Suggested Reading: Luke 10:38-42 And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teachings–Luke 10:38,39 When Jesus entered their home, nothing was more important to Mary than spending time with him and […]
Suggested Reading: Acts 10:34-48 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him—Acts 10:38 As Peter spoke with a group of Gentiles, he was able to summarize […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 133:1-3 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Romans 15:5-6 Imagine a world where people of […]
Suggested Reading: James 4:1-17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.—James 4:17 The Scriptures break sin down for us in pretty simple terms and plain language. Sin is often described as that which starts in the mind (our thoughts), […]
Suggested Reading: Romans 15:1-13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing., so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.—Romans 15:13 Why is being hopeful such a courageous, extravagant way to live life? Consider how pervasive and massive […]
Suggested Reading: Luke 24:36-49 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God—Acts 1:3 Believing that we serve and have within and among us, a living, resurrected, powerful, present Lord and Savior in Christ […]
Suggested Reading: Acts 1:1-11 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you—Acts 1:8 Waiting until the Spirit arrives on the scene and into our being is courageous living. Jesus was very precise with these instructions. There had to be a reason he warned his disciples […]
Suggested Reading: referenced verses I and the Father are one—John 10:30 From day one of his earthly life Jesus had a firm grasp on his identity. Even when he was a boy of twelve, he knew who he was. Remember when his family had traveled to Jerusalem to attend temple […]
Suggested Reading: John 5:1-17 Get up, take up your bed, and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.—John 5:8,9 Living from our healed or whole places is a courageous way to live. Jesus healed the man waiting by the pool. John […]
Suggested Reading: Proverbs 31:10-31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates—Proverbs 31:31 Praising others is a courageous way to live. King Lemuel was certainly courageous in how he praised the woman of God openly, which was a rarity and exception […]
Suggested Reading: Philippians 4:4-7 In these days he went out to the mountains to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God—Luke 6:12 Being prayerful is a courageous way to live. It is a lifestyle mirroring the way Christ Jesus lived. Paul said never give up on prayer. […]
Suggested Reading: John 15:1-11 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.—John 15:1-2 How does a person who is hate-filled […]
O God our help in ages past our hope for years and centuries to come. On this National Day of Prayer we stand together as one, one in faith and one in hope. Believers in the same God and same hope. We implore you to heal our land and ask […]
Suggested Reading: John 15:1-17 No longer do I call you servants –John 15:15 It takes a lot, not just to be a friend, but to be a good, great, or wonderful friend. Not everyone is friendship material. Some people are better kept at arm’s length or as acquaintances. While other […]
Suggested Reading: Matthew 15:21-28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.—Matthew 15:28 Great faith will result in supernatural manifestations of healing, miracles, and wonders in our life. All levels and depths of faith […]
Suggested Reading: Matthew 15:21-28 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”—Matthew 15:27 Well said! This woman did not show fear or anxiety. She knew who she was talking to and asking a blessing from yet she did no hesitate or […]
Suggested Reading: Deuteronomy 1:19-33 Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. And you murmured in your tents—Deuteronomy 1:26-27 Pastors and spiritual leaders would call this the “meeting after the meeting.” That’s the meeting and discussion that takes place after the initial […]
Suggested Reading: Acts 20:17-38 I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.—Acts 20:22-23 When we have the Holy Spirit abiding or dwelling within us, […]
Suggested Reading: Deuteronomy 1:1-8 The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites.”—Deuteronomy 1:6-7 What’s your Horeb? For the Israelites it was the physical mountain and place where […]
Suggested Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Today’s focus Verse: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.—2 Timothy 3:16 I enjoy reading from various translations of the […]
Suggested Reading: Galatians 4:8-10 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.—Galatians 5:1 It’s pretty easy and common to put weight back on after taking it off. After all our hard work and effort to take off unwanted […]
Suggested Reading: James 1:1-12 Focus Verse: And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing—James 1:4 One of the best ways to explain what James writes in this passage is to do a brief grammar lesson. Sometimes we confuse the words affect […]
Suggested Reading: Jeremiah 3:22-24 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.—Psalm 103:14 There is a reason God deals with us as he does: he sees we are actually very fragile; that it does not take much to crush or break us. That is why he is […]
Suggested Reading: Isaiah 30:15 Focus Verse: Be still and know that I am God—Psalm 46:10 Think of how empowering stillness in the Lord God can be. Being still in the Lord is the last thing our enemy wants us to do during trials, during turbulent times, when we are faced […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 14:1-7 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them—Numbers 14:9 “For they are bread for us.” was […]
Suggested Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-8 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that […]
Suggested Reading: Ephesians 4:17-32 Be angry and do not sin.—Ephesians 4:26 Many of us may be familiar with the term “disgruntled”. After reading or hearing so many stories on the news that reported a destructive or harmful activity of a disgruntled employee which can range from a negative review online […]
Suggested Reading: Genesis 1:1-27 Focus Verse: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all—2 Corinthians 13:14 At times we may not feel very well. Whenever we are not feeling well everything is more difficult. Even […]
Suggested Reading: John 1:1-18 In him was life, and the life was the light of men—John 1:4 Sometimes people mistake earthly riches, possessions, and a lavish lifestyle for true life. But plenty of wealthy people who enjoy lavish lifestyles and have just about everything any human could want or dream […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 119:161-168 For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity—Proverbs 24:16 Not long ago I was remembering when I first learned to ride a bike. I remember how I fell, a lot! I can remember how wobbly and unsteady […]
Suggested Reading: Philippians 4:10-19 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself—Matthew […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 25:4-10 Focus Verse: I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you—Psalm 32:8 We live in an awesome age and era don’t we? Think of all the technology that we have access to. You can […]
Suggested Reading: John 1:35-51 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him—Psalm 34:8 David wanted everyone to know and experience the goodness of his God. He put his skills of poetry in motion and wrote, “Oh, taste (experience for yourself) […]
Suggested Reading: Isaiah 32:1-8 But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands—Isaiah 32:8 When God created Adam and Eve, he created them perfectly, without any corruption of thought or motives. But when the serpent entered the picture, he came to destroy, knock down, pull […]
Suggested Reading: Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account—Matthew 5:10-11 Its been said if you want […]
Suggested Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.—2 Chronicles 16:9 To assist, encourage and comfort are other ways of saying support. Sometimes people need to know they […]
Suggested Reading: Romans 8:1-17 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death—Romans 8:1-2 We have a Christian obligation to live under and in […]
Suggested Reading: Leviticus 19:9-37 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets—Matthew 7:12 Everywhere we have lived during the course of ministry, we have tried our best to be good neighbors: making sure our front and […]
Suggested Reading: I Timothy 1:12-17 As they passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works […]
Suggested Reading: Proverbs 2:1-23 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints—Proverbs 2:6-8 In King […]
Suggested Reading: Ephesians 4:17-23 To be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness—Ephesians 4:23 We could not even begin to count the number of books written, OR the sermons preached, and counsel […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 62: 1-12 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak—James 1:19 Have you ever thought of classifying listening as a Christian duty? The Apostle James helps us see it in this way. Some people are naturally good listeners; maybe it’s […]
Suggested Reading: Matthew 28:1-10 And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him—Romans 8:17 My husband and I had started watching a series on HULU. We had seen some pretty good, ones […]
Suggested Reding: Proverbs 12:18, 25; Therefore encourage one another with these words—I Thessalonians 4:18 Encouraging others is our Christian duty. The world has more than its share of discouragers. People are put down, emotionally damaged, heart and soul wounded all the time, sometimes from the time they are born they […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 55:1-23 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ—Galatians 6:2 A burden is defined as “a load, typically a heavy one; a weight, anything pressing on one physically, or that makes a demand on one’s resources.” Scripture defines burdens as, “A load of any […]
Suggested Reading: James 2:1-13 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony—Colossians 3:14 In food preparation binders are combined with other ingredients to maintain food texture and shape. Although flour and eggs are some of the more commonly known and used binders for baking […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 133:1–3 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.—Philippians 4:4 I find it interesting, compelling, and no mere coincidence that Paul would follow his exhortation of Christian duty, regarding holy joy and rejoicing in the Lord, with this line. Does this mean then, reasonableness should also be categorized […]
Suggested Reading: Psalm 16:1-11 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly—Philippians 4:10 We are called by God to rejoice. Rejoicing is a high call because it is not a natural state of mind or heart, and certainly the world is not rejoicing—not in the Lord, or the right things, at any […]
Suggested Reading: Hebrews 12:1-17 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith—Hebrews 12:2 In Galatians 3:3 the Apostle Paul asks those belonging to the Church in Galatia and now us also; “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” What a wonderfully profound […]
