1 Chronicles 10 – For 9 chapters we have read of Israel’s genealogy from creation all the way through the Exile which took the rebellious people into…
Return
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 61 – It is such an interesting chapter. In Luke 4, Jesus reads the first two verses of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue…
Isaiah 54 – Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Try and suck all the sweetness that you can out of this chapter while we read it. The personal application of a promise…
Isaiah 41 – The mercy of God is undeserved and unreal. There is no way any of us should receive the extended hand of His grace, reaching…
Isaiah 35 – Restoration. After the barrage of judgment over evil against nations and wayward people, God speaks in beautiful terms of restoring His own. Although this prophetically speaks…
Isaiah 34 – The stage is set. The return of Jesus has been spoken of by Himself, the prophets of Old that there would be great hardship and absolutely…
Isaiah 30 – We are people who see a problem and resolve to fix it. We’re often those who weigh in on some situation and in our own thinking…
Isaiah 27 – “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with me.” – Isaiah 27:5 This King James translation is awesome! Chapter 27 speaks…
Isaiah 26 – Difficulties and turmoil bombard us from time to time. We struggle with physical illness. We have broken relationships that tear us apart. We wrestle with our…
Isaiah 25 – Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to His faithfulness. It almost…
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 4 – “Sin is the excrement of the soul, the superfluity or garbage of naughtiness, the devil’s vomit. From this abominable filth Christ has ‘loved and washed His…
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 3 – We are walking miracles. God has taken the dead and raised them to life. Through Jesus Christ, the grave clothes that wrapped us so tightly are…
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…
Exodus 22 – Upon reading these laws set by God it would seem or appear they’re pretty stringent or picky. That is simply not the case as…
Exodus 13 – We want to get from here to there in the least amount of time possible. We’re wired that way I think, or at least…
Exodus 9 – Patience and obedience – 2 words that are challenges for any of us. People say, ‘Don’t pray for patience because God will throw you…
Exodus 6 – There are many times God calls us to a task far greater than we believe can be accomplished. Just think of the prayers you…
Judges 17 – It is the strangest of stories. Judges 17 sets the table for the remaining chapters with Israel’s moral decline and the people following their own ways…
Judges 8 – Warren Wiersbe observes, “Gideon’s choosing to avenge himself could have been the beginning of his backsliding.” Gideon’s story continues with interesting events that follow after the…
Judges 4 – Oh the cycle continues. The people were blessed and delivered, their hearts grew cold to God. They did evil in His sight; they endured oppression. God…
Judges 2 – The stage is set. The unraveling of Israel is about to take place as leaders would rise and lead people forward. When the leader passed, the…
2 Thessalonians 2 – Lawlessness – contrary or without regard for the law; unruly, unrestrained. The word is found in both the Old and New Testament but…
1 Thessalonians 4 – The alarm went off earlier than usual. It was a new day even though pitch black out. I was meeting a friend to…
2 Thessalonians 1 – Tone and text are sometimes hard to differentiate. We receive a text or email that comes across saying one thing and we read…
1 Thessalonians 1 – It was the capital city of Macedonia. Thessalonica was one of the largest and most important thoroughfares on the Roman highway. From Rome…
Job 33 – Elihu jumps in with full steam. Hes less formal than the others, even callingJob by name. We see coming through his words moments of sheer pride…
Job 22 – The third and final round begins between Job and his friends. The first cycle his friends spoke in generalities, without making their doctrine specifically to Job…
Ezra 10 – The book of Ezra opens with the people of Israel in captivity, the temple in ruins. As the story unfolds, Ezra recounts the return. There were…
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 20 – God had preplanned many things and instructed Moses as to how the government of this new nation of Israel should function. One of these was the…
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…
Matthew 25 – David Wilkerson was the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York. His humble beginnings were in Indiana where in time he would…
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 14 – Need is everywhere. We stand in the sea of human hurt, unbelievable pain others have. Their hardship slaps against us like waves of the…
Matthew 13 – Jesus taught in parables and this chapter is chock of several tremendous truths. Truths that to the hearers either they ‘got’ or they didn’t. …
Proverbs 25 – It’s one of the Fruit of the Spirit. Self-Control is something all wrestle with and without it we can find ourselves in mess after mess, standing…
Proverbs 4 – Solomon speaks of a parent’s great responsibility in teaching their children to pursue wisdom. He shares of how even his own father David had conversations with…
2 Peter 3 – “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 Peter ends his letter the same way he opened…
Philemon 1 – Paul uses diplomacy to advise on managing Onesimus, a runaway slave, promoting Christ-like forgiveness and redefining identity beyond secular roles…
2 Samuel 23 – When we think of a Last Will and Testament being read it is usually after the passing of someone. Family members gather to…
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 6 – Sometimes we become too familiar with God or Jesus. Meaning sometimes we forget how He is the Creator of the World. He is…
1 Samuel 7 – Twenty years – it took twenty long years for the people of Israel to get to the point they were ready to follow…
2 Timothy 3 – End Times thoughts are pretty much on people’s hearts a lot it seems. It is a topic that even those who are not…
2 Timothy 2 – Paul sat in chains writing to Timothy whom he loved deeply as a son. From behind bars, he continued to encourage and call…
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 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 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 23 – “There was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all…
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 8 – When it comes to things and ways of God, there are no coincidences. Ever. The opening story of chapter 8 is a throwback…
2 Kings 3 – Israel and Judah had some of the best land. The neighboring Moabites envied such ground and often would attack both nations…
2 Kings 1 – As the retelling of the kings and their rule continue, we open to a strange story. Ahab was dead. Moab rebelled against the…
1 Kings 19 – “Elijah failed in the very point at which he was strongest, and that is where most men fail. In Scripture, it is the…
1 Kings 18 – “The troubler of Israel” or as he was called by Ahab came out of hiding after 3 years. The land had seen no…
1 Kings 13 – It is the strangest of stories. A nameless prophet is sent to speak against the false worship King Jeroboam has established…
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 10 – It’s a written showcase of Solomon’s success. From the Queen of Sheba visiting and declaring for herself the grandeur of his…
1 Kings 9 – 24 years had passed since Solomon took the throne. He had finished the construction of the temple as well as his palace. On…
Genesis 42 – Some 20 years had passed since Joseph laid eyes on his brothers. The last he had seen them was under the barbaric attack…
Genesis 31 – It was the last straw. Crooked Laban had made hardship after hardship for Jacob. He had labored 20 years and his wages…
Genesis 28 – It was a significant dream. It was a moment for Jacob that would set his course. It’s not hard to imagine the emotional difficulty…
John 4 – The Gospel is for all people. No matter what their race, title, social position, identity, past sins may be – the redemptive work…
Esther 5 – “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you…” –Obadiah 3:3 Prayer and fasting led Esther to act. It was probably one of…
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 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 6 – Nehemiah is determined to fulfill the Lord’s work and rebuild the walls despite facing every obstacle imaginable thus far…
Nehemiah 4 – Discouragement is a terrible thing. The insidious feeling of being overrun and fighting defeat sinks to one’s bones…
Nehemiah 1 – Brokenness surrounds us. Many times it is overwhelming. Marriages are in disarray. Addictions drive the addict to things they…
Hebrews 9 – “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect…
Malachi 4 – I hadn’t really given much time or thought about this last chapter of Malachi. And then it struck me. These were the last words…
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 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 6 – The horse’s hooves hit the ground hard, riding with all their might. Saddled behind were chariots holding four spirits going out…
Zechariah 1 – The future – we consider this very vast uncharted territory from time to time with somberness. Yes, we look toward our future…
Nahum 3 – The proud Nineveh is ripe for judgment here as the final chapter of Nahum speaks toward the demise and sins of this…
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 7 – “My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more…
Micah 5 – 700 years before the birth of Christ, Micah was given one of the clearest prophecies of His coming. In fact, when he was…
Amos 4 – “…But you didn’t notice me. You continued to ignore me.” – Amos 4:10 The Message It’s almost as though God is saying in this chapter, “What’s…
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…
Joel 3 – “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”– Joel 3:14 This short book climaxes…
Joel 2 – There is a warning, a bold call to repentance and promise found in this chapter. Joel foresees and speaks of the devastation coming to the land…
Hosea 14 – As the book of Hosea comes to a close, it is a powerful reminder of the relentless love and forgiveness God offers to all. Hosea had…
Hosea 12 – From the womb he was contentious. Wrestling with his brother it would become a standard for his life. Jacob would be the second twin birthed but…
Hosea 11 – “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. I took them in My arms; But they did not…
Hosea 7 – “Israel will not recognize her failures or confess their compromised half-baked spiritual life that is marked by pride.” -The Bible Panorama When something is half-baked, it…
Hosea 6 – “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6 The definition of loyalty is a…
Hosea 5 – Sometimes there’s nothing more to say when we pray for someone so lost in their ways. Sometimes they need to be completely turned over to God…
Daniel 12 – “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel…
2 Corinthians 9 – 2 people were dead. This husband and wife had sold a piece of property, laid the money at the apostle’s feet. The problem…
2 Corinthians 8 – The comparison of one to another can backfire in hopes the person being compared will hear the challenge and respond. The individual digs…
2 Corinthians 1 – Between the first letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth and this one much had happened. His first letter gave advice in…
1 Corinthians 15 – Truly, Paul writes of some of the deepest foundations and hopes of Christ and belief. Jesus died for our sins, He rose again,…
1 Corinthians 9 – You peel back more of the underlying issues of the Corinthian Believers and Paul’s defense here and realize he had his hands full….
1 Corinthians 5 – It is by far some of the toughest statements Paul makes to the church. He’s not only calling these out for allowing something…