Acts 5 – The early church faced persecution from both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. After hearing the testimony of Peter, they were ready to kill these men just like they had Jesus. But wisdom prevailed. But …
silence
44 posts
Revelation 8 – Continuing on the theme from Chapter 7, John either heard or saw something with every seal that was opened. Here in Revelation 8, the seventh seal is broken and he hears and sees nothing …
Revelation 5 – The Scroll In ancient times, the Romans would seal their wills seven times. Each wax seal usually contained an engraved emblem and sealed the letter for security or to designate ownership. Marriage contracts, leases, …
Jeremiah 36 – Anyone could argue that God knew what was going to happen to these people. He knew their hardened hearts. He knew for certain that the King would do what he did …
Jeremiah 14 – So the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.” Jeremiah 14:11 NASB Don’t pray for these people. What??? If you read the blog a few weeks ago you …
2 Chronicles 20 – Did God command his people to go into battle singing? I read this over and over to make sure I wasn’t missing something. As far as I can tell, we don’t read they …
Isaiah 29 – I can remember times in my life when I was simply neglecting the spiritual wisdom of God. Like a nagging fly that kept landing on me, I swatted those thoughts out of my mind …
Isaiah 25 – Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to His faithfulness. It almost reads like a prayer, and this is significant. When we face trials, struggles, …
Isaiah 18 – I believe that chapter 18 is an expansion of Isaiah 17:12-14. The flow between the two chapters speaks to the hand of God being involved in all details of future events. Although there is …
Judges 9 – So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon. Judges 8:28 NASB …
Job 38 – After all of Job’s questions, and his friends weighing in, God answers their questions with some questions of His own. Do they sound familiar? We see the same pattern in the New Testament when …
Job 33 – As I read Elihu speak, I feel the tension of two different angles. On one hand, Elihu is young and a little bit cocky. He says things like, “Keep silent, and I will teach …
Job 30 – Which is more agonizing for Job – the suffering he is currently enduring or the exasperation of God’s silence? Which is more agonizing for you? Now I am about to die; there is no …
Job 5 – Eliphaz continues his speech in chapter 5. I am struck with similar thoughts from his words in chapter 4. What he knew was not wrong. In fact, he was quoted by Paul. For the …
Job 4 – There is a difference between theology and common sense. I know that the word ‘theology’ sounds like a churchy, religious concept that only “the holiest people” can understand. The truth is, we all have …
Job 3 – In this chapter, we see the pendulam swing completely in the opposite direction from where it began. The Job we were introduced to (who didn’t sin or charge God with any wrongdoing) has now …
Job 2 – There are a few differing thoughts that we naturally progress through as we read the story unfold in Chapter 2. The first is compassion. We empathize with Job. What a horrible situation to be …
Joshua 6 – God’s promises are already complete, even before they happen. That is how we need to view His promises in our lives. God can speak in the past tense about so many things because He …
Matthew 11 – Yet another piece of evidence that confirms Jesus was indeed the Messiah is the presence of John the Baptist. As prophecy foretold, in Malachi, there would be a forerunner. “Behold, I am going to …
Proverbs 26 – I’m going to analyze verse 4 in comparison to verse 5. Here are both of the verses in context …
2 Samuel 14 – David’s go-to plan of action always centered around waiting on the Lord. I’m speculating, but it’s possible this was the state of mind that was natural to him. In other words, he was …
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 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 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 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 …
Malachi 2 – God starts with the priests and then works His way down to marriage and divorce in this heavy-handed chapter. Rather than speak to the details, I want to look at the bigger picture. We …
Hosea 3 – What impacts me the most about this short chapter in Hosea 3 is the fact that God makes the first move. Scripture tells us in Romans 5… “But God demonstrates his own love for …
Daniel 4 – What do we make of these 7 years when King Neb lost his mind? “There is, understandably, no preserved secular record of this; but Abydenus, a Greek historian, wrote in 268 BC that Nebuchadnezzar …
2 Corinthians 11 – “A story is told about a dinner party where the guests were expected to stand after the meal and recite something for the group. A famous actor was present, and he recited the …
Psalm 141 – David fixed his eyes on the Lord. There are many times in life where we are stunted by the actions of others. As they spew hatred and evil in our direction, we begin to …
Psalm 89 – In similar fashion to Psalm 88, the writer here boldly introduces some deep theological questions. He records some of our deepest fears and most troubling mysteries about God. But you are angry with your …
Psalm 83 – Psalm 83 is speaking directly to those of us who deal with arrogant and stubborn people. Some would be quick to point out that all people are arrogant and stubborn which is true to …
Psalm 70 – The reality of this Psalm is palpable. We’ve all had days where we face an urgent situation that requires trusting God quickly and assuredly. It’s one thing to be able to pray over a …
Psalm 62 – Back in high school, I used to play percussion in concert band. One of my favorite instruments was the cymbal. No, I’m not talking about the hand cymbals (those things were heavy), but rather, …
Psalm 58 – Verses 1-6We read a familiar description of those in leadership who deceive others. Consider the description. They are in a position of authority where they can judge others. Their hearts are pure evil. They …
Psalm 50 – What does our praise look like when we face trouble and adversity? Or, do we praise at all? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15 …
Psalm 39 – Let’s track this psalm from the beginning. The psalmist opens with tremendous grief. There seems to be physical, emotional and mental suffering going on in his life and he doesn’t know how to respond. …
Psalm 34 – Many people do not realize that the Psalms were written with a specific poetic order and structure. That evidence is lost in our modern translation. Going back to the Hebrew, we are able to …
Psalm 28 – What does it mean to trust in the Rock of our Salvation? David uses the phrase “My Rock” in verse 1. The term can also mean ‘strong tower’ or ‘refuge.’ So, what does it …
Ecclesiastes 5 – Fear God. Not exactly a popular message these days. You don’t hear many sermons on the fear of God or what that even means. So, what does it actually mean to fear God? Solomon …
Luke 20 – Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything. Luke 20:39-40 NASB The so-called “experts” of the …
Luke 3 – The way the Holy Spirit moved in order for Jesus Christ to come into this world is really fascinating. There are so many wonderful stories in Christ’s family tree. The interesting thing is, the …
Song of Solomon 4 – If we study these chapters carefully we can see that there has been no mention of a wedding prior to chapter 3. In 3:11, (the last verse of chapter 3), we read …
Acts 21 – This was a tough chapter for me. We read that the voice of the Holy Spirit is speaking through these believers and giving warnings to Paul of what he will face in Jerusalem. Yet, …