms Jesus was indeed the Messiah is the presence of John…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 6

Matthew 6 - The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Many people came to hear about the kingdom and left…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 5

Matthew 5 - I love the depth and practicality of Jesus' message here. Many of his critics thought he was…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 4

Matthew 4 - "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 2

Matthew 2 - Remarkably, the calendar we all depend on was originally created around Jesus' birth. Medieval creators tried to…

2 years ago
  • Proverbs

Proverbs 27

Proverbs 27 - "As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person.  20  Sheol and Abaddon are never…

2 years ago
  • Proverbs

Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14 - As we journey through Proverbs, you can really pick out any phrase and focus on its content…

2 years ago
  • Proverbs

Proverbs 12

Proverbs 12 - Discipline is hard. Accepting instruction is difficult. They both require us to delay our satisfaction. When we…

2 years ago
  • Proverbs

Proverbs 9

Proverbs 9 - Proverbs 9: Only a fool would deny God. How do you know if you are acting foolishly?…

2 years ago
  • 2 Peter

2 Peter 1

2 Peter 1 - Peter was a bond-servant and apostle. This is a unique combination, being subject to all others…

2 years ago
  • 1 Peter

1 Peter 4

1 Peter 4 - Arm yourself! This is a powerful opening in 1 Peter 4. Our thought process regarding suffering…

2 years ago
  • 1 Peter

1 Peter 3

1 Peter 3 - It's in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after…

2 years ago
  • Philemon

Philemon 1

Philemon 1 - Paul offers us a lesson in diplomacy and peacemaking. At the time, Paul was a prisoner in…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 21

2 Samuel 21 - King David was seemingly indestructible. He was a beast on the battlefield and a musician at…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 20

2 Samuel 20 - Concubines, intestines, and a severed head being thrown over a wall! This chapter is not for…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 19

2 Samuel 19 - It's an awkward moment when the rebels realize their rebellion has failed and the king they…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 18

2 Samuel 18 - This is a difficult chapter to absorb. On one hand, justice was served and the rightful…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 16

2 Samuel 16 - The reason why we read several chapters back about the grace David extended to Saul's family…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 6

2 Samuel 6 - Familiarity can often produce deadly results. It was Jesus who proclaimed he could do no miracles…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 4

2 Samuel 4 - In 2 Samuel 4, we see the collision of two different kingdoms. Humanity's kingdom operates within…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 3

2 Samuel 3 - In 2 Samuel 3, we find two men making a deal in order to see their…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 2

2 Samuel 2 - There is an interesting backstory on the relationships that take place in this chapter. Abner crowns…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 1 - There are three versions of Saul's death mentioned in Scripture and one of them is found…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 31

1 Samuel 31 - Let's do a quick recap. In desperation, Saul traveled to see a witch who brought back…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 30

1 Samuel 30 - David returns to Zikleg, where he had fled from Saul only to find that while he…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 23

1 Samuel 23 - All Saul cares about is killing David. He doesn't care about worshiping God. He doesn't care…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 22

1 Samuel 22 - There's no doubt that David felt completely isolated. Living in a cave, he was completely humiliated.…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 20

1 Samuel 20 - Saul has become a volcanic madman. David is struggling with trust and discernment. Jonathan is caught…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel 15 - Do what you want, and ask for forgiveness later. If God is full of love, and…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 12

1 Samuel 12 - When our vision is blinded to reality, sometimes the most effective reminder comes from God flexing…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 8

1 Samuel 8 - Samuel's reputation as a judge was top-notch. He followed in a long line of judges who…

2 years ago
  • 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 6

1 Samuel 6 - 7 months. 7 months of terror, suffering, and death. The Philistines experienced the white-hot flame of…

2 years ago
  • 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 4

2 Timothy 4 - I have never really noticed this before, but I am struck by Paul's confidence in 2…

2 years ago
  • 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2 - There's only one Gospel. There's only one Gospel. There's. Only. ONE. Gospel. The Gospel = Suffering…

2 years ago
  • 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1 - The personal nature of 2 Timothy 1 really shines! Paul was such a gifted communicator and…

2 years ago
  • 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6 - Paul bookends this letter by circling back to his thoughts from 1 Timothy 1. In that…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 12

Romans 12 - Starting in verse 9 of Romans 12, Paul rattles off a disjointed list of Christian principles. On…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 8

Romans 8 - Christ lived a sinless life. He willingly gave Himself as a living sacrifice for our sin so…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 7

Romans 7 - What is the purpose of the law? In Romans 6 we saw the law cannot make us…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 6

Romans 6 - Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed "holy man" who claimed to speak on behalf of…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 5

Romans 5 - Romans 5 marks a transition. Paul has been formulating his theological argument around sin and justification which…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 4

Romans 4 - In Romans 4, Paul contrasts the ideas of "works = righteousness" with "faith = righteousness." Abraham was…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 2

Romans 2 - When you hold up God as the standard, as you should, that standard is one that not…

2 years ago
  • 2 Kings

2 Kings 24

2 Kings 24 - This is such a tough time for Judah. Jeremiah had been prophesying about Babylonian captivity for…

2 years ago
  • 2 Kings

2 Kings 13

2 Kings 13 - What’s the context here? Well, as we have read, 2 Kings is a terrible time for…

2 years ago
  • 2 Kings

2 Kings 11

2 Kings 11 - The history can get pretty confusing when the stories switch back and forth from the northern…

2 years ago
  • 2 Kings

2 Kings 9

2 Kings 9 - One of my favorite parts to this story is the fact that Jehu was recognized by…

2 years ago
  • 2 Kings

2 Kings 8

2 Kings 8 - The pattern of Elisha's service to the Lord consistently reflects the act of leading others to…

2 years ago
  • 2 Kings

2 Kings 7

2 Kings 7 - What I love most about this story is the creativity of God's faithfulness. Of course, we…

2 years ago