Jim Gallagher

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

Isaiah 54– Enlarge Your Tent

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… 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

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 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

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 39-40 & 1 Timothy 1
Old Testament: Isaiah 39- Where Credit Is Due

Isaiah 39:1-2
“At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”

Imagine the scene in the… Read More
Isaiah 40- Waiting Room

Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”

The Psalmist declared we are fearfully and wonderfully … Read more

New Testament: 1 Timothy 1-Shipwreck 

1 Timothy 1:19-20
“. . . having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

As Paul traveled the world to preach the Gospel, he had the great joy of seeing many come to Christ. Sadly, however, he also had the difficult experience of seeing some fall away from the Lord. Here he mentions two such… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 37-38 & 2 Thessalonians 3
Old Testament: Isaiah 37- Super Strong

Isaiah 37:3
“Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.’”

As this chapter opens, Judah is a on the brink of destruction. The Assyrian army, who had conquered all of Judah’s enemies, was encamped against the city of…Read More
Isaiah 38- Setting Things In Order

Isaiah 38:1
“In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”

When Hezekiah heard the report that his condition was terminal… Read More 

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 3- Pattern 

2 Thessalonians 3:9
“. . . not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.”

I don’t know who thought this was a good idea, but when I was in the eighth grade, all students were required to take a semester of Home Economics. The eighteen week…Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 35-36 & 2 Thessalonians 2
Old Testament: Isaiah 35- Stream In The Desert

Isaiah 35:5-6
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.”

Isaiah is speaking of something… Read More

Isaiah 36- The Lord Will…

Isaiah 36:18
“Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?”

Judah was facing their darkest hour. Isaiah records that Sennacherib’ king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities… Read More

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians- Don’t Be Shaken

2 Thessalonians 2:1
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.”

One of the primary themes of Paul’s letters to the… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Isaiah 33-34 & 2 Thessalonians 1
Old Testament: Isaiah 33- That Will Fix It

Isaiah 33:22
“For the Lord is our Judge,
The Lord is our Lawgiver,
The Lord is our King;
He will save us”
Israel, in Isaiah’s day, was in dire straights. The Assyrians were on a rampage, overthrowing any nation that stood in the way of their desire for global dominance. Israel watched as their neighbors were defeated and enslaved to the most bloodthirsty nation the world had ever known. In the midst… Read More

Isaiah 34- Search And Read

Isaiah 34:16
“Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail…”

This verse contains an exhortation followed by a promise. The exhortation is to search the book of the Lord. Webster defines search this way, “to look into or over carefully or thoroughly, in an effort to find… Read More

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 1- Answers

2 Thessalonians 1:1
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ . . .”

The Thessalonian Christians were going through great difficulties. Paul speaks of the tribulations and persecutions they were forced to endure. He also refers to sufferings, and… Read More