TODAY’S DAILY READING: Zechariah 5-6 & Proverbs 25
Old Testament: Zechariah 5- Curses

Zechariah 5:2-3
“And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.’ Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth…’”

Over the years, Hollywood has gone to elaborate ends to depict the… Read More

Zechariah 6- Merry Christmas

Zechariah 6:12-13
“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out… And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

The Bible speaks of the riches of the grace of God. Grace is a word that refers to God’s giving nature. James 1:17 puts it this way, “Every good and perfect gift comes from the father of lights in whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Certainly, life is filled with gifts given from heaven to earth. When we gaze into the face of nature, or a new born… Read More

Proverbs 25- Truth Bearer

Proverbs 25:9
“Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not disclose the secret to another;”

The Bible clearly teaches that we are not to lie. Truthfulness is a very important trait, and is the foundation for healthy relationships. We cannot have a relationship with someone we cannot trust and we cannot trust someone who does not tell us the truth. That being said, it is also important to remember, we are not required to divulge all the information to every… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Zechariah 3-4 & Proverbs 24
Old Testament: Zechariah 3- Filthy Garments

Zechariah 3:4
“Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to him He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.’”

We cannot be certain of the… Read More
Zechariah 4- Source Of Strength

Zechariah 4:6
“So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Says the Lord of hosts.’”

Zerubbabel, the governor of Judea, was responsible for a task far too great for himself. He had led a small group of untrained refugees from… Read More

Proverbs 24- Using Your Influence

Proverbs 24:11
“Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.”

Salvation is a free gift given to man from God. Jesus Christ became a man and offered Himself as a willing sacrifice on the altar of Calvary, in order to pay mankind’s debt and wash away all sin. This salvation, while freely given, must be received. John wrote… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Zechariah 1-2 & Proverbs 23
Old Testament: Zechariah 1- Return

Zechariah 1:3
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,”’ says the Lord of hosts.”

After seventy years of captivity Israel was allowed to return to the land and begin to rebuild their broken down Temple. Millions had been taken captive and… Read More

Zechariah 2- Problems and Solutions

Zechariah 2:10
“ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord.

Things looked bleak for Israel. After their defeat in battle, Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish people were taken… Read More

Proverbs 23- Fly Away

Proverbs 23:4-5 “Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”

Riches are not evil in… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Haggai 1-2 & Proverbs 22
Old Testament: Haggai 1- Consider Your Ways

Haggai 1:5
“Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!’”

Seventy years after Judah was defeated and Jerusalem was burned to the ground, a remnant of Israelites, led by Zerubbabel, made their way back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. After an initial period of success, they were met by strong opposition that caused… Read More

Haggai 2- Greater Glory

Haggai 2:9
“‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

The sermons from Haggai and Zechariah stirred the people to return to the work of rebuilding the Temple. Because of their dedication, it did not take long before walls were erected… Read More

Proverbs 22- Walk This Way

Proverbs 22:3
“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.”

Prudent means to be wise or even shrewd. The prudent man is the one who looks carefully down the road he is walking, in order to avoid falling into sin and away from the Lord. The simple, or foolish man, keeps walking, never aware of the danger he is in until after it has overtaken him. Obviously, Solomon is exhorting us of the need to be… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Zephaniah 1-3 & Proverbs 21
Old Testament: Zephaniah 1- Privacy Please

Zephaniah 1:5
“Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, But who also swear by Milcom”

Zephaniah was commissioned by the Lord to warn the people of coming judgment. In order to prepare the people for what was ahead, he explained the reason they were facing judgment. His message was both clear and simple, they must change their ways if they were to avoid what was ahead.

The first infraction the people were… Read More

Zephaniah 2- Meekness

Zephaniah 2:3
“Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice.Seek righteousness, seek humility.It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.”

Many things that are highly esteemed in our world have little value in the kingdom of God. We put such a high price tag on appearance, when God tells us that He looks past our temporal frame and into the heart. It use to be, countries… Read More

Proverbs 21- Troubles In Marriage

Proverbs 21:9
“Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
than in a house shared with a contentious woman.”

Proverbs 21:19
“Better to dwell in the wilderness,
than with a contentious and… Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Habakkuk 1-3 & Proverbs 20
Old Testament:Habakkuk 1- Misguided Theology

Habakkuk 1:13
“You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?”

Habakkuk struggled to understand what was happening in his life, because his theology did not allow for the wicked to prosper and the righteous to suffer. His definition… Read More

Habakkuk 2- Stand Watch

Habakkuk 2:1
“I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.”

Even for those who have committed themselves and their ways to the Lord, life can be tricky. We face difficulties that create confusion in our lives, and… Read More

Habakkuk 3- Prosperous 

Habakkuk 3:17-18
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my… Read More

 

Proverbs 20- Who Is Mr. Clean?

Proverbs 20:9
“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin?’”

Sin is a plague that has infected every man. As Paul explained to the Romans, it was by one man (Adam) that sin entered the world, but that sin spread to all men because all have sinned (Romans 5:12). David, looking out at the world, and looking in at his own heart, declared, there were none righteous, not even… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Nahum 1-3 & Proverbs 19
Old Testament: Nahum 1- Jealous

Nahum 1:2-3 “God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; the LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of… Read More

Nahum 2- A Good Defense

Nahum 2:1
“He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.”

Nahum wrote to warn Assyria… Read More

Nahum 3- Exception

Nahum 3:8
“Are you better than No Amon that was situated by the River, that had the waters around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the sea?”

It is remarkable how we all think we are the exception to the rule. We believe wrong should be made right, injustice should be corrected, and sin should be punished, but we also believe that our wrongs are not that bad… Read More

 

Proverbs 19- Impulsive

Proverbs 19:2
“Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, and he sins who hastens with his feet.”

Marketers have realized that people are impulsive by nature. As a result, it is common to find a variety of “impulse items” located near the checkout stand in just… Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Micah 6-7 & Proverbs 18
Old Testament: Micah 6- Complaints

Micah 6:3-4
“O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.”

It is not uncommon to hear people complain. If the sun is out, we find it to be too hot, if the clouds fill in, we complain that it is muggy, overcast or dreary. We often sound like Goldilocks, who thought things were too hot, too cold, too hard or too… Read More

Micah 7- I Will Arise

Micah 7:8
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me.“

I have heard a a lot of exercise mantras designed to motivate behavior. They often read a bit like Micah’s… Read More

Proverbs 18- Friends

Proverbs 18:24
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Friendship is one of the most important parts of life. We were not designed to live… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Micah 4-5 & Proverbs 17
Old Testament: Micah 4- Peace On Earth

Micah 4:3
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

As we approach Christmas day, we cannot help but be reminded of the great promise surrounding the birth of Christ. The prophet Isaiah declared the Messiah would be a prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6) . The… Read More

Micah 5- Standing Out

Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From… Read More

Proverbs 17- A Happy Heart

Proverbs 17:22
“A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones”

Solomon is contrasting the physical effects of joy and sorrow. He explains that joy is like a medicine to the body, actually providing a healing element, while deep sorrow can negatively effect our health. Solomon is making this observation, not as a medical professional, but from… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Micah 1-3 & Proverbs 16
Old Testament: Micah 1- Prophecy Fulfilled

Micah 1:13
“O inhabitant of Lachish, Harness the chariot to the swift steeds (She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion), For the transgressions of Israel were found in you.”

Micah prophesy’s… Read More

Micah 3- Fully Charged

Micah 3:8
“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, aneed of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”

Two things caused Micah to stand out from the false prophets who filled the pulpits of ancient Israel. First, he had received a message from God and second he was energized by the Spirit of… Read More

 

Proverbs 16- Thoughts

Proverbs 16:3
“Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.”

Paul referred to the believer as a soldier, and compared the Christian life to a battle ground. One of the reasons the Christian life is often difficult, is because we are fighting on two fronts. A large part of our battle is seeking to see others impacted for the Kingdom of God. We enter the arena to fight whenever we pray for the unsaved or the backslider. Scripture tells us our weapons are not carnal but they are mighty and able to pull down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). The weapons we have been given are prayer, the Word of God… Read More