TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ezekiel 11-12 & Jude
Old Testament: Ezekiel 11- Little Sanctuary

Ezekiel 11:16
“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.”‘”

The children of Israel… Read More

Ezekiel 12- Rebellious
Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.”

Rebellion is an interesting thing. Most people, who are in rebellion, don’t see themselves as rebels, but  have justification for their behavior. Children do it with … Read More

New Testament: Jude- True Grace

Jude 4
“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jude warns of those who turn grace into lewdness. The word lewd is somewhat outdated, but refers to something vulgar or obscene, especially that which is sexually immoral. Jude is referring to those who think the grace of… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ezekiel 9-10 & 3 John
Old Testament: Ezekiel 9- Saved

Ezekiel 9:3-4
“Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who… Read More

Ezekiel 10- Departing

Ezekiel 10:18
“Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.”

The day Solomon’s Temple was built was one of the most glorious days in the history of Israel. It marked the completion of many of the promises God … Read More

New Testament: 3 John- Greatest Joy

3 John 4
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

There are many things that fill us with joy. Some of them are quite simple, like seeing a rainbow, or when our team wins. Others are much deeper, like our wedding day, or the birth of a child. John lived a long life and, no doubt, had his share of experiences that produced joy, making his statement here all the more valuable. He states, of all the things that have brought a smile to his face, nothing can compare to knowing his children are walking with the… Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ezekiel 7-8 & 2 John 1
Old Testament: Ezekiel 7- Time’s Up

Ezekiel 7:2
“And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel:
‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.”

Ezekiel is declaring to Judah a message that everyone will one day hear. That message proclaimed the end of the road had been reached, and they must now give an account to the Lord for the lives they lived. For them, this day was a sorrowful one. All of the investments they had made were earthly and unable to provide deliverance from divine judgment. Like Belshazzar, they had been weighed in the balances and found wanting (Daniel 5:27).… Read More

Ezekiel 8- Secrets

Ezekiel 8:8-9
“Then He said to me,’Son of man, dig into the wall’; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door. And He said to me, ‘Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.’”

Some of the imagery… Read More

New Testament: 2 John 1- Love And Obey

2 John 1:6
“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”

Scripture teaches, the most important of all graces is love. Jesus said it was … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ezekiel 5-6 & 1 John 5
Old Testament: Ezekiel 5- Powerful Delivery

Ezekiel 5:1-3
“And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you… Read More

Ezekiel 6-  Achilles’ Heel

Ezekiel 6:11
“Thus says the Lord God: ‘Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, “Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”‘”

When I read of the fall of Judah I am…Read More

New Testament- 1 John 5- Pray

1 John 5:16
“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.” … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ezekiel 3-4 and 1 John 4
Old Testament: Ezekiel 3 – Watchman

Ezekiel 3:17
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me”

A watchman bore the responsibility of keeping an eye on the horizon, in ..Read More

Ezekiel 4- Visual Learner

Ezekiel 4:1
“You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem.”

Some people are visual learners. They seem to have a difficult time processing information audibly, but the moment they can see it, things become perfectly clear. Most of the pre-exilic prophets relayed the same message… Read More

New Testament: 1 John 4- Love

1 John 4:10-11
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Love seems to be the most common… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ezekiel 1-2 & 1 John 3
Old Testament: Ezekiel 1 – Attention-Getters

Ezekiel 1:28
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.”
…Read More

Ezekiel 2 – Rebel without a Cause

Ezekiel 2:8
“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Ezekiel played a pivotal role in the history of Israel. His ministry took place during the seventy years of captivity. It was, no doubt, largely responsible for motivating the generation that…Read More

New Testament: 1 John 3 – The Rules

1 John 3:23
“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”

Jesus simplified all of the commandments into two: love God and love others. John, in like manner, states the requirements of God are both simple and straight forward. He writes, God is commanding…Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Lamentations 4-5 & 1 John 2
Old Testament: Lamentations 4- Valuable 

Lamentations 4:2
“The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter!”

God places an infinite price tag upon mankind. This is evidenced in the price He paid to redeem us. Peter wrote that we were not redeemed… Read More

Lamentations 5 – Turn Back Time

Lamentations 5:16-17
“The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
Because of this our heart is faint;
Because of these things our eyes grow dim”
…Read More

New Testament: 1 John 2 – Sinless

1 John 2:1-2
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
…Read More

Daily Reading: Lamentations 1-3 & 1 John1
Old Testament: Lamentations 1 – The Good Old Days

Lamentations 1:7
“In the days of her affliction and roaming, Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old.”

Lamentations is a book of mourning that has been compared to a funeral durge. Jeremiah…Read More

Lamentations 2 – For the Kids

Lamentations 2:19
“Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”

As Jeremiah looked out over the rubble that was once the city of Jerusalem, his eyes welled up with tears. A nation that was designed to honor and glorify the Lord, was now  …Read More

Lamentations 3 – Renewable Energy

Lamentations 3:22-23
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Life is filled with things that run out. Many of us have had …Read More

New Testament: 1 John 1 – Walking in the Light

1 John 1:5
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

Light is used to illustrate holiness. John is declaring that God is perfectly holy and without sin. This creates a problem, since we are all sinners. In this text, John explains how sinful people can have a relationship with a holy God. In the opening verses… Read More

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 51-52 & 2 Peter 3
Old Testament: Jeremiah 51 – Not Forsaken

Jeremiah 51:5
“For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, by his God, the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”

As Jeremiah writes this, Jerusalem is smoldering in the rubble of its own destruction. Babylonian forces have taken the people captive, burned the city to the ground, and set up their own government to rule over Israel. … Read More

Jeremiah 52 – Get Out of Jail

Jeremiah 52:31
“Now it came to pass in the thirty- seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach, King of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, King of Judah and…Read More

New Testament: 2 Peter – Longsuffering

2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Peter writes, as the day of the Lord approaches there will be…Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING – Jeremiah 49-50 & 2 Peter 2
Old Testament: Jeremiah 49 – Excuses Excuses

Jeremiah 49:4
“Why do you boast in the valleys, Your flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? Who trusted in her treasures, saying, ‘Who will come against me?’”

Some things never change. The sun will always rise in the East and set in the West, water will always be wet, and a person in a backslidden state will always deceive themselves, about their…Read More.

Jeremiah 50 – Pardon the Preserved

Jeremiah 50:20
“‘In those days and in that time,’ says the Lord, The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; For I will pardon those whom I preserve.’”

One of the greatest benefits of being in a relationship with God is the forgiveness of sin. God explains that although we have….Read More

New Testament: 2 Peter 2 – In the Pig Pen

2 Peter 2:22
“But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”

A few years ago, I was in northern Ghana with a group of people from our church. Our purpose was to bring the Gospel to remote villages that had yet to be reached for Christ. Just as Paul developed a custom of going … Read More