Matthew 10 - Jesus' selections were complete. Among his disciples were some strange picks by human standards. Among those chosen…
Matthew 9 - Interestingly, as Matthew writes his account of his own selection as a disciple, he chooses to use…
Matthew 8 - Jesus marveled. It's a strong phrase. What was it like for Jesus to marvel? What did it…
Matthew 7 - Judge not so you will not be judged. What was Jesus getting at here? This is a…
Matthew 6 - The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Many people came to hear about the kingdom and left…
Matthew 5 - I love the depth and practicality of Jesus' message here. Many of his critics thought he was…
Matthew 4 - "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."…
Matthew 3 - Photo credit: Nelson's New Illustrated Commentary Pictured is the traditionally accepted site (the Jordan River) for the…
Matthew 2 - Remarkably, the calendar we all depend on was originally created around Jesus' birth. Medieval creators tried to…
Matthew 1 - The Gospels do not record a single word spoken by this man. Yet, the Gospel account written…
Proverbs 31 - Proverbs 31 is a famous chapter describing a virtuous woman of God. Many of us have heard…
Proverbs 29 - "Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him." Proverbs 29:10 HCSB "When the…
Proverbs 28 - "The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find…
Proverbs 27 - "As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person. 20 Sheol and Abaddon are never…
Proverbs 25 - "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him…
Proverbs 24 - The empty U-Haul is parked out front. Your belongings are packed away in boxes. The move has…
Proverbs 23 - "Don't let your heart envy sinners; instead, always fear the LORD. 18 For then you will have…
Proverbs 22 - "The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD made them both." Proverbs 22:2 HCSB …
Proverbs 21 - A very intriguing verse in this chapter of Proverbs includes a reference back to the days of…
Proverbs 20 - This chapter really addresses a diverse range of topics. Excessive drinking, gossip, pride, and disobedience, just to…
Proverbs 19 - If you are like me then you might have read this chapter and become uncomfortable with a…
Proverbs 17 - As I read this chapter, I see a theme of relational conflict. "Better a dry crust with…
Proverbs 16 - "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9 HCSB This passage…
Proverbs 15 - "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good." Proverbs 15:3 HCSB This…
Proverbs 14 - As we journey through Proverbs, you can really pick out any phrase and focus on its content…
Proverbs 12 - Discipline is hard. Accepting instruction is difficult. They both require us to delay our satisfaction. When we…
Proverbs 11 - God provides many illustrations in Scripture explaining that He deals with people based on how they deal…
Proverbs 10 - Up until this point in Proverbs, we have studied the difference between the foolishness of men and…
Proverbs 8 - When I was in college, I reluctantly took a poetry class. It was difficult for me, but…
Proverbs 4 - As a kid, I remember going down to the beaches of Florida for our family vacations. One…
Proverbs 2 - In Proverbs 1, we learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Here…
2 Peter 3 - Peter was writing, at the time, against the theory of uniformitarianism. It states that the processes…
2 Peter 2 - 2 Peter 2 opens by describing two different kinds of false people within the church. Maybe…
2 Peter 1 - Peter was a bond-servant and apostle. This is a unique combination, being subject to all others…
1 Peter 5 - Peter is following up on his previous chapter on suffering. It's no surprise that in order…
1 Peter 4 - Arm yourself! This is a powerful opening in 1 Peter 4. Our thought process regarding suffering…
1 Peter 3 - It's in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after…
1 Peter 2 - Peter opens with the process of transformation. The true progression of spiritual growth is measured by…
1 Peter 1 - It is beneficial to explore the interesting background on the book of Peter. First, many scholars…
Philemon 1 - Paul offers us a lesson in diplomacy and peacemaking. At the time, Paul was a prisoner in…
Titus 3 - Have you ever been involved in a foolish conversation? How about an endless quarrel about a technicality?…
Titus 2 - Years ago, I remember a conversation I was having with a group of teenagers when suddenly the…
Titus 1 - Parenting is not an easy task. It involves incredible commitment, unyielding problem-solving, and loads of diapers. Parenting…
2 Samuel 23 - David was never ashamed of who he was and where he came from. In a culture…
2 Samuel 22 - My rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. These were the words David penned about God after…
2 Samuel 21 - King David was seemingly indestructible. He was a beast on the battlefield and a musician at…
2 Samuel 20 - Concubines, intestines, and a severed head being thrown over a wall! This chapter is not for…
2 Samuel 18 - This is a difficult chapter to absorb. On one hand, justice was served and the rightful…
2 Samuel 16 - The reason why we read several chapters back about the grace David extended to Saul's family…
2 Samuel 11 - Most of us know the story of 2 Samuel 11. David's sin and repentance are well-documented.…
2 Samuel 9 - David had made a promise to Jonathan, and David was a man of his word. So…
2 Samuel 8 - In many ways, David is presented as the "anti-Saul" even though at times, their behavior does…
2 Samuel 6 - Familiarity can often produce deadly results. It was Jesus who proclaimed he could do no miracles…
1 Samuel 29 - Can you imagine David fighting against his friends and family? Can you imagine him going to…
1 Samuel 25 - As well as David reacted to having a moment with Saul to himself, he backtracks with…
1 Samuel 24 - David retreats with his men to the caves of the Wilderness of En Gedi. This was…
1 Samuel 8 - Samuel's reputation as a judge was top-notch. He followed in a long line of judges who…
2 Timothy 4 - I have never really noticed this before, but I am struck by Paul's confidence in 2…
2 Timothy 3 - We have already seen it mentioned times over the last several chapters, but Paul once again…
2 Timothy 2 - There's only one Gospel. There's only one Gospel. There's. Only. ONE. Gospel. The Gospel = Suffering…
2 Timothy 1 - The personal nature of 2 Timothy 1 really shines! Paul was such a gifted communicator and…
1 Timothy 6 - Paul bookends this letter by circling back to his thoughts from 1 Timothy 1. In that…
1 Timothy 5 - Through Jesus' sacrifice and forgiveness, we enter into a new relationship with God. As our father,…
1 Timothy 4 - Expect turmoil. Expect opposition. Expect deception. These are the difficult expectations Paul lays out to Timothy…
1 Timothy 3 - Paul moves from congregational conduct to leadership. There are two offices he addresses: the overseer and…
1 Timothy 2 - As a child, I would sometimes hear my parents say, "As long as you are under…
1 Timothy 1 - The Same Old False Doctrine Paul comes out swinging against false teachers. We find out in…
Romans 16 - This is a phenomenal chapter that champions the role of women in the church. Romans 16 begins…
Romans 15 - This week, I learned a very relevant historical fact that alters the way I read and understand…
Romans 14 - Years ago, I hosted a Bible study with some college guys who were looking to grow in…
Romans 13 - In Chapter 13, Paul's focus is the authority of the government, and how the Christian should respond…
Romans 12 - Starting in verse 9 of Romans 12, Paul rattles off a disjointed list of Christian principles. On…
Romans 11 - To me, the most interesting part of Romans 11 starts in verse 25. After outlining the difference…
Romans 10 - A lot of times we talk about people having knowledge about God, but no zeal for him.…
Romans 9 - Paul now shifts his focus to the Israelites specifically. His heart is so heavy for his brothers…
Romans 8 - Christ lived a sinless life. He willingly gave Himself as a living sacrifice for our sin so…
Romans 7 - What is the purpose of the law? In Romans 6 we saw the law cannot make us…
Romans 6 - Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed "holy man" who claimed to speak on behalf of…
Romans 5 - Romans 5 marks a transition. Paul has been formulating his theological argument around sin and justification which…
Romans 4 - In Romans 4, Paul contrasts the ideas of "works = righteousness" with "faith = righteousness." Abraham was…
Romans 3 - When we study Scripture, it is important we don't sweep through it with a predetermined mindset. There…
Romans 2 - When you hold up God as the standard, as you should, that standard is one that not…
Romans 1 - John Calvin said of Romans, "When anyone understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him…
2 Kings 25 - It's definitely fitting that the fate of Israel was determined at Jericho. “It seems ironic that…
2 Kings 24 - This is such a tough time for Judah. Jeremiah had been prophesying about Babylonian captivity for…
2 Kings 23 - Starting in Deuteronomy 17:14, God outlines the laws concerning Israel's kings. Be sure that the man…
2 Kings 22 - It is through the Word of God that we are able to see and feel the…
2 Kings 20 - Through all of Hezekiah's successes, we finally come to a weakness. It is a strange chapter…
2 Kings 17 - Hoshea was the last king of Israel before it was captured by the Assyrians. In this…
2 Kings 18 - A major theme the past several chapters has begged the question - who will step up…
2 Kings 16 - This was a horrific compromise by Ahaz as he decided to trust the Assyrian army to…
2 Kings 15 - If you get bored and skim through 2 Kings 15, you will miss a very significant…
2 Kings 14 - What I am struck by in this 14th chapter of 2 Kings is just how much…
2 Kings 13 - What’s the context here? Well, as we have read, 2 Kings is a terrible time for…
2 Kings 11 - The history can get pretty confusing when the stories switch back and forth from the northern…
2 Kings 10 - When this chapter begins you get a sense that Jehu is going to be a ferocious…
2 Kings 8 - The pattern of Elisha's service to the Lord consistently reflects the act of leading others to…
2 Kings 6 - When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered…
2 Kings 1 - Same story, different chapter. After reading about all of Ahab's disastrous choices, we now move into…
1 Kings 22 - What's the deal with Ramoth-Gilead and why did they want it back? Ramoth was a Levitical…