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1 Chronicles 10

1 Chronicles 10

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…

1 Chronicles 1

1 Chronicles 1

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

Isaiah 61

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

Isaiah 54

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

Isaiah 41

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

Isaiah 35

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

Isaiah 34

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

Isaiah 30

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

Isaiah 27

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

Isaiah 26

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

Isaiah 25

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

Isaiah 7

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 Vine

Isaiah 4

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 tank

Isaiah 2

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

Colossians 3

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

Galatians 2

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

Exodus 22

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

Exodus 13

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

Exodus 9

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

Exodus 6

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

Judges 17

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

Judges 8

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

Judges 4

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

Judges 2

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

2 Thessalonians 2

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

1 Thessalonians 4

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

2 Thessalonians 1

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…

Thessalonians 1

1 Thessalonians 1

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

Job 33

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

Job 22

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

Ezra 10

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

Ezra 1

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

Joshua 20

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

Joshua 14

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

Matthew 25

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

Matthew 24

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

Matthew 14

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

Matthew 13

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

Proverbs 25

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

Proverbs 4

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

2 Peter 3

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

Philemon 1

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

2 Samuel 23

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

2 Samuel 17

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

2 Samuel 6

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

1 Samuel 7

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

2 Timothy 3

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

2 Timothy 2

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

Romans 13

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

Romans 1

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

2 Kings 24

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

2 Kings 23

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

2 Kings 14

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

2 Kings 8

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

2 Kings 3

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

2 Kings 1

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

1 Kings 19

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

1 Kings 18

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

1 Kings 13

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

1 Kings 12

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

1 Kings 10

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

1 Kings 9

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

Genesis 42

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

Genesis 31

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

Genesis 28

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

John 4

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

Esther 5

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

Nehemiah 13

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

Nehemiah 8

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 6

Nehemiah 6 – Nehemiah is determined to fulfill the Lord’s work and rebuild the walls despite facing every obstacle imaginable thus far…

Nehemiah 4

Nehemiah 4

Nehemiah 4 – Discouragement is a terrible thing. The insidious feeling of being overrun and fighting defeat sinks to one’s bones…

Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah 1 – Brokenness surrounds us.  Many times it is overwhelming.  Marriages are in disarray.  Addictions drive the addict to things they…

Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9

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

Malachi 4

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

Zechariah 14

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

Zechariah 9

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

Zechariah 6

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

Zechariah 1

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

Nahum 3

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

Haggai 1

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

Micah 7

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

Micah 5

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

Amos 4

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

Amos 1

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

Joel 3

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

Joel 2

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

Hosea 14

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

Hosea 12

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

Hosea 11

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

Hosea 7

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

Hosea 6

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

Hosea 5

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

Daniel 12

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…

Daniel 8

Daniel 8

Daniel 8 – While in Susa, the well developed and winter capital of the Babylonian Empire (modern-day Iran), Daniel was given another vision. This troubling revelation would remarkably be…

2 Corinthians 9

2 Corinthians 9

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

2 Corinthians 8

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

2 Corinthians 1

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

1 Corinthians 15

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

1 Corinthians 9

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

1 Corinthians 5

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…