TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 55-56 & 2 Timothy 3
Old Testament: Isaiah 55- The Better Way

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

If you read your Bible regularly, you have come to realize, God thinks differently than we do, on just about every subject. The values God esteems are different than the values of the world we live in. Jesus spoke of life being found… Read More
Isaiah 56- House Of Prayer

Isaiah 56:7
“For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Isaiah foresaw a day when people from all nations would be adopted into the family of God. He saw salvation reaching beyond the borders of Israel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Seven hundred years later Jesus entered into the temple and saw the outer courts turned into a marketplace. Instead of people being encouraged to to come to God… Read More

New Testament: 2 Timothy 3- Profitability

2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 53-54 & 2 Timothy 2
Old Testament: Isaiah 53- Despised And Rejected

Isaiah 53:3
“He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

How would you treat delegates… Read More

New Testament: 2 Timothy 2- Be Strong

2 Timothy 2:1
“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

It seems as though men have always been fascinated with strength. We have all seen images of Greek or Roman statutes, they look like they have come off the pages of a body building magazine, making us… Read More

Isaiah 54:1-2
“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.”

Isaiah calls on those without children to sing as though their quiver were full and those to enlarge the size of their tent in preparation for the promises of God to be fulfilled among them.

This passage is a beautiful picture of a person of faith. We seem to face things on a daily basis that call into question the promises of God. Our emotions make us wonder if His promise to be with us is true. The struggles in life cause us to wonder about His power and the setbacks we face make us doubt whether or not He will provide for our needs. We have much to learn from the words of Isaiah. When we choose to trust that the promises of God are more certain than the trials of life we must act upon them. Like Isaiah’s young woman who builds a nursery before her child is ever born we must live as though the promises of God have already been fulfilled. That does not mean that we should spend money we don’t have but that we should walk in confidence knowing that God will always be true to His Word. Paul wrote that all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ.

Pastor Jim

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 51-52 & 2 Timothy 1
Old Testament: Isaiah 51- Filters

Isaiah 51:6
“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.”

We use filters every day to keep things… Read More 

Isaiah 52- Beautiful Feet

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

It seems as though people have always had “bucket… Read More
New Testament: 2 Timothy 1- Godly Home

2 Timothy 1:5
“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”

Timothy is one of the stars of the New Testament. His story has all the makings of a blockbuster hit. When we are first introduced to him, he is a teenager described as “being well spoken of in all the churches.” We know that his… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 49-50 & 1 Timothy 6
Old Testament: Isaiah 49- Inscribed 

Isaiah 49:16
“See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”

Back in the stone ages, when I was in middle school, it was common for the guys who “liked” a girl to write her name on their notebook… Read More
Isaiah 50- Walking In The Dark

Isaiah 50:10
“Who walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.”

Life can be confusing. There are times when it seems as though we are walking in darkness and it is very difficult to navigate our way. These dark times can be caused by illness, the loss of a loved one, having … Read More
New Testament: 1 Timothy 6- Be Prepared

1 Timothy 6:7
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

Famous American inventor and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, is credited with saying, “Nothing is certain except for death and taxes.” It seems we spend much of our time, effort, and energy, trying to avoid these things, rather than preparing for them. Some of us will exercise regularly, change our diet, and get regular checkups with our family doctor, in an attempt to postpone the inevitable. Others, will avoid any thought whatsoever of death… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 47-48 & 1 Timothy 5
Old Testament: Isaiah 47- Plan Ahead

Isaiah 47:1
“Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you shall no more be called
Tender and delicate.”… Read More

Isaiah 48- Life, What Does It Offer?

Isaiah 48:18-19
“Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants also would have been like the sand,
And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand;
His name would not have been cut off
Nor destroyed from before Me.”

The Word of God is given to the child of God as a light to guide us through life’s darkness. Whatever we are facing, we should learn to look to the Bible… Read More

New Testament: 1 Timothy 5- Walking Dead

1 Timothy 5:6
“But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.”

Back in the mid 1970′s, disaster movies were the big craze. Towering Inferno, Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure, and Tidal Wave, were just a few of the titles that topped… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 45-46 & 1 Timothy 4
Old Testament: Isaiah 46- Teddy Bear

Isaiah 46:6-7
“They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship. They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it and  set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble.”

In Isaiah’s time, it was a common… Read More

New Testament: 1 Timothy 4- Exercise

1 Timothy 4:7-8
“But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

If you are like me, you have probably seen a great number of motivational quotes posted on your… Read More

Isaiah 45:9
“Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

Isaiah 45 includes one of the most detailed ancient prophecies in the entire Bible. Isaiah spoke concerning a king who would rise to power, conquer other nations and free the captives of Israel allowing them to return to Jerusalem. If those details were not enough to convince the skeptic, Isaiah actually included the name of the king and the means in which he would defeat Babylon.

Tucked away in this fabulous prophecy is a warning to the child of God against striving with God. The word strive means  to complain, quarrel, wrestle or contend. It is a picture of resistance rather than compliance. Isaiah could have illustrated the folly of this with a host of different life lessons. He could have described a child pulling away from his parents, or an animal resisting his owner but he chose to speak of a piece of clay refusing to be molded into the image the potter had in mind. What a ludicrous visual that actually is, as if the clay had a better plan for itself than its maker.

Paul declared that God has foreordained good works for us to walk in. As we submit to God and walk under the guidance of His word we will find that we become exactly who He had in mind when He created us.

Pastor Jim

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 43-44 & 1 Timothy 3
Old Testament: Isaiah 43- Walking Through Waters

Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Isaiah gives us two very different promises. First, he promises life will be filled with difficulty. He writes of passing through waters, facing… Read More

Isaiah 44- Look What I Made 

Isaiah 44:10
“Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing?”

When archeologists discovered the remains of the ancient city of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians, they discovered hundreds of small graven images or household gods. These… Read More

New Testament: 1 Timothy 3- Pillar Of Truth

1 Timothy 3:15
“I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

The church, designed by God, serves many purposes in the life of the believer. It is a place for corporate worship, where the gifts and talents of others enhance our expression of praise. The Bible eludes to the fact that our praises are like a sweet aroma, filling the courts of heaven. The church provides a place for corporate prayer. As Jesus instructed us, there is… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 41-42 & 1 Timothy 2
Old Testament: Isaiah 41- I Am With You

Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

Life is filled with… Read More
Isaiah 42- It’s Not Broken

Isaiah 42:3
“A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.”

The Bible teaches that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Our bodies, designed by God, are amazing machines. One of the more important functions of the body… Read More

New Testament: 1 Timothy 2- He Made A Way

1 Timothy 2:3-4
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”

Shakespeare’s character, Juliet, is famous for her statement, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell… Read More