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 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

TODAY’S DAILY READING:  Jonah 3-4 & Proverbs 15
Old Testament: Jonah 3- Salvation

Jonah 3:9
“Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?”

God has chosen to reveal the plan of salvation through the foolishness of preaching. Nowhere, is that better illustrated than in the story of Jonah. This reluctant preacher delivered a message that turned a nation toward the Lord. As the king heard this message, his heart was stirred to turn from his wicked ways and begin to… Read More

Jonah 4- Who Cares

Jonah 4:10-11
“But the Lord said, ‘You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand… Read More

Proverbs 15- Watching You

Proverbs 15:3
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

I have always been fascinated by the comment Jesus made to Nathaniel when they first met; the Gospel of John records,

John 1:47-48
“Jesus saw Nathanael… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING:  Jonah 1-2 & Proverbs 14
Old Testament: Jonah 1- Unnecessary Suffering 

Jonah 1:3
“But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

The story of Jonah has two main themes. The first is to reveal the heart of God for … Read More

Jonah 2- How Much Longer

Jonah 2:1
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.”

Although very few people have ever been swallowed by a great fish, the story of Jonah is still a pretty common one. It tells of a man who refused to do what God called him… Read More

Proverbs 14- Model Home

Proverbs 14:4
“Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.”

A few years back, when we were looking to purchase a home, my wife and I spent our days off going to open houses and visiting model homes. It was easy… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING:  Obadiah 1 & Proverbs 13
Old Testament: Obadiah 1- It’s All Mine

Obadiah 1:17
“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”

When Abraham was first called by God, he was given great and precious… Read More

Proverbs 13- Invest In Your Future

Proverbs 13:7
“There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.”

Solomon is suggesting it is possible to have earthly possessions and yet to possess nothing of true value. At the same time, it is possible to have next to nothing, and have great wealth. He is not saying wealth is evil and poverty is good, but that within God’s economy, some things… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING:  Amos 7-9 & Proverbs 12

Old Testament: Amos 7-In The Gap

Amos 7:5-6
“Then I said: ‘O Lord God, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!’ So the Lord relented concerning this. ‘This also shall not be,’ said the Lord God.”

Amos, the shepherd-prophet, saw two consecutive visions that revealed the impending disaster looming… Read More

Amos 8- Your are Precious

Amos 8:6
“That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of sandals— Even sell the bad wheat?”

Because of sin, conditions in the nation of Israel had become so bad people were essentially, selling themselves to have their basic needs met. Men, women, and children were involved in deplorable acts for pennies. Amos figuratively describes a person who had sold themselves for a pair of shoes. I have often been struck by how little some… Read More
Proverbs 12- Don”t Worry

Proverbs 12:25
“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.”

Anxiety can be defined as an abnormal and overwhelming concern over the reality of a threat, and our inability to cope with it. Similar words would be care, concern, fear, nervousness or worry. Anxiety is usually… Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING:  Amos 4-6 & Proverbs 11
Old Testament: Amos 4- Prepared

Amos 4:12
“Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

Whenever a big event is on the horizon, it is a good idea to spend the necessary time preparing for it. Every year the women’s ministry at our church has a mid-summer luncheon. If you were to wander onto the campus you would see the place decorated to the hilt. Every table, backdrop, wall covering and notebook fits within the overall motif, and the place always looks amazing. It would be clear, even to the most casual observer, that lots of… Read More

Amos 5- When Lions Attack

Amos 5:18
“Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.”|

In recent years, people have become fascinated with end-of-the-world scenarios. We have been inundated with movies about environmental crises, alien … Read More

Amos 6- Who’s To Blame

Amos 6:14
“But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” Says the Lord God of hosts; “And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the Valley of the Arabah.”

Israel was facing calamity; their economy was in the tank and the nations around them were becoming an increasing… Read More

Proverbs 11- Mercy and Compassion

Proverbs 11:17
“The merciful man does good for his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.”

Mercy is often defined as not getting what we deserve. While that is true, the word carries a greater meaning. It also means to show compassion and kindness to those who are in need or distressed. We see it evidenced in the life of Jesus. When He heard the leper calling out for Him, we read Jesus was… Read More