1 Chronicles 3 – The royal line of David and house of Jesse is recorded here. I love how Ezra was led to record this in detail…
Jerusalem
212 posts
1 Chronicles 1 – The Workman clan descends upon Columbia City once a year. As many who can make it, New Year’s Day has been set aside…
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…
Isaiah 62 – “Holy people. Redeemed. Sought out. Not forsaken. A relational God uses relational language for His…
Isaiah 57 – Spiritual Adultery. The term itself seems impossible really. It also stands as an offensive term. But this is what God addresses with the people of Israel…
Isaiah 47 – We have heard and have spoken even that God is the God of the past, the present and the future. It’s a tremendous statement that can…
Isaiah 45 – 200 hundred years before the man was born, before the prophecy given – the Lord spoke to the prophet Isaiah concerning him. A pagan king, called…
Isaiah 37 – “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 The Assyrian field commander’s words sent shock waves throughout the people…
Isaiah 36 – Deception. The enemy of our souls has used this tactic with God’s creation since the beginning of time. His deception takes that of half truths or…
Isaiah 29 – We’re all guilty of it from time to time. Going through the motions with anything we’ve become accustomed to doing can be a deadly careless action….
Isaiah 28 – Remember those days back in elementary school when a teacher would correct you? You had done something wrong, had acted out or whatever would warrant their…
Isaiah 22 – How do you handle the immense spiritual burdens of others? Isaiah wept over Israel. You can feel his raw emotion in verse 4. He refuses…
Isaiah 20 – Many years ago while in Cyprus a friend of mine told a story how God asked him to do something which seemed illogical. He was back…
Isaiah 7 – Houston, we have a problem. The year was 734 BC. King Ahaz was on the throne and one of the worst in Judah’s history…
Isaiah 5 – They say tending to a vineyard is tedious and time-consuming.That stressful work is a top priority of vineyard owners. God uses this springboard of…
Isaiah 2 – We long for days when there are no more wars. It seems everyday there are headlines stating a war or faction or uprising that is affecting…
Colossians 2 – Paul is struggling. His struggle not personal but for the people of Colossae as well as those in Laodicea. His concern goes far deeper than just…
Philippians 1 – It’s known as Paul’s letter of joy. It speaks personally to the people but also of his own circumstances. Circumstances he has not…
Ephesians 1 – Paul wrote a letter. It was not to confront the church on issues, but to encourage. The church was born the day of Pentecost when the…
Galatians 2 – The tension was high. I was a missionary attending an English speaking congregation and was actively involved in some ministries. An all church meeting was called…
Galatians 1 – Freedom. Across this globe, there is a longing for freedom from tyranny. There is a desire to be free from the underbelly of sex trafficking. There…
Judges 12 – We all have them in our lives. They are the most challenging people. Chronic complainers never see anything good; always go for the worst scenario; they…
1 John 1 – He had walked with Him. He was known as the ‘one Jesus loved’. A part of the inner circle of 3, John was…
Ezra 9 – After a 4 month, dangerous journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, Ezra arrived to find things not as he had thought. A culture of compromise within his own…
Ezra 7 – There is a gap of 60 some years between chapter 6 and 7. It was during these 60 that the wonderful story of Esther took place…
Ezra 6 – It’s almost like a footnote. As a refresher of the story, the people surrounding were having a fit because the Temple of God was being rebuilt in…
Ezra 4 – Obstacles are a part of life. We run into many of these in every situation we face. When we are doing the work of God, fulfilling…
Ezra 3 – Where God calls, He will equip! This is something we must be reminded of again and again on this journey of ours. The plan of God…
Ezra 1 – 48 years had passed since Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, defeated the southern Kingdom of Judah and carried the Jewish people off to captivity. When this Babylonian king…
Joshua 18 – Joshua 18:3 Joshua said to the children of Israel, “How long will you neglect to go in to possess the land, which Yahweh, the God…
Joshua 15 – As the allotment of the land for Judah takes place, Caleb makes another appearance. Be it ever so brief we read of his brother Othniel. After…
Joshua 14 – Caleb was one of the 12 men alongside Joshua when over 40 years before had gone into the land to spy out what awaited the people…
Joshua 12 – It reads as an exhaustive list. In fact, to us who were not involved in the battle of taking of the land, we are probably apt…
Joshua 9 – They were a people living in Canaan. As Israel had conquered two cities, news brought terror far and wide. Deception would be the tactic the people…
Matthew 28 – “He is risen!” These are 3 words that have changed the very outlook and trajectory of all humankind. These 3 words are the key…
Matthew 24 – It began as a random observation by the disciples which turned into quite a teaching of end times and Jesus’ return in all His…
Matthew 21 – We often look at Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem as a statement. He was humble. But what He rode was a powerful statement. He was…
1 Peter 5 – Leadership. It’s always been interesting to me how there are some who long for leadership within the church but are not willing to…
Titus 1 – Titus was a Greek Believer. Originally a listener to Paul’s message, he embraced it and was taken under Paul’s wing. In time he stood before the…
2 Samuel 20 – Loyalty – it’s showing faithfulness to our commitments, vows or an allegiance to someone or a cause. The political scene is difficult..
2 Samuel 19 – What a mess. After the death of Absalom David is in overwhelming grief and it’s affecting the army who just fought for him….
2 Samuel 17 – “You can run, but you can’t hide…” the famous statement goes. I’m not sure who coined this phrase but it plays deeply…
2 Samuel 16 – The devastation David is hit with here seems never ending. He’s manipulated by one man, cursed by another. His own son rides into…
2 Samuel 14 – Pride. It’s an insidious attribute that destroys inwardly and outwardly. We’re too proud to admit we failed. Too proud to say we’re genuinely…
2 Samuel 11 – There has been much written about the failure of David’s act of adultery with Bathsheba, his botched cover up leading to the murder…
2 Samuel 6 – Sometimes we become too familiar with God or Jesus. Meaning sometimes we forget how He is the Creator of the World. He is…
2 Samuel 5 – Waiting. We all hate it. When waiting on the timing of God, it can seem like the most excruciating amount of time. We…
1 Samuel 5 – Dagon was the chief god of many in the ancient world of whom the Philistines worshiped. He was responsible for the rain and the harvest or so they believed…
Romans 13 – Nothing is worse than a short night’s sleep. It feels as though the moment your head hit the pillow, the alarm went off. Throughout…
Romans 11 – “It’s you, the outsiders that I’m concerned with now. Because my personal assignment is focused on the so-called outsiders…
Romans 1 – Paul had never been to Rome; neither had the church leaders of Jerusalem. It’s widely believed the church was started from people who were in…
2 Kings 25 – The final chapter here in 2 Kings 25 records the last siege of Jerusalem, the Jews led into captivity and history of the remnant left…
2 Kings 24 – It finally happened. Judah was invaded and taken into captivity. Babylon was the new world leader. They’d overthrown the mighty Assyrians and taken…
2 Kings 21 – It’s hard to imagine how an offspring of Hezekiah like Manasseh could be so polar opposite and evil. When Manasseh took to the…
2 Kings 18 – Finally a king who was godly! With the northern kingdom overthrown, Judah was placed firmly between 2 world powers, Egypt and Assyria who…
2 Kings 16 – Ahaz was a weak and extremely compromising ruler. Under his leadership, their religious system was put to shambles. He reconstructed everything about it,…
2 Kings 19 – The king of Assyria, Sennacherib invades and takes several cities of Judah captive. King Hezekiah had paid a ransom of silver and gold…
2 Kings 15 – I know, I know, it may seem for some this lineage of the kings just never ends. It’s easy to gloss over and…
2 Kings 14 – Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the lineage of king after king through this book. Yes, it’s tough to push through and…
2 Kings 12 – Throughout the reigns of the kings we read of something called the high places. In fact, these are mentioned 117 times…
2 Kings 10 – It’s a bloodbath. Jehu takes the mission of eradicating the false worship of Baal and the lineage of Ahab from the land…
1 Kings 16 – He would reign for 41 years. 41 years of sheer evil would be doled out to the people of Israel as they themselves…
1 Kings 12 – The split of the nation unfolds that would last for centuries. Solomon had died. Rehoboam his son succeeded him and it was…
1 Kings 3 – “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will…
Genesis 10 – The lineage of Noah shows what happened and became of his sons and their descendants. What is interesting is these would…
James 1 – Talk is cheap. Inundated with promises everywhere we look from commercials to presidential candidates it’s easy to make or hear…
John 4 – The Gospel is for all people. No matter what their race, title, social position, identity, past sins may be – the redemptive work…
John 2 – In ancient times, weddings were week-long events. Imagine. Now a day’s people put months and months into such planning…
John 1 – “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 From timeless eternity, God was there. Jesus was there. The Trinity was…
Esther 1 – The year is 483 BC. 100 and some years have passed since the Jewish people were taken into exile. The first wave of people had…
Nehemiah 13 – As the saying goes, “While the cats away…” The book of Nehemiah ends with quite a flurry of activity that is not only surprising…
Nehemiah 12 – “When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter…
Nehemiah 11 – Although the walls were complete around Jerusalem, the city itself was a ghost town. The exiles who had returned and settled…
Nehemiah 10 – Repair. Rebuild. Reinforce. Physically things had come together and were complete with the walls of Jerusalem. God was not…
Nehemiah 8 – With Ezra by his side, the people gathered as one and listened to the Word of God being read. It was the first in many…
Nehemiah 7 – “Then I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, let…
Nehemiah 6 – Nehemiah is determined to fulfill the Lord’s work and rebuild the walls despite facing every obstacle imaginable thus far…
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 3 – Nehemiah made it to Jerusalem. At night he went out and inspected the walls to see what he was facing of this massive task that…
Nehemiah 2 – “So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king…” Smack in the middle of a conversation, Nehemiah prayed…
Nehemiah 1 – Brokenness surrounds us. Many times it is overwhelming. Marriages are in disarray. Addictions drive the addict to things they…
Zechariah 14 – “And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.”…
Zechariah 13 – “There’s a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty…
Zechariah 12 – Some call it Armageddon. Others refer to it as the Great Final Battle. It is the time prophesied here and through other prophets…
Zechariah 9 – We call it Palm Sunday. It’s the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to much celebration. Within this prophecy, we have…
Zechariah 8 – Small beginnings – we often tend to overlook things that are so small yet critical steps toward something being fulfilled…
Zechariah 7 – But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their…
Zechariah 6 – The horse’s hooves hit the ground hard, riding with all their might. Saddled behind were chariots holding four spirits going out…
Zechariah 2 – Firewall – an event, person or thing that acts as a barrier or protection against something undesirable. In this second vision…
Zechariah 1 – The future – we consider this very vast uncharted territory from time to time with somberness. Yes, we look toward our future…
Zephaniah 3 – The opening message of doom found in Zephaniah ends with that of hope. It holds words of rescue, restoration and celebration…
Zephaniah 1 – The prophet Zephaniah was most unusual as he was from the lineage of royalty, specifically King Hezekiah. His name means…
Haggai 1 – Many times we bankrupt our lives. We pursue things that are unfulfilling; invest in things that hold no return; waste and squander…
Micah 4 – There is a time we long for. A time when there will be no more tears, no more wars, peace will be a constant. We long…
Micah 1 – Micah was a bold speaker of God’s Word much like his contemporary Isaiah, who was around the same time as himself. His message directed mainly at…
Obadiah 1 – The shortest book of the Old Testament, Obadiah’s words go out against Edom, blood relatives of Israel from Esau…
Amos 1 – Often when we think of a man of God, they come with a title. We tend to place people with the label of minister or reverend…
Hosea 10 – Scripture has a lot to say about vines and bearing fruit. From the Old to the New Testaments, it is a sign usually of what is…
