1 Chronicles 15 – Chapter 16 ends with an interesting and dramatic detail. And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of …
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Isaiah 63 – At the beginning of Isaiah 63, we find a familiar theme in Scripture. There is someone with blood-stained clothes who is robed in splendor and striding forward in the greatness of strength. This can …
Isaiah 36 – The goal of the enemy is to render us hopeless in the face of our circumstances. The world, Satan, and even our own hearts influence our minds to these dark places. Even though the …
Isaiah 29 – I can remember times in my life when I was simply neglecting the spiritual wisdom of God. Like a nagging fly that kept landing on me, I swatted those thoughts out of my mind …
Isaiah 25 – Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to His faithfulness. It almost reads like a prayer, and this is significant. When we face trials, struggles, …
Isaiah 19 – What do we use to replace God in our lives? It’s really a thought-provoking question. The temptation is to brush it aside, or minimize it. But when given proper thought, and approached with humility, …
Galatians 3 – Correction is tough. Nobody wants to be corrected. It can be humiliating and degrading. Furthermore, the person who is doing the correcting usually comes across as arrogant or “holier than thou.” Anytime we are …
Judges 21 – They said, “Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?” Judges 21:3 NASB The irony surrounding this prayer is both …
1 John 3 – This really is an incredible chapter! It’s hard to summarize these thoughts in just a few paragraphs. I was really drawn to the first several verses that speak to believers being children of …
Job 4 – There is a difference between theology and common sense. I know that the word ‘theology’ sounds like a churchy, religious concept that only “the holiest people” can understand. The truth is, we all have …
Joshua 6 – God’s promises are already complete, even before they happen. That is how we need to view His promises in our lives. God can speak in the past tense about so many things because He …
Matthew 24 – There is a break between verses 2 and 3 that separate the thoughts of Jesus. He starts by describing the ransacking of Jerusalem which eventually happened in 70 AD. Legend has it that future …
Proverbs 26 – I’m going to analyze verse 4 in comparison to verse 5. Here are both of the verses in context …
Proverbs 18 – Communication is essential for life, and it’s a big part of how we reach the world as Christians. A lot of times you hear the phrase, “It’s not what you say, but how you …
Proverbs 17 – As I read this chapter, I see a theme of relational conflict. “Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife.” Proverbs 17:1 HCSB “Whoever conceals an offense promotes …
Proverbs 16 – “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 HCSB This passage hit me so hard. The heart of man is always up to something. We like things our …
Proverbs 14 – As we journey through Proverbs, you can really pick out any phrase and focus on its content and meaning. I want to zoom in specifically to 14:3. “By the mouth of a fool comes …
Proverbs 13 – “Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”” 1 Corinthians 15:33 HCSB Through God’s pursuit of sinners, we are empowered through the Holy Spirit to live according to His commands. We are empowered. …
Proverbs 11 – God provides many illustrations in Scripture explaining that He deals with people based on how they deal with others. “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become …
Proverbs 10 – Up until this point in Proverbs, we have studied the difference between the foolishness of men and the wisdom of God. Here in chapter 10, the reader is introduced to the Proverbs of Solomon. …
Proverbs 7 – Verse 7 reads… “Once I was looking out the window of my house, 7 and I saw many inexperienced young men, but noticed one foolish fellow in particular.” Proverbs 7:6-7 GNB The type of …
Titus 3 – Have you ever been involved in a foolish conversation? How about an endless quarrel about a technicality? Most likely, all of us have been …
2 Samuel 17 – Ahithophel had gone all in. He was firmly in Absalon’s camp after abruptly turning on David. How could this man have been a counselor for David for so long? According to Rabbinical literature, …
1 Samuel 15 – Do what you want, and ask for forgiveness later. If God is full of love, and He always forgives, then I can just follow my heart and apologize on the way. Do you …
1 Samuel 14 – Those who are dialed into the Spirit are sensitive to the timing of the Lord. In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan demonstrated that kind of dialed-in mindset. Unfortunately, Saul operated on his own timing. …
1 Samuel 5 – There are times when God uses circumstances to demolish the false gods that we all cling to. Initially, we tend to make excuses and stick with the status quo. This is especially true …
2 Kings 20 – Through all of Hezekiah’s successes, we finally come to a weakness. It is a strange chapter in which many commentators are divided with their analysis. In this story, God speaks to Hezekiah four …
1 Kings 20 – There are some incredible spiritual metaphors we can glean from these passages which build on the disobedience of Ahab in 1 Kings 19. Right off the bat, there is the threat of warfare. …
Genesis 20 – Once again Abraham lied. Once again he told a foreign king his wife was his sister. And once again he was rebuked by a foreigner. It seems to me, in His grace, God withholds …
Genesis 6 – What does the text mean when it says the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men” were beautiful and took wives for themselves? The phrase “sons of God” is used in other places …
Genesis 3 – Blatant evil is not our greatest threat as believers; it is deceptive evil wrapped in a package of truth. But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may …
James 3 – “Name-It Claim-It” Theology – believers have the power to speak anything into existence. You just have to have faith. Universalism – everyone is saved as long as they believe in some form of higher …
Esther 6 – Generally speaking, we tend to fall into one of two categories. Either we are detail-oriented thinkers or big-picture thinkers. People who focus on the details tend to lack the vision to see how it …
Esther 5 – This is an interesting chapter. Many commentators and scholars will be quick to point out the timing was not right for Esther to make her ask. It’s hard to know. Did God prevent Esther …
Esther 1 – At this point in Israel’s history, Ezra has just returned from the exile to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The Persian Empire is firmly in control and its territory extends from India to Ethiopia …
Zechariah 10 – What happens when we don’t receive an answer from God as soon as we like? We turn to false gods and idols. We want to feel comfort, so instead of waiting on God we …
Jonah 2 – Jonah was in hell… or so he thought. It wouldn’t take one or two days to convince Jonah to turn back to God. It would be three days and three nights before he uttered …
Hosea 2 – Grace and truth. They are the inescapable character traits of God. God is a fair and just God. He doesn’t compromise like we do. I think that sometimes we take for granted the holiness …
Daniel 5 – “Though you knew all this…” It’s a frightening statement. Consider the fact that Belshazzar didn’t grow up in a “Christian home.” His father, King Nebuchadnezzar, had humbled himself to the Lord at one time …
2 Corinthians 12 – Paul’s patience is evident in this chapter. The super apostles of Corinth could not stop talking about themselves. It is likely they boasted about their dreams and visions which they used to add …
1 Corinthians 1 – Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother… 1 Corinthians 1:1 NASB In Acts 18 Sosthenes was the leader of the Jewish synagogue who …
Psalm 145 – “Observe that David is firmly resolved to praise God. My text has four ‘I wills’ in it. Frequently it is foolish for us poor mortals to say ‘I will,’ because our will is so …
Psalm 103 – How long do you strive? It seems like an odd question on the surface. Let me rephrase it. Where is the limit of your patience and trust? Let’s say a friend were to ask …
Psalm 95 – All worship is not equal. There are many today who bring false worship before the Father. Coming before Him with selfish ambition or prideful arrogance, they are no different than the Pharisees of Jesus’ …
Psalm 73 – Have you ever pondered how God is good when our lives are drenched in the darkness of evil? You are not alone. Many in Scripture have cried out to God for answers to this …
Psalm 52 – Psalm 52 is a reminder that our words matter. Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery. 3 You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully. Selah. 4 You …
Psalm 39 – Let’s track this psalm from the beginning. The psalmist opens with tremendous grief. There seems to be physical, emotional and mental suffering going on in his life and he doesn’t know how to respond. …
Psalm 15 – The term “Christian” can mean many different things. Some people immediately think of a moral person who obeys rules. Others may picture someone who is filled with love. Still, others may associate the word …
Psalm 14 – When the psalmist refers to the unbeliever as a fool, he isn’t insulting his intelligence. It’s a moral charge. Sye Ten Bruggengate, a Christian apologist, relates this thought to a personal story. “My father …
Psalm 12 – Lies. Deception. Delusion. We all do it. We use coping mechanisms to help us deal with reality. In many ways, it’s a strategy to deny reality. The problem with this is that we begin …
Psalm 8 – “Have you never read…” The words pierced like a dagger. It was a direct challenge to the authority and comprehension of these so-called representatives of God. The Pharisees hated Jesus. They made it their …
Mark 9 – We all know the greatest commandment according to Jesus. Here’s a refresher… “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. …
Deuteronomy 23 – As we’ve written many times in Deuteronomy, these laws can seem foreign to us. In some ways, they prescribe almost an ascetic type of lifestyle. Asceticism is defined as a lifestyle characterized by abstinence …
Deuteronomy 16 – Favoritism. Bribes. Bias. Corruption. Does this not describe our current political climate? God gave specific laws regarding the judges that He Himself would appoint for Israel. First, there would be impartiality. Everyone would be …
Deuteronomy 6 – Here in Deuteronomy 6, we find the “shema.” The word itself means “hear” or “listen” and begins in verse 4. “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5 “You …
Ecclesiastes 5 – Fear God. Not exactly a popular message these days. You don’t hear many sermons on the fear of God or what that even means. So, what does it actually mean to fear God? Solomon …
Numbers 32 – The LORD became angry with the people and made them wander in the wilderness forty years until that whole generation that had displeased him was dead. Numbers 32:13 GNB I found myself wondering why …
Numbers 30 – Keep in mind that ancient vows could be both positive and negative. They may be to motivate us to perform in some way (positively) or to abstain from certain things (negatively). A great example …
Numbers 26 – The census here marks a turning point in Israel’s history. The first generation that was delivered from Egypt and complained continually has now been destroyed by the plague. In fact, just like God had …
Luke 19 – In Chapter 19, Jesus tells the parable of the ten minas. A mina was 1/60 of a talent and would have come out to around 3 months of wages. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to …
Ezekiel 13 – Wow! What a relevant topic! For years, false prophets have been stirring up dissension in order to dismantle what God is building among His people. To make a clear point, God compares a false …