In 1 Samuel 3, the text states that Samuel served under Eli during a time when God's revelations were rarely…
In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah offers a heartfelt prayer of praise while rejoicing in God's salvation, justice, and power over…
In 1 Samuel 1, a man named Elkanah from the hill country of Ephraim had two wives: Hannah (who was…
In Judges 21, the Israelites mourned the desolation of the tribe of Benjamin and sought the Lord's guidance (Judges 21:1-4).…
In Judges 16, Samson visits Gaza and sleeps with a prostitute. The Philistines plan to ambush him, but Samson escapes…
In Judges 15, Samson visited his wife (from Judges 14) but found that her father had given her to another…
In Judges 12, the Ephraimites confronted Jephthah angrily for not calling them to battle, threatening to burn his house (Judges…
In Judges 10, Tola from the tribe of Issachar led Israel for 23 years and was buried at Shamir. Jair…
Joshua 13 - As you read through the inheritance distributed to the different tribes, you will notice that the Levites…
Joshua 10 - So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.…
Joshua 5 - There was a series of events that the Lord required of Joshua prior to conquering Jericho. Joshua…
Joshua 3 - In Joshua 3, the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan River under Joshua's leadership. Early in the…
Deuteronomy 33 - Moses gives his final blessings to the tribes of Israel. I was drawn to the guidance given…
Ezekiel 20 - For a good part of my adult life, I chased after the hopes and dreams of man.…
Ezekiel 2 - It is intriguing to consider that God's Spirit entered Ezekiel in order to empower him to complete…
Acts 25 - The reason Paul was able to appeal to Caesar and the higher court was because he was…
Acts 21 - This was a tough chapter for me. We read that the voice of the Holy Spirit is…
Acts 20 - In a bittersweet scene, Paul lays it all on the line for the leaders of Ephesus as…
Acts 13 - Paul and Barnabas visit multiple synagogues and work there way across the island of Cyprus from east…
Acts 12 - King Herod never saw it coming. The grandson of the infamous Herod the Great was part of…
Acts 7 - I can vividly remember the old seat belt PSA that was shown on TV all the time…
Acts 6 - We really have two storylines going on here. We have a great leadership move and a great…
Acts 5 - The early church faced persecution from both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. After hearing the testimony of…
Acts 3 - The miraculous signs and wonders led to opportunities to authenticate the message of the Gospel. Peter did…
Acts 2 - At the end of Acts 2, we read the three essentials that contributed to a fruitful body.…
Acts 1 - At the end of Chapter 1, the apostles have just witnessed the ascension of Jesus and are…
Revelation 8 - Continuing on the theme from Chapter 7, John either heard or saw something with every seal that…
Revelation 7 - God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation. I think it's important to understand…
Revelation 3 - Lukewarm I remember several years ago going to a music festival in Kentucky called Ichthus. It was…
Jeremiah 34 - Every 7 years slaves were to be released. This had been an ordinance God had established hundreds…
Jeremiah 26 - Jeremiah is threatened with death. My first takeaway from reading this was just how similar it is…
Jeremiah 10 - Let's face it; we love idols. Consumerism is drilled into us at an early age. Most of…
2 Chronicles 33 - Sometimes it has to hurt in order to draw genuine Godly repentance. It's not a concept…
2 Chronicles 32 - There are times in my spiritual walk when I simply want to take a break. Although…
2 Chronicles 31 - What we notice about the kings of the past two books (1 & 2 Chronicles) is…
2 Chronicles 30 - Hezekiah wanted to do the right thing. He believed that Israel and Judah should come back…
2 Chronicles 29 - In the first month... There were many decisions that needed attention when coming into power as…
2 Chronicles 26 - It may not seem like a big deal to us, but in that time, it was…
2 Chronicles 20 - Did God command his people to go into battle singing? I read this over and over…
2 Chronicles 16 - There is so much in this chapter that is personal and meaningful for me. As someone…
2 Chronicles 14 - The attack that comes upon Israel is from the Ethiopians but that is deceiving. During this…
2 Chronicles 7 - The temptation of reading this promise from God is to universally apply it to national and…
2 Chronicles 6 - "But can you, O God, really live on earth among men and women? Not even all…
2 Chronicles 5 - There are moments when God shows up in a mighty way and we are simply called…
2 Chronicles 4 - Then he made the ten golden lampstands in the way prescribed for them and he set…
2 Chronicles 3 - The effort and detail Solomon and his people put into the newly constructed temple was simply…
1 Chronicles 17 - I am drawn to David's actions over the second half of this chapter. As I read,…
1 Chronicles 13 - There is a strong theme of unity within the writings of Chronicles. Just as intensely as…
1 Chronicles 4 - I also find the mentioning of Jabez to be fascinating in this long list of names.…
Isaiah 65 - God has made Himself available. He is standing with arms outstretched ready to help His people. God…
Isaiah 64 - What does it really look like to come before God in humility and express your deepest grief…
Isaiah 63 - At the beginning of Isaiah 63, we find a familiar theme in Scripture. There is someone with…
Isaiah 58 - Superficial people. We've all endured them. If we're honest, we've probably been one at some point in…
Isaiah 37 - Much of what Isaiah has written leading up to this point has been about the rebellion of…
Isaiah 34 - The idea of this chapter is that the Lord will conquer all who oppose Him. There is…
Isaiah 32 - Isaiah's description of a true king is exactly what we all desire. He is righteous, just, and…
Isaiah 29 - I can remember times in my life when I was simply neglecting the spiritual wisdom of God.…
Isaiah 26 - Disease. Affliction. Poverty. The kingdom of man wrestles with the birth pains of this world. The city…
Isaiah 25 - Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to…
Isaiah 22 - How do you handle the immense spiritual burdens of others? Isaiah wept over Israel. You can feel…
Isaiah 12 - Isaiah 12:1 is a mirror image of Paul's writing in Romans 6:17. Compare the two passages. Then…
Isaiah 11 - There is a good point here to be made about the wrath of God. Many skeptics are…
Colossians 4 - A very practical and important set of instructions are given here by Paul on how we should…
Philippians 4 - As I introduced in my commentary on Philippians 1, we read in Chapter 4 that this church…
Ephesians 5 - For this reason, it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on…
Ephesians 3 - It's one of my favorite prayers in Scripture. Ephesians 3:14-21. Once you really see and experience how…
Ephesians 2 - Many of us today live under the illusion that we simply can’t change. Hidden deep under a…
Ephesians 1 - The readers of this letter in Paul's day would have received a rolled up scroll that required…
Galatians 3 - Correction is tough. Nobody wants to be corrected. It can be humiliating and degrading. Furthermore, the person…
Exodus 39 - At the end of the chapter, Scripture tells us that everything God had commanded, the children of…
Exodus 37 - Let's take a moment to briefly summarize what makes this chapter so fruitful. We have the Holy…
Exodus 35 - Think upon the skills that were required of a master craftsman. Obviously, the person would be gifted…
Exodus 32 - The first question I asked when reading this chapter was - what caused this? We read in…
Exodus 30 - The ability to come before God is an opportunity, not a right. Aaron was given the duty…
Exodus 29 - From the beginning we get a glimpse of God's design for sacrifice. Consecration. This word was translated…
Exodus 23 - "You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to…
Exodus 20 - The 10 Commandments illustrate the vertical and horizontal obedience that God desired for humanity. Jesus came to…
Exodus 4 - Moses was uncertain about serving God, and his fears represent the same struggles many of us have…
2 Thessalonians 3 - In his final letter, Paul encourages the believers of the Thessalonian church to remain true and…
2 Thessalonians 2 - In case you haven't grasped by now, the Thessalonians were deeply concerned with future events. It's…
Jude 1 - Jude was one of four half-brothers of Jesus. In the Greek, the name Jude was synonymous with…
1 John 4 - When I worked in the computer software industry, I became familiar with the latest viruses and…
1 John 2 - and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also…
Job 35 - This is arguably Elihu's harshest language against Job. It is a message of condemnation with truth mixed…
Job 27 - Have you ever just unloaded your heart out of both sides of your mouth? On one hand,…
Job 25 - Well, there is not much here that we haven't already heard. Bildad sums up with "God is…
Job 24 - Job continues on his theme of questioning why the wicked get away with so much. To the…
Job 15 - Eliphaz brings a load of sarcasm to this chapter. He claims that his understanding of Scripture and…
Job 12 - Job comes out with some bold truth in addressing his friends. He seeks to point out that…
Job 4 - There is a difference between theology and common sense. I know that the word 'theology' sounds like…
Job 1 - The entire book of Job explores tough themes and deep theological questions. Namely, it seeks to answer…
Ezra 9 - This chapter is a perfect example of why context is so important when reading Scripture. The Israelites…
Ezra 8 - This trek consisted of over 900 miles on foot. But also consider that there would have been…
Ezra 4 - "It is what it is." We hear this phrase spoken all the time. In some cases, it's…
Matthew 18 - How do you approach confrontation and accountability in the church? The worldview of Jesus was not simply…
Matthew 14 - The miraculous feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Matthew 14:21 specifies 5,000 males,…
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 3 - Photo credit: Nelson's New Illustrated Commentary Pictured is the traditionally accepted site (the Jordan River) for the…
Proverbs 28 - "The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find…