Ruth 2 – The hand of God is always at work. There are no coincidences. When God is moving among His people, His hand is always leading and working…
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105 posts
Ruth 1 – It was during one of the darkest times of Israel. The book of Judges records countless stories of people who failed miserably in their devotion to…
Isaiah 58 – Superficial people. We’ve all endured them. If we’re honest, we’ve probably been one at some point in our lives. Superficial people seem frivolous, self-absorbed, and shallow…
Isaiah 46 – The weight of holding onto our idols can be unbearable. Like a backpack full of bricks, the straps pull on our shoulders, twisting our back as…
Isaiah 12 – This calls for a celebration! This chapter is a song of gratitude to the Lord. Let us rejoice for what He is has done!
Colossians 4 – “Devote yourselves in prayer, being watchful and thankful.” “Epaphras… he is always wrestling in prayer for you…” Prayer is an essential aspect of our spiritual life….
Exodus 16 – Difficult circumstances lead to stress. More often than not, when a difficult situation inundates us, it is all we think about, talk of and even…
Exodus 13 – We want to get from here to there in the least amount of time possible. We’re wired that way I think, or at least…
Judges 6 – The pattern continues. “Again Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord…” Once again they would need to hit rock bottom before they would cry…
Job 23 – In the book of Deuteronomy God is first called a Consuming Fire.” The book of Hebrews reiterates this phrase. Consider the phrase a moment – theres…
Ezra 2 – Genealogies were very important to the Jewish people. For them, if they could prove they had descended from Abraham, they were considered true Jews and could…
Matthew 14 – Need is everywhere. We stand in the sea of human hurt, unbelievable pain others have. Their hardship slaps against us like waves of the…
Proverbs 25 – It’s one of the Fruit of the Spirit. Self-Control is something all wrestle with and without it we can find ourselves in mess after mess, standing…
Proverbs 9 – 2 tables have been set. 2 invitations given. The choice is ours as to where we will pull our feet up under and feast upon what…
Proverbs 7 – The ancients used the phrase “apple of the eye” in reference to the pupil due to its shape. They believed it captured what was important to…
Proverbs 6 – In chapter 6 Solomon pens 4 verses stating there are 6 things God hates, and 7 that are detestable to Him. Although they aren’t the only…
1 Peter 2 – I remember a specific conversation with some college friends after we had graduated. I was still student teaching at the time but looking…
2 Samuel 12 – All was well, or so David thought. Nothing had been found out concerning the affair with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah;…
Romans 14 – “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say…
2 Kings 13 – “Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer…” 2 Kings 13:5 It’s an obscure statement of a nameless individual whom God rose up from…
2 Kings 4 – 4 amazing miracles. Money provided for a widow. Raising a dead boy to life. Purifying poisonous food. Providing food for 100…
1 Kings 21 – Her name is synonymous with the most evil woman in all of Scripture. In fact, her name is mentioned in Revelation as an…
1 Kings 6 – With detailed instructions, the construction of the Temple it is finally underway and completed in 7 years. There’s a fascinating…
1 Kings 5 – Sometimes God says “No”. Or maybe a better phrase is, “Not yet.” David desired greatly to build a temple for God. His heart…
1 Kings 4 – Have you ever worked for or been part of a committee that was not well organized? More than likely yes and you know…
Genesis 49 – One by one Jacob spoke to each son of what their future would hold. This blessing was common but these words would turn…
Genesis 47 – Isaac and his clan have found safety and provision in Egypt through the hand of Joseph. It’s such an ironic twist to how things…
Genesis 43 – The famine still raging, the family of Jacob was coming down to the last bit of grain they had received from the incognito…
Genesis 28 – It was a significant dream. It was a moment for Jacob that would set his course. It’s not hard to imagine the emotional difficulty…
Genesis 27 – It’s a house of deception. In his old age, Isaac decides it’s time to give his blessing to his eldest son, Esau. Mind you, in the…
Genesis 12 – It was a call to travel. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s…
James 1 – Talk is cheap. Inundated with promises everywhere we look from commercials to presidential candidates it’s easy to make or hear…
John 10 – A shepherd’s job is quite a task. They have the responsibility of making sure their sheep are safe; must know how many they have…
John 2 – In ancient times, weddings were week-long events. Imagine. Now a day’s people put months and months into such planning…
Nehemiah 5 – The work stopped. On the tail end of such a great victory when the people were motivated, working alongside one another to…
Nehemiah 2 – “So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king…” Smack in the middle of a conversation, Nehemiah prayed…
Zechariah 11 – A shepherd’s role is pretty important. His job is to first and foremost care for the sheep of his. This involves leading them to…
Zechariah 10 – “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” – Ephesians 6:10 Standing strong in the face of difficulty is one of the…
Zechariah 7 – But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their…
Haggai 2 – It was a dramatic moment; A dramatic change for God’s people. The sin from the people’s past had hindered them but now…
Micah 3 – Poverty was driving the people into an early grave. Those responsible for this were none other than the leadership of the nation…
Daniel 5 – A new king is in town. Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, has taken the throne. Historical documents differ on if he reigned 17 years or 3 but the…
2 Corinthians 9 – 2 people were dead. This husband and wife had sold a piece of property, laid the money at the apostle’s feet. The problem…
2 Corinthians 4 – It’s easy to say, “Pick yourself up,” “Stop focusing on the negative,” “This too will pass”. These statements flow so easily from our…
1 Corinthians 14 – Several years ago, then superstar Adele performed at an award show. People were anticipating such a terrific performance as she never…
1 Corinthians 8 – “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” – 1 Corinthians 8:9 Knowledge…
1 Corinthians 4 – “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:1…
1 Corinthians 3 – There’s a strange division among the church of Corinth. Paul hits it head on. Some are followers of Paul, looking to him as…
Psalm 147 – Psalm 147 – It begins and ends with “Praise the Lord!” In 20 verses we read of the overarching protection and preservation of His people…
Psalm 140 – Psalm 140 – “The ‘wicked’ may arrogantly desire, plan, and execute; but the Master of the universe cannot tolerate anarchy for long. To this end the plea changes into…
Psalm 128 – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15 There are many thoughts about leadership out there. When a leader leads…
Psalm 104 – In beautiful form, the glory of God’s creation is reflected upon throughout this psalm. I found myself in awe while reading of the greatness of our…
Psalm 92 – Faith knows no sunsets. Once a year Americans gather together for Thanksgiving. It is a time to give thanks for the many blessings God has given…
Psalm 91 – God has a secret place for His own. It is a place to live and dwell in. It is a place where hope is found. It…
Psalm 68 – We as Believers need to be confident. Confident in our salvation. Confident in our relationship with Jesus. Confident in the reality God is supreme and reigns…
Psalm 42 – Our bodies are made up of 55 to 65 percent of water. When an individual does not drink water to re-hydrate things can go south fast. …
Psalm 33 – We all have plans. They come in all shapes and sizes. We have the instant plans, which are for today. We have the weekly and even…
Psalm 18 – It’s one of the most beautiful songs of thanksgiving. An almost identical poem is found in 2 Samuel 22 as David was coming to the end…
Psalm 17 – There is something amazing about the life of David as we read his stories and then from his own thoughts psalms he wrote. David was human…
Mark 13 – After the exile, the temple was rebuilt by Ezra and Zerubbabel. King Herod would expand it around 19 BC. It had been the center of Jewish…
Mark 8 – We’ve all experienced it. We get behind someone who is driving 20 mph on a 35 mph road. Aggravated, it can be the birth of road…
Mark 6 – Has Jesus become too familiar to us? Familiar: one who is seen or well known from close association. We all have people in our lives we…
Mark 2 – We find three snapshots of Jesus that speak absolutely to His character and desire. We find Him in a house teaching when suddenly the roof was…
Deuteronomy 14 – Sometimes, reading through the commands God gave to the Israelites, there is a disconnect. This is particularly true with much of this chapter. The disconnect comes…
Deuteronomy 12 – Curiosity killed the cat – as the old strange statement goes. As one commentator reckons, curiosity killed many a spiritual life. The point of this thought…
Deuteronomy 8 – The Lord’s humbling of us is something none want to go through. Deuteronomy 8 warns against pride that could come to the Israelites if they were…
Deuteronomy 6 – Growing up, the dinner table was a time when all things ceased for the day. No matter what our personal schedule may have been, it was…
Ecclesiastes 9 – Life is unfair. Yes, it’s true. What should happen to those who are honorable often find themselves sidelined? To those who are corrupt or dishonest, sometimes…
Ecclesiastes 6 – In 1938 a screaming hilarious film was released called “You Can’t Take It With You.” It’s the story of a young beauty named Alice who falls…
Numbers 33 – Moses wrote an account of the journey of Israel thus far. Beginning in Egypt and leaving their slavery, they marched out with boldness and not just…
Numbers 28 – How many times do any of us hurry into our Sunday morning service without preparation? Many times any distraction that is possible seems to hijack our…
Numbers 13 – “It’s awesome, but…” In essence this was the report back from the spies. God had faithfully called the people to go forward. Moses brilliantly put together…
Numbers 1 – Complaining – it gets you nowhere. In fact, if we’re honest it will get you stuck. This is exactly what the book of Numbers records. The…
Luke 14 – There are prophecies in the Old Testament of a feast that will come at the end of the age – the Messiah’s Banquet. I have always…
Luke 11 – The man was desperate. An unexpected friend had stopped on his journey for a place to sleep. In ancient times hospitality was a given. Being after…
Luke 9 – It’s called the comfort zone. We all have one and if we’re honest live within its confines as much as possible. It’s the place where we…
Luke 3 – 400 years of silence had smothered the Israelites. For 400 years God had not spoken one word to His people. When the time came for His…
Ezekiel 47 – It’s such a fascinating picture. Ezekiel saw a river running from the temple. Going from ankle deep to eventually deep enough to…
Ezekiel 29 – Egypt. A powerful nation during the ancient times. Self-sufficient, dominant, cruel – this marked this one-time world leader. But that chapter was about to come to…
Ezekiel 23 – In an allegory rift with ribald sexuality, this chapter is shocking to us. Imagine the original audience who heard this from Ezekiel. A tale of two…
Acts 27 – A Nor’easter is a storm mixed with the collision of several weaker storms. As a parent storm, the polar jet stream mixes with the…
Acts 18 – Fast food is an interesting thing. We pull up to these establishments because, well, they’re fast. It’s definitely not as good as a home…
Acts 14 – Soren Kierkegaard tells a story, almost a parable of sorts about the geese who used to make their home on his childhood Danish farm. …
Acts 10 – God is the great interrupter. Just when we are content with life the way it is. Just when we think we have all things…
Acts 4 – What is God asking of you? What is He personally calling you to do? Where is He working and asking you to join? Depending…
Acts 2 – “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives…
Lamentations 5 – We don’t often think in terms of the comprehensive suffering that Judah endured during exile. It was not just that their enemies came and put them…
Lamentations 4 – With graphic detail, Jeremiah describes all the ways in which his people suffered during the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem. Those who survived the siege lived under…
Leviticus 24 – The Facts – The only light in the tabernacle came from lamps that were meticulously kept filled with oil and continually burning. The wicks trimmed they…
Leviticus 21 – The priesthood was a deliberate calling and for the Israelite’s had to come from the tribe of Levi, the family of Aaron. They held many responsibilities…
Leviticus 11 – At first glance, the listing of unclean and clean animals of which God spoke about seems to us a bit much. Certainly, there are animals on…
Leviticus 2 – Alongside the burnt offering a grain offering was given. It was a symbol of thanks to God for the food He had provided and a reminder…
Revelation 16 – The last 4 verses of Revelation 15 has a sobering scene unfold. The portals of the temple in heaven open and out walk 7 angels dressed…
Revelation 13 – Back in the 80’s an American Hip Hop Band emerged from the streets of New York. They pretty much took the music industry by storm. Their…
Revelation 12 – This chapter and the next two to follow are loaded with much to consider. The massive struggle between good and evil begins and the church itself…
Revelation 6 – For many believers, Revelation 6 is the Continental Divide – meaning, from this point on in the book of Revelation, there are different theological perspectives as to how the end times will unfold…