Jim Gallagher

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 8-9 & Acts 21
Old Testament: Judges 8- He Who Dies With The Most Toys

Judges 8:21
“So Zebah and Zalmunna said, ‘Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.’ . . .”

We live in an interesting time, when big philosophical ideas are… Read More

Judges 9- Pride

Judges 9:53
“But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.”

Not every story recorded in Scripture is a positive one. In this case, we find a self-centered man with a drive for power and a taste for blood, fight his way… Read More

New Testament: Acts 21- Jerusalem In An Uproar

Acts 21:31
“. . . all Jerusalem was in an uproar.”

The scene in Acts 21 might best be described as a riot. The people of the city had lost all sense of the Temple worship, and had become a violent mob determined to put Paul to death. Their rage escalated to the point … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 6-7 & Acts 20
Old Testament: Judges 6- The Good Old Days

Judges 6:13
“Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about…?”‘

Gideon voices a sentiment vey common among believers today. He looked at the conditions of his world and began to wonder where were all the miracles. If God is the same… Read More

Judges 7- Fear Factor

Judges 7:3
“Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead. ’ And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.”… Read More

New Testament: Acts 20- He Fell Down

Acts 20:9 
“And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.”

When reading the Bible, we should always look for application to our personal… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 4-5 & Acts 19
Old Testament: Judges 4- Unlikely Hero

Judges 4:8-9
“And Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!’ So she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah arose and went with… Read More

Joshua 5- When Leaders Lead

Judges 5:2
“When leaders lead in Israel,
When the people willingly offer themselves,
Bless the Lord!”

After defeating the enemies of Israel, Deborah and Barak led the people in a song celebrating the Lord’s victory. This song gives… Read More

New Testament: Acts 19- 12 Men

Acts 19:7
“Now the men were about twelve in all.”

Ephesus was a very large city with a diverse population. It is estimated, at the time of Paul’s visit, there may have been in excess of 400,000 people living in the city. Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor, and one of the largest in the empire. Because of its location, on a trade route, the city was … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Judges 1-3 & Acts 18
Old Testament: Judges 1- Team Work 

Judges 1:3
“So Judah said to Simeon his brother, ‘Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory.’ And Simeon went with him.

When the land was distributed among the tribes,  Simeon was given a portion within the land allotted to Judah. The reason being,  Judah’s lot was too big for any one tribe. Since … Read More

Judges 2- Roller Coaster

Judges 2:16
“Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them..”

The book of Judges records a reoccurring cycle in the life of the young Israeli nation. Over and over, as the story unfolds, we will read of sin, suffering, supplications and salvation. The people will disobey the Lord, becoming involved in sinful and worldly practices. These … Read More

Judges 3- Cry Out

Judges 3:9
“When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them…”

As I read through the book of Judges, I am confronted with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is a sad and tragic story of repeated failure. Over and over, we are told of the compromise of the people of God, and the suffering they experienced as a … Read More

New Testament: Acts 18- Enduring

Acts 18:9-10
“Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Joshua 23-24 & Acts 17
Old Testament: Joshua 23- Parting Words

Joshua 23:2
“And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: ‘I am old, advanced in age.’”

The sun is about to… Read More

Joshua 24- Serve God

Joshua 24:14
“…Serve the Lord!”

Years ago Bob Dylan wrote a song that included the phrase, “You’ve… Read More

New Testament: Acts 17- Fair-Minded

Acts 17:11
“. . . more fair-minded. . . “

Paul and his companions were traveling throughout Greece. They had been in Philippi, Thessalonica, and would soon be in Athens. These were all very prominent cities. Philippi was the foremost … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Joshua 21-22 & Acts 16
Old Testament: Joshua 21- A Place To Stand

Joshua 21:45
“Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

A lot of my childhood was spent on the ocean. From as far back as I can remember, my… Read More

Joshua 22- Separation

Joshua 22:26-27
“Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your … Read More

New Testament: Acts 16- Timothy

Acts 16:1 
“. . .  a certain disciple was there, named Timothy”

The Scriptures are filled with men and women who had a tremendous impact upon their world for the kingdom of Heaven. Timothy is one of those men. We are first introduced to him here, in Acts 16. He is described as a disciple who was well-spoken of throughout the cities of Lystra and Iconium. The word disciple… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Joshua 19-20 & Acts 15
Old Testament: Joshua 19- Fellowship

Joshua 19:9
“The inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah, for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people.”… Read More

Joshua 20- City Of Refuge

Joshua 20:5
“Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand.”

Many of the cities throughout… Read More

New Testament: Acts 15- It Seemed Good

Acts 15:28-29
“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.”

A great controversy arose in the early church as a result of the Gentiles coming to… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Joshua 17-18 & Acts 14
Old Testament: Joshua 17- Greatness 

Joshua 17:14
“Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, ‘Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?’”

The tribe of Manasseh felt as though they had been ripped off … Read More

Joshua 18- Neglect

Joshua 18:3
“Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: ‘How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?’”

After the great deliverance from Egypt, forty years in the wilderness, and … Read More

New Testament: Acts 14- They So Spoke

Acts 14:1
“Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.”

We read, they spoke in a way that resulted in many believing in Christ; which… Read More 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Joshua 15-16 & Acts 13
Old Testament: Joshua 15- Daily Walk

Joshua 15:1
“So this was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.”

After Joshua led the armies of Israel in victory against the Canaanite kings, he distributed the land to each of the tribes. The lands were determined by lot and the size of each tribe. The lot was like a divinely inspired roll of the dice. They may have prayed, rolled the dice, and trusted the Lord for the outcome. Once the lands were distributed, each tribe was responsible to occupy their portion. In order to occupy the land, they had to settle i,… Read More

Joshua 16- Not Strong Enough

Joshua 16:10

“And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers.”

Both Joshua and the early chapters of Judges, tell the story of … Read More

New Testament: Acts 13- Call Of God

Acts 13:2
“Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

This is one of the most important events in history. It marks the beginning of the missionary campaign to the church in Antioch. The results of this event… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Joshua 13-14 & Acts 12
Old Testament: Joshua 13- Wait There’s More

Joshua 13:1
” Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: ‘You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.’“

As the sun begins to set on… Read More

Joshua 14- Giant Slayer

Joshua 14:14
“Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.”

After successfully leading military campaigns throughout Canaan, Joshua distributes the land to each of the tribes. It became their responsibility to establish the land as their own. Time and time again, we read how the tribes failed to take possession of all of the land for one reason or … Read More

New Testament: Acts 12- Constant In Prayer

Acts 12:5
“. . . but constant prayer was offered to God . . .”

Things looked very bleak for Peter. Persecution was on the rise throughout Israel. Many of his friends had been forced to flee to other nations for their safety and survival. James, perhaps … Read More