1 Chronicles 9 – Let’s say you have an important meeting. It’s one you’ve anticipated with another about a project or even a heartfelt conversation. You’ve set…
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1 Chronicles 7 – There is an unseen war of which we wage and battle every single day. Chapter 7 records interesting statements throughout”…
Ruth 4 – “God’s hand is all over history. God works out His purpose, generation after generation. Limited as we are to one lifetime, each of us sees so…
Isaiah 45 – 200 hundred years before the man was born, before the prophecy given – the Lord spoke to the prophet Isaiah concerning him. A pagan king, called…
Isaiah 20 – Many years ago while in Cyprus a friend of mine told a story how God asked him to do something which seemed illogical. He was back…
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…
Ephesians 1 – Paul wrote a letter. It was not to confront the church on issues, but to encourage. The church was born the day of Pentecost when the…
Exodus 35 – There are specifics I pray daily. Right before I close out my time with God, I pray directly for myself and go through the…
Exodus 32 – Excuses. We’re masters of them when it comes to being caught. Well, we’re masters of them even when not in justification….
Exodus 1 – Affliction brings 2 results: Growth or Resignation. As the magnificent story of the Israelites freedom from Egyptian bondage unravels through the book of Exodus,…
Judges 21 – The people of Israel went from mess to mess all based upon their own thinking. From this crazy story there was no forward thought, long term…
Judges 16 – We like to compartmentalize. We take things, events and push them back into compartments of our mind where we simply don’t deal with them any longer. …
Judges 15 – Samson continued to act within the flesh. Driven by his own wants and desires, when things didn’t go his way, he took matters into his own…
Judges 1 – What began under Moses would be carried by his successor Joshua. The land of Canaan would become the land of the Israelites. The book of Judges…
Job 35 – Paul and Silas sat in the heart of the dark damp prison. They had arrived at Philippi and immediately gone to the river to meet with…
Matthew 28 – “He is risen!” These are 3 words that have changed the very outlook and trajectory of all humankind. These 3 words are the key…
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 1 – There is reason Matthew is placed as the first of the 4 Gospels. First, among the early church, it was known as the most…
Proverbs 31 – The readings of Proverbs come to a close. These have spoken of most practical and inspirational advice to walk uprightly before God. They have shown the…
Proverbs 5 – “Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well.” – Proverbs 5:15 The imagery from this statementare Solomon’s words against adultery. He…
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…
2 Peter 2 – Jesus had warned they would come. He said they would rise up among them. Hearing these thoughts, Peter now was living it. False…
1 Peter 3 – We hate the word – submission. It really goes against everything within our human nature as we want to be independent, don’t want…
2 Samuel 20 – Loyalty – it’s showing faithfulness to our commitments, vows or an allegiance to someone or a cause. The political scene is difficult..
2 Samuel 16 – The devastation David is hit with here seems never ending. He’s manipulated by one man, cursed by another. His own son rides into…
2 Samuel 8 – I love this chapter! We read of David’s victories over the surrounding nations and setting up his government cabinet. At the heart of…
2 Samuel 4 – “For just $19.99 you can find all the essentials in discovering the will of God,” states one televangelist. “You too, can find the…
1 Samuel 30 – “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” David left King Achish and with his men all returned…
1 Samuel 22 – The disgruntled and discontent join together; the ruthless ever-growing paranoid behavior acts out in murder; the innocent are slaughtered. Oh the intentions…
1 Samuel 18 – Relationships hold highs and lows for us. There are those that are such a gem and we treasure greatly. There are others which…
1 Samuel 14 – By all accounts, Saul had now been the king of Israel for several years. This chapter peels back the miserable leader he was….
1 Samuel 2 – Hannah sings praise to God for hearing her heart cry. He’s seen her affliction, her struggle and now feels vindicated on every level…
1 Samuel 1 – The ache of sorrow finds its ways to the deepest parts of our hearts. When it comes, we feel it as we breathe…
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…
1 Timothy 3 – Paul becomes very specific for those who would be in leadership within the church. Leadership is a heavy responsibility because the church itself…
1 Timothy 2 – When we think of prayer – often it revolves around the things that affect us directly. I mean, this is how it often…
Romans 16 – As the letter of Romans closes, Paul turns personal. From the beginning of this remarkable and outstanding work inspired by the Holy Spirit concerning solid truth,…
2 Kings 15 – I know, I know, it may seem for some this lineage of the kings just never ends. It’s easy to gloss over 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 4 – 4 amazing miracles. Money provided for a widow. Raising a dead boy to life. Purifying poisonous food. Providing food for 100…
1 Kings 21 – Her name is synonymous with the most evil woman in all of Scripture. In fact, her name is mentioned in Revelation as an…
1 Kings 11 – For all the wisdom Solomon had, his heart led him in foolishness. It’s really quite astounding when you consider what we’ve read so…
1 Kings 3 – “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will…
1 Kings 1 – The Golden Age of Israel was coming to an end. The author of the book of 1 Kings is unknown although thought…
Genesis 39 – It went from bad to worse. Simply consider all Joseph has gone through. Favored by his father, his brothers physically attack…
Genesis 36 – After the passing of their father Isaac, Esau and Jacob separated. What follows is the lineage of Esau known as the Edomites…
Genesis 30 – It was an insane competition. Almost like a poker game, the 2 wives of Jacob negotiated who would sleep with him and upped…
Genesis 29 – God is forging Jacob’s character. Arriving in the land of his relatives, he not only finds them but falls in love. The convoluted…
Genesis 27 – It’s a house of deception. In his old age, Isaac decides it’s time to give his blessing to his eldest son, Esau. Mind you, in the…
Genesis 21 – God is faithful. After repeated promises of the impossible from God to Abraham; after visits from angels; after a visit from God…
Genesis 17 – “Abram was becoming a great man of faith, but you dont make a great man of faith overnight. It takes years of Gods work…
John 6 – It’s way too easy to get focused on the tangible things before us rather than the spiritual that God is doing in the middle of it…
Esther 8 – Haman impaled on the very gallows he’d built for Mordecai still left a problem. The edict of the slaughter of the Jews still stood…
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…
Hebrews 11 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”– Hebrews 11:1 “By faith…
Zechariah 12 – Some call it Armageddon. Others refer to it as the Great Final Battle. It is the time prophesied here and through other prophets…
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…
Hosea 3 – It was the shady side of town, a place where priests stayed clear of, let alone any prophet worth his reputation. The loud bawdy ruckus that…
Daniel 11 – Continuing from Chapter 10 and following into this next chapter and 12, the last of the book of Daniel, the Messenger spells out with acute details…
1 Corinthians 11 – “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 What a challenge. Follow my example in how I…
Psalm 106 – “They exchanged their Glory…” Let’s talk a moment about the Glory of God. It is impossible to define. John Piper puts it this way: “The glory…
Psalm 49 – I remember the story well. A pastor I used to serve under told of an incident at his previous church where a member was a beyond…
Psalm 15 – In an entrance liturgy to the temple, Psalm 15 poses a question, gives a response and is followed by a promise. The faith of the Israelite’s…
Mark 16 – “The resurrection means that the cross was the payment, and the empty tomb is the receipt, the proof that though it may have looked like He…
Mark 14 – He had walked with Jesus for 3 years. He had witnessed countless miracles and seen what real love was firsthand. He had heard truth spoken…
Deuteronomy 20 – There are times the battle seems overwhelming. It seems that the odds are stacked against us. There is no way we will ever even be able…
Deuteronomy 13 – When did self-appointed titles become a “thing” in the church? When did “a word” become more important than action? When did the thoughts inside people’s heads become full-blown prophecies…
Deuteronomy 3 – There are many instances on this journey where what looms in the future seems impossible to overcome. This is seen in the practicals of life as…
Numbers 31 – Vengeance – punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong. In Deuteronomy as well as in Romans the quote, “’Vengeance is mine. I will…
Numbers 27 – It’s known as one of the most beautiful and comforting hymns of all time. Written by Joseph Scriven in 1855 he was inundated with tragedy. As…
Numbers 26 – By the numbers – thus the book title! As always there is more to the story than what is seen even through a census. For the…
Numbers 25 – Sometimes our greatest challenges are not the enormous tasks God calls us to, the things that seem so impossible to do, but the sneaky aspects of…
Numbers 24 – The wayward heart knows no boundaries when it comes to self-determination to do what we want. Time and again, when we have set our desires on…
Numbers 6 – It was not something to take lightly. The vow of a Nazarite was considered a great decision for a person to enter for work and dedication…
Numbers 4 – Volunteers. I can’t think of an organization that functions properly without them. We need those who are willing to become that ‘army’ of men and women…
Numbers 2 – God was up to some organization. The people had been on their journey now for a year. God was putting things in order. Where they went…
Luke 24 – “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen” – Luke 24:5-6 “But we were hoping that…
Luke 21 – It began with an observation of the rich putting their money into the treasury in comparison to a poor widow putting only 2 copper coins in…
Luke 17 – Directly on the heels of Jesus speaking of the rich man in hell and the poor beggar in heaven chapter 17 continues his conversation to the…
Luke 14 – There are prophecies in the Old Testament of a feast that will come at the end of the age – the Messiah’s Banquet. I have always…
Luke 9 – It’s called the comfort zone. We all have one and if we’re honest live within its confines as much as possible. It’s the place where we…
Luke 8 – The ministry of Jesus continues to grow and expand. It’s noteworthy that as he went from one town and village to another the 12 were right…
Luke 1 – He’s the only author of the Gospels who was a Gentile. Luke was a physician and companion of Paul who traveled alongside on many of his…
Song of Solomon 7 – It’s a chapter that would cause one to blush. In intimate detail, Solomon describes his wife. This is the third time he has done…
Song of Solomon 6 – We are bombarded with imagery of what makes a marriage fulfilling. Often inundated with concepts of romantic love through book and film, what is…
Song of Solomon 5 – There’s a saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” We’ve heard this statement many a time and indeed it does. But the flip side…
Song of Solomon 1 – David’s son Solomon took the throne after his father. Asking for wisdom and discernment to lead the people, God granted him these things and…
Ezekiel 44 – People wonder what will be theirs. Families fight over it. Men and women strain toward receiving the most they possibly can. An inheritance is something passed…
Acts 8 – There are so many times that life takes a turn or a twist and it leaves us wondering what in the world God is…
Acts 4 – What is God asking of you? What is He personally calling you to do? Where is He working and asking you to join? Depending…
Lamentations 4 – With graphic detail, Jeremiah describes all the ways in which his people suffered during the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem. Those who survived the siege lived under…
Lamentations 2 – In the second chapter of Lamentations, God expresses His hatred for sin. It’s important for us to remember that although God hates sin, it does not…
Leviticus 15 – Reading this chapter on discharges making both man and woman unclean is hard to grasp why this was addressed. These are natural things that happen. These…
Revelation 15 – It feels as though the book of Revelation has these endless rounds of a heavyweight, worldwide championship boxing or wrestling match. There seem to be these…
Revelation 14 – In the last days there will be a great division of the human race. There will be those that remain true to the faith even in…
Revelation 11 – In a mere 11 verses, there are incredible twists, populated by fantastic creatures and people with superpowers.This section alone is one of the most difficult chapters…
Revelation 9 – I want you to think of someone in your life, someone you know who does not know Jesus. Someone who actually is not even remotely interested…
Revelation 7 – Chapter 6 ended with the dramatic opening of the 6th seal which brought cosmic disturbances that registered off the charts…