TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 6-7 & Psalm 7-8
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 6- Hard Heart

1 Samuel 6:6
“Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?”

Tucked away in the story of the Philistines return of the Ark to Israel, is… Read More

1 Samuel 7- Will This Ever Work?

1 Samuel 7:13
“So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel…”

Israel faced a constant threat from the Philistines. They had come into the territory promised to Israel, taken land, and threatened the people. Earlier in … Read More

Psalm 7- Fallen In 

Psalms 7:15
“He made a pit and dug it out, 
And has fallen into the ditch which he made.”

If we were writing a comedic screenplay, we might want to include a character who designs an elaborate trap, only to unwittingly catch himself. While it might… Read More

Psalm 8- Glory Of Creation

Psalms 8:1
“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!”

Webster defines glory as “Great beauty and splendor, even magnificence.” David is declaring things about the magnificence of… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 3-5 & Psalm 5-6
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3- By The Word

1 Samuel 3:21
“Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

Long before Jerusalem was established as the capital of Israel, Shiloh was the ancient location of the Tabernacle. It… Read More

1 Samuel 4- The Glory Of God

1 Samuel 4:22
And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

1 Samuel 4 records some of the darkest days in Israel’s history. The people had lost sight of God, their armies had suffered… Read More

1 Samuel 5- Spoils Of War

1 Samuel 5:7
“And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, ‘The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.’”

The Philistines mustered all their courage as they confronted Israel on the battlefield. They soon overpowered the Israeli… Read More

Psalm 5- The Mornings

Psalms 5:3
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”

On a regular basis, how would you describe your mornings? Do you wake up grumpy, dreading another day? Or late, rushing to get your responsibilities done? Or perhaps you… Read More

Psalm 6- Need Help?

Psalms 6:2
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can do this,” as a mantra for finding the strength to face the challenge before you? Life often forces us to be stronger than we think we are and to stand up to the opportunity before us. In a passionate plea for the Corinthians to stand against the opposition they were facing, … Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 1-2 & Psalm 3-4
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1- By The Word

1 Samuel 3:21
“Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

Long before Jerusalem was established as the capital of Israel, Shiloh was the ancient location of the Tabernacle. It was at Shiloh, where the High Priest  … Read More
1 Samuel 2- Always Watching

1 Samuel 2:17
“Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.”

I read an interesting quote this morning from D.L. Moody. He said, “Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible. The other ninety-nine will read the Christian.”… Read More

 

Psalm 3- Surrounded

Psalms 3:1
“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.”

We go through seasons in life.   Some are calm and pleasant, while others seem to be like violent storms, with waves … Read More

Psalm 4- Emotions

Psalms 4:4
“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”

As A child, I spent a lot of time on the ocean. My dad loved sailing and we would spend time every summer living on the boat. I can remember times when the seas were so … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ruth 3-4 & Psalm 1-2
Old Testament: Ruth 3- The Whole Town Is Talking

Ruth 3:11
“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”

Ruth was not an Israelite, nor was she born in Israel. She was a foreigner from the neighboring country of Moab. The Moabites… Read More

Ruth 4- I’ve Been Redeemed

Ruth 4:6
“And the close relative said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.’”

In addition to being a beautiful and timeless love story, Ruth is also a picture… Read More

Psalm 1- The Blessed Life

Psalm 1:1
“Blessed is the man…”

When establishing the government of the United States, the founding fathers saw that man was created with certain inalienable rights. They believed it is the right of every person to be able to pursue personal happiness. They… Read More

Psalm 2- Until The Whole World Hears

Psalms 2:8
“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.“

As we reach the end of ourselves and cry out in desperation to God, prayer is the place where we express our greatest desires. We have found  … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ruth 1-2 & Acts 28
Old Testament: Ruth 1- This Is Not The End

Ruth 1:5
“Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.”
 … Read More

Ruth 2- A Love Story

Ruth 2:11
“And Boaz answered and said to her, ‘It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.’”
The book of Ruth is one if the … Read More

New Testament: Acts 28- Man Or God

Acts 28:6
” However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.”… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 20-21& Acts 27
Old Testament: Judges 20- The Wrong Battle

Judges 20:14
“Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel.”

The book of Judges ends on a tragic note. Personal immorality, social chaos, and civil war mark the close of the book. This was… Read More

New Testament: Acts 27- Persuasion

Acts 27:11
“Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.”

After appealing to Caesar, Paul was sent on the long journey to Rome. He… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 18-19 & Acts 26
Old Testament: Judges 18- Pocket Size

Judges 18:24
“So he said, ‘You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me,’What ails you?’”

Israel had forsaken the Word of God and fallen into a place of spiritual confusion. We read of “homemade religions” with their own gods, priests and theology. As the story unfolds, we will see this spiritual confusion leads to social chaos and immorality… Read More

Judges 19- Broken Compass

Judges 19:1
“And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.”

The closing chapters of Judges paint a dark picture of life in … Read More

New Testament: Acts 26- Incredible

Acts 26:8
“Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?”

It has been said,  if we can believe the first four words of the Bible, we should have no problem with the rest of its claims. “In the beginning God…” The Bible is filled with stories of the mighty… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 16-17 & Acts 25
Old Testament: Judges 16- Super Strength

Judges 16:20
“And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ So he awoke from his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!’ But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”

The story of Samson is both fascinating and tragic. His feats of strength are paralleled only by legendary super heroes. He… Read More

Judges 17- Homemade Religion

Judges 17:5
“The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.”

The story of Micah is all too familiar. In a time when the Word of God was being neglected, Micah created his …Read More

New Testament: Acts 25- Blameless

Acts 25:8
“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”

Jesus instructed His followers… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 14-15 & Acts 24
Old Testament: Judges 14- Wasted Potential

Judges 14:3
“…And Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she pleases me well.’”

Few people have ever had the kind of talent Samson had. He was gifted far above anyone else in his generation. Tragically, however, Samson wasted his gifts by consuming them in search of his own pleasures. Two… Read More

Judges 15- Bound

Judges 15:14
“When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.”… Read More

New Testament: Acts 24- Convenient Time

Acts 24:25
“Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

Time is an interesting thing. We are always spending it and it cannot be saved. Failing to do something today, does not guarantee we will have the time for it tomorrow. Felix’s encounter with the Gospel message teaches us something important about… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 12-13 & Acts 23
Old Testament: Judges 12- The Wrong Fight

Judges 12:4

“Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim. . . “

During the time of the Judges, the nation of Israel was in peril; they had unprotected borders, faced attack from their neighbors, and had constant warfare from within, due to the nations they had failed to drive out of the land. At a time when the people… Read More

Judges 13- Did I Do That?

Judges 13:4-5
“Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”… Read More

New Testament: Acts 23- The Value Of A Verse

Acts 23:11
“But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’”

Webster defines a trial as, “A test … Read More