Matthew 18
Matthew 18 - How do you approach confrontation and accountability in the church? The worldview of Jesus was not simply focused on "winning your brother" for the sake of a good deed, but because each person has ...
Matthew 15
Matthew 15 - It's the worst feeling that any human can experience in this life. It's the realization that I wasted my life. I can't imagine a more horrifying reaction than those who thought they were living ...
Matthew 13
Matthew 13 - Here in Matthew 13, there are so many great parables it is hard to just reflect on one aspect of this chapter! You could do an in-depth study of each story. I want to ...
Matthew 10
Matthew 10 - Jesus' selections were complete. Among his disciples were some strange picks by human standards. Among those chosen were a tax collector, several fishermen, and a religious zealot who opposed Rome. Many were unschooled men. ...
Matthew 7
Matthew 7 - Judge not so you will not be judged. What was Jesus getting at here? This is a quote that is so often misrepresented, in my opinion. Was Jesus saying we should lower our standard ...
Matthew 5
Matthew 5 - I love the depth and practicality of Jesus' message here. Many of his critics thought he was abolishing the law. In his teaching, Jesus was verifying that the law is both temporary and eternal. ...
Proverbs 29
Proverbs 29 - "Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him." Proverbs 29:10 HCSB "When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall." Proverbs 29:16 HCSB "An unjust man ...
Proverbs 27
Proverbs 27 - "As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person. 20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and people's eyes are never satisfied." Proverbs 27:19-20 HCSB A modern phrase similar to this is, ...
Proverbs 25
Proverbs 25 - "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will ...
Proverbs 24
Proverbs 24 - The empty U-Haul is parked out front. Your belongings are packed away in boxes. The move has begun. "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 by knowledge the ...
Proverbs 22
Proverbs 22 - "The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD made them both." Proverbs 22:2 HCSB The truth of the matter is that our world has rich, poor and everyone in between. If ...
Proverbs 20
Proverbs 20 - This chapter really addresses a diverse range of topics. Excessive drinking, gossip, pride, and disobedience, just to name a few. Here is what stuck out to me... "The one who lives with integrity is ...
Proverbs 17
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
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 15
Proverbs 15 - "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good." Proverbs 15:3 HCSB This is a soothing reminder to all of us who are surprised by what happens in the world ...
Proverbs 12
Proverbs 12 - Discipline is hard. Accepting instruction is difficult. They both require us to delay our satisfaction. When we are in the middle of being corrected, it can feel threatening. Our flesh wants to resist becoming ...
Proverbs 11
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
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 9
Proverbs 9 - Proverbs 9: Only a fool would deny God. How do you know if you are acting foolishly? First, we see that a wise person accepts correction. This goes back to the humility/teachability traits that ...
Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8 - When I was in college, I reluctantly took a poetry class. It was difficult for me, but I actually managed to learn a few things. The Bible is chock-full of literary masterpieces. The artistic ...
Proverbs 4
Proverbs 4 - As a kid, I remember going down to the beaches of Florida for our family vacations. One particular trip, we were vacationing along with extended family. My cousin and I decided right when we ...
Proverbs 3
Proverbs 3 - It doesn't matter if you are talking about running a business, a ministry, or a family; there is one trait that will often separate the successful from the unsuccessful. Teachability. How many of us ...
Proverbs 1
Proverbs 1 - A blunt tagline to the book of Proverbs could very easily be "Proverbs: Don't live in stupidity." When we encounter Jesus, we discover two very profound realities. We discover the truth of who God ...
2 Peter 2
2 Peter 2 - 2 Peter 2 opens by describing two different kinds of false people within the church. Maybe we have never taken the time to consider the difference between false prophets and false teachers? Maybe ...
2 Peter 1
2 Peter 1 - Peter was a bond-servant and apostle. This is a unique combination, being subject to all others in service and humility as well as being called by Jesus to follow and see firsthand the ...
1 Peter 5
1 Peter 5 - Peter is following up on his previous chapter on suffering. It's no surprise that in order to withstand suffering and encourage others through it, you need to have strong leadership. Peter is writing ...
1 Peter 4
1 Peter 4 - Arm yourself! This is a powerful opening in 1 Peter 4. Our thought process regarding suffering is not some crazy or impossible goal to strive for. It is the mindset that Christ had ...
1 Peter 3
1 Peter 3 - It's in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after his death and preaching to the evil spirits there. "For Christ also suffered for sins once for ...
Titus 3
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 ...
Titus 1
Titus 1 - Parenting is not an easy task. It involves incredible commitment, unyielding problem-solving, and loads of diapers. Parenting exposes so many of your own flaws as you begin to see the quality level of your ...
2 Samuel 23
2 Samuel 23 - David was never ashamed of who he was and where he came from. In a culture that was all about notoriety and popularity, David was still the youngest son of Jesse, the peasant ...
2 Samuel 22
2 Samuel 22 - My rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. These were the words David penned about God after he looked over the history of his relationship. There's no doubt that the words of Scripture speak ...
2 Samuel 20
2 Samuel 20 - Concubines, intestines, and a severed head being thrown over a wall! This chapter is not for the faint of heart. Coming off the heels of a civil war, David is drawn back in. ...
2 Samuel 18
2 Samuel 18 - This is a difficult chapter to absorb. On one hand, justice was served and the rightful king of Israel was restored. On the other hand, a loving father grieves the loss of his ...
2 Samuel 15
2 Samuel 15 - Absalom was good looking, charismatic, and a cutthroat politician. Modern-day politicians would do well to study the strategy of Absalom. First, he didn't run a smear campaign against David. In fact, he doesn't ...
2 Samuel 13
2 Samuel 13 - What a mess here in 2 Samuel 13! It's hard to know where to begin. Amnon was obsessed. The thought of sinning consumed him. He seemingly had no relief from these lustful thoughts ...
2 Samuel 12
2 Samuel 12 - Sin often causes innocent people to perish. This is because sin cannot be overlooked. Though David was forgiven for his sin, there was still a cost to pay. In this case, the consequences ...
2 Samuel 9
2 Samuel 9 - David had made a promise to Jonathan, and David was a man of his word. So as he was reflecting back on Saul's family, David remembered his oath of friendship to Jonathan and ...
2 Samuel 8
2 Samuel 8 - In many ways, David is presented as the "anti-Saul" even though at times, their behavior does not seem all that different. Thus far in Samuel, we've witnessed several questionable decisions by David. Here ...
2 Samuel 7
2 Samuel 7 - We live in a society of bare minimums. What's the least I can pay and still buy that? What's the least I can spend and still earn rewards? What's the least I can ...
2 Samuel 1
2 Samuel 1 - There are three versions of Saul's death mentioned in Scripture and one of them is found here in 2 Samuel 1. Death Reference #1 1 Samuel 31:4 GNB He said to the young ...
1 Samuel 30
1 Samuel 30 - David returns to Zikleg, where he had fled from Saul only to find that while he and his men were gone, the Amalekites had come and raided their city. They burned the place ...
1 Samuel 26
1 Samuel 26 - If there was ever a justifiable moment for David to end Saul's life, this was it. Saul had repented of his wrongdoing back when David had his first opportunity to kill Saul in ...
1 Samuel 20
1 Samuel 20 - Saul has become a volcanic madman. David is struggling with trust and discernment. Jonathan is caught in the middle. The first day of the month was the New Moon festival which was celebrated ...
1 Samuel 19
1 Samuel 19 - Saul has tried everything by this point. He will not be satisfied until David is dead. Saul plotted. God protected. David escaped. Through all of this, Saul never changed. He believed he was ...
1 Samuel 18
1 Samuel 18 - “Saul has slain his thousands,And David his ten thousands.” The wording here says that "all cities in Israel" had women who danced and sang to this tune. It was literally a Billboard Top ...
1 Samuel 15
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 5
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 ...
1 Samuel 4
1 Samuel 4 - Israel goes to war with the Philistines. "Never did time seem more hopeless than when Samuel arose. The Philistines, strengthened not merely by a constant influx of immigrants, but by the importation of ...
1 Samuel 3
1 Samuel 3 - What I love about this chapter is that Samuel had not yet experienced the voice or guidance of the Lord. His mind had not yet been renewed to spiritual things. However, when the ...
1 Samuel 2
1 Samuel 2 - The book of 1 Samuel is interesting because it transitions from a time of judges into a political and religious monarchy. We get a picture of the time period ...
2 Timothy 2
2 Timothy 2 - There's only one Gospel. There's only one Gospel. There's. Only. ONE. Gospel. The Gospel = Suffering Paul continues to reiterate the fact that the Gospel requires sacrifice, suffering, and even imprisonment. Suffer. Hardworking. ...
1 Timothy 6
1 Timothy 6 - Paul bookends this letter by circling back to his thoughts from 1 Timothy 1. In that chapter, he introduced the problem Timothy was facing at Ephesus which was the deceptive doctrine of false ...
1 Timothy 5
1 Timothy 5 - Through Jesus' sacrifice and forgiveness, we enter into a new relationship with God. As our father, He loves us unconditionally and leads us into truth and light. The point is, it is Jesus ...
1 Timothy 2
1 Timothy 2 - As a child, I would sometimes hear my parents say, "As long as you are under this roof, you will live by our guidelines." Every parent must choose how they will govern their ...
1 Timothy 1
1 Timothy 1 - The Same Old False Doctrine Paul comes out swinging against false teachers. We find out in 2 Timothy that they were teaching a Gospel contrary to the early apostles. Specifically, they were teaching ...
Romans 16
Romans 16 - This is a phenomenal chapter that champions the role of women in the church. Romans 16 begins with an affirmation of a woman serving in a position of leadership. I commend to you our ...
Romans 15
Romans 15 - This week, I learned a very relevant historical fact that alters the way I read and understand the book of Romans. The very first house churches in Rome would have been comprised of mostly ...
Romans 14
Romans 14 - Years ago, I hosted a Bible study with some college guys who were looking to grow in their faith. One particular afternoon, we were studying the New Testament when the discussion turned to some ...
Romans 12
Romans 12 - Starting in verse 9 of Romans 12, Paul rattles off a disjointed list of Christian principles. On the surface, it may seem haphazard. In reality, Paul is most likely using a style known as ...
Romans 11
Romans 11 - To me, the most interesting part of Romans 11 starts in verse 25. After outlining the difference again between works and grace, and the stumbling that Israel has had over the years, Paul writes ...
Romans 10
Romans 10 - A lot of times we talk about people having knowledge about God, but no zeal for him. Here, Paul is attacking just the opposite. He is accusing the Jews of having much zeal for ...
Romans 9
Romans 9 - Paul now shifts his focus to the Israelites specifically. His heart is so heavy for his brothers and sisters. Although they had knowledge of God, they had not truly humbled themselves to him. He ...
Romans 6
Romans 6 - Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed "holy man" who claimed to speak on behalf of God. He gained considerable influence in Russian during the early 1900s. Controversy surrounds Rasputin as he claimed ...
Romans 5
Romans 5 - Romans 5 marks a transition. Paul has been formulating his theological argument around sin and justification which continues throughout the first half of this chapter. He then moves into a new theme that centers ...
Romans 2
Romans 2 - When you hold up God as the standard, as you should, that standard is one that not only condemns the person you are correcting but yourself as well. As the old saying goes, "You're ...
Romans 1
Romans 1 - John Calvin said of Romans, "When anyone understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scripture." Martin Luther praised the Book of Romans: "It is the ...
2 Kings 24
2 Kings 24 - This is such a tough time for Judah. Jeremiah had been prophesying about Babylonian captivity for quite some time. This was the voice of God. Josiah, in the previous chapter, had found God's ...
2 Kings 23
2 Kings 23 - Starting in Deuteronomy 17:14, God outlines the laws concerning Israel's kings. Be sure that the man you choose to be king is the one whom the LORD has chosen. He must be one ...
2 Kings 22
2 Kings 22 - It is through the Word of God that we are able to see and feel the conviction our heart needs to change. For Josiah, it occurred during a tough time for the nation. ...
2 Kings 15
2 Kings 15 - If you get bored and skim through 2 Kings 15, you will miss a very significant detail in verse 19. Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a ...
2 Kings 12
2 Kings 12 - He is another leader in Scripture who started off so well but failed to finish. Joash had simply stopped trusting God. He did well when he was being mentored, but he never came ...
2 Kings 10
2 Kings 10 - When this chapter begins you get a sense that Jehu is going to be a ferocious warrior for the Lord. He eliminates Ahab's family, doing everything the Lord has asked. He follows that ...
2 Kings 8
2 Kings 8 - The pattern of Elisha's service to the Lord consistently reflects the act of leading others to a spiritual mind. There was the birth and healing of the Shunammite woman's son, the enlightening of ...
2 Kings 7
2 Kings 7 - What I love most about this story is the creativity of God's faithfulness. Of course, we know that God is a God of miracles. Rarely those miracles take place exactly the way we ...
2 Kings 6
2 Kings 6 - When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, "Oh, my master, what ...
2 Kings 4
2 Kings 4 - Open containers. What a metaphor. A widow comes to Elisha in a panic. Her husband has died and her creditor is breathing down her neck. In ancient times, this was a greater predicament ...
2 Kings 3
2 Kings 3 - The verses here in 2 Kings 3 really put into perspective just how evil Ahab and Jezebel really were. Their son, Jehoram (aka Joram), is now king over Israel. We read that he ...
1 Kings 21
1 Kings 21 - When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He refused food, slept in the sackcloth, and went about gloomy and depressed. 1 Kings 21:27 The tearing ...
1 Kings 20
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. ...
1 Kings 19
1 Kings 19 - The events in 1 Kings 19 could be known as "The Pastor's Chapter." After the triumphant, cataclysmic fire-from-the-sky victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah found himself defeated. The smoldering flames of God ...
1 Kings 18
1 Kings 18 - Obadiah was a manager of Ahab's royal palace and a devout worshiper of God. He demonstrated his faithfulness to the Lord by hiding 100 prophets from Jezebel. She had a history of killing ...
1 Kings 17
1 Kings 17 - Since Baal was considered the god of the sky, or "the storm god," it would be a drought that God would use to grab the people's attention. God was setting the scene to ...
1 Kings 9
1 Kings 9 - 1 Kings 9 provides some insight into the subtle turn taking place in Solomon. As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king's house and all that ...
1 Kings 6
1 Kings 6 - It's amazing to me that the Lord spoke these same words over and over to Solomon. "If you obey all my laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised your ...
1 Kings 1
1 Kings 1 - The book of Kings picks up with an older David (70) still serving as king but declining in health. The time to pass the torch was near, and this sets the backdrop for ...
Genesis 50
Genesis 50 - It is always fascinating to me when we come across a chapter in the Bible that captivates us with incredible detail and then quickly moves across history with sweeping summaries. We get both in ...
Genesis 44
Genesis 44 - Judah goes from schemer to savior. He goes from loving himself to understanding pure, unconditional love. He was the first to suggest selling Joseph years before but now he is the first to offer ...
Genesis 42
Genesis 42 - According to Wikipedia, The Conscience Fund is one of three gift funds maintained by the United States Department of the Treasury. It was put into place for voluntary contributions from people who have stolen from ...
Genesis 41
Genesis 41 - Joseph began as a shepherd of animals and become a shepherd of men. He, like Jesus, was loved by his father but despised by his brothers. He, like Jesus, was prophesied to receive authority ...
Genesis 40
Genesis 40 - We now learn that Potiphar did not really believe the accusations brought against Joseph. In Genesis 39, we read that Potiphar was "an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard." Here in ...
Genesis 39
Genesis 39 - Set against the backdrop of Joseph's brother Judah pursuing a harlot who was actually his daughter-in-law, here we have a polar opposite response. Genesis 39 is a valuable lesson on dealing with temptation. Joseph ...
Genesis 37
Genesis 37 - "Enoch shows the walk of faith, Noah shows the perseverance of faith, Abraham shows the obedience of faith, Isaac shows the power of faith, and Jacob shows the discipline of faith. Along these lines ...
Genesis 35
Genesis 35 - Which is more dangerous, heading to Bethel or disobeying God? We often justify disobedience with fear. We often convince ourselves that safety is more important than a total commitment to Jesus. But the truth ...
Genesis 33
Genesis 33 - There are simple but profound lessons found in this story. How many times have we stressed over a situation that ended up going much better than we had anticipated? Jacob wrestled with God the ...
Genesis 32
Genesis 32 - There are three points that really stick out to me in this chapter. Separation from the world will often allow us to become aware of God's greater revelation. In Genesis 31, we learn that ...
Genesis 30
Genesis 30 - Jacob married sisters... just think about that. Rachel had her husband's love but could not produce sons. Leah could produce sons but did not have her husband's love. It was a recipe for disaster. ...
Genesis 29
Genesis 29 - Jacob is here in Genesis 29 doing "Jacob-like stuff." Like a smooth-talking used car salesman, he approaches these shepherds as if they were his long lost buddies from college. His reference to it being ...
Genesis 27
Genesis 27 - What a story! As a Chicago fan, this is kind of like watching the Green Bay Packers play the Minnesota Vikings. There is no one to root for! First, we have Isaac. Though ...
Genesis 21
Genesis 21 - In previous chapters, we may have been tempted to wonder, "Why has God stuck with Abraham for so long?" Commentators and scholars have wondered why the Bible is so brutally honest about the struggles ...