Isaiah 49 – His words were like a sharp arrow ready to pierce the heart. Israel would be his servant and he would be their master. But something was…
Luke
98 posts
Isaiah 14 – Jesus said, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” (Luke 10:18) Tucked in the prophecy against Babylon, are 5 verses giving insight toward this…
Exodus 28 – God had tremendous instructions for the people as to how they were to worship Him. This was detailed all the way down to what…
Exodus 20 – For 400 years the Israelites lived in Egypt; a land filled with many deities and gods. Although they had kept their heritage potentially they could…
Job 19 – In ancient Israel, one who was called a redeemer was family member who bought and paid for a slaves freedom. As read in the book of…
Ezra 9 – After a 4 month, dangerous journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, Ezra arrived to find things not as he had thought. A culture of compromise within his own…
Matthew 28 – “He is risen!” These are 3 words that have changed the very outlook and trajectory of all humankind. These 3 words are the key…
Matthew 27 – Four miraculous events took place at Jesus’ death. Darkness came upon the land. The curtain in the temple was torn in two. …
Matthew 25 – David Wilkerson was the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York. His humble beginnings were in Indiana where in time he would…
Matthew 9 – Human need is all around us. The question is do we see it completely with the heart of compassion or with a heart of…
Matthew 3 – John the Baptist was one unique guy. Today we would say strange on many fronts. From his odd clothing to the wild look he…
Matthew 2 – Every Christmas Nativity scenes are pulled out and set for the season. Each character represents one found in Scripture who was there. From the…
Matthew 1 – There is reason Matthew is placed as the first of the 4 Gospels. First, among the early church, it was known as the most…
Proverbs 15 – “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil…
1 Samuel 5 – Dagon was the chief god of many in the ancient world of whom the Philistines worshiped. He was responsible for the rain and the harvest or so they believed…
Romans 12 – According to the Old Testament Law, a priest would sacrifice an animal for the sins of the people. It was cut into…
1 Kings 10 – It’s a written showcase of Solomon’s success. From the Queen of Sheba visiting and declaring for herself the grandeur of his…
Genesis 19 – The slippery slope of compromise led Lot into an unraveling of a storyline that would place him in the infamous story of the
Genesis 9 – The life of Noah is statement of being committed in obedience to the long term project of which God calls His people…
John 20 – The miracle of the empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus brought shock and skepticism. John records that miraculous morning…
Nehemiah 11 – Although the walls were complete around Jerusalem, the city itself was a ghost town. The exiles who had returned and settled…
Hebrews 8 – Jesus became the New Covenant between man and God. His sacrifice took away our sin. He is a better mediator between us than…
Hebrews 1 – Written before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD the author of the Hebrews is unknown. The initial audience was to the Jews…
Malachi 4 – I hadn’t really given much time or thought about this last chapter of Malachi. And then it struck me. These were the last words…
Zephaniah 3 – The opening message of doom found in Zephaniah ends with that of hope. It holds words of rescue, restoration and celebration…
Hosea 3 – It was the shady side of town, a place where priests stayed clear of, let alone any prophet worth his reputation. The loud bawdy ruckus that…
1 Corinthians 4 – “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:1…
Psalm 146 – Psalm 146 – James Boice writes: “In the earlier psalms, we have studied the writers’ griefs, shames, sins, doubts, and fears. We have…
Psalm 141 – Psalm 141 – Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also,…
Psalm 129 – “Upon this rock I will be build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” – Matthew 16:18 For Israel, they had been…
Psalm 110 – Who was this mysterious man, Melchizedek? Well, we don’t know much. He appears briefly in Genesis 14:17-20, here in Psalm 110, and is mentioned several times…
Psalm 98 – What would a new song to our eternal great God sound like? This question rambles in my thoughts as I consider my own prayers and what…
Psalm 69 – The favor of God is something we all should seek. One of the best definitions of this is a demonstrated delight. Simply consider what that means. …
Psalm 60 – The sting of defeat cripples us physically, emotionally, mentally. Sometimes it has the power to harm us spiritually as well. When…
Psalm 28 – There is a subtle difference between Psalm 28 and many of the others written. Although it speaks much the same of God’s deliverance of a certain…
Psalm 22 – It’s one of the most heartfelt, gut wrenching prayers of David. “Why have you forsaken me?” he asks. Whatever the great trial he was enduring at…
Psalm 21 – David Guzik writes at the end of his commentary on Psalm 21: “We will sing and praise Your power: After the direct statement of praise, David…
Psalm 19 – There is no way to fathom the greatness of our God. The heavens display His majesty and grandeur. Nature sings to Him. The beauty of who…
Psalm 15 – In an entrance liturgy to the temple, Psalm 15 poses a question, gives a response and is followed by a promise. The faith of the Israelite’s…
Mark 16 – “The resurrection means that the cross was the payment, and the empty tomb is the receipt, the proof that though it may have looked like He…
Mark 1 – A man running naked… a deserter… eventually, a pastor… who was this man?
Deuteronomy 14 – Sometimes, reading through the commands God gave to the Israelites, there is a disconnect. This is particularly true with much of this chapter. The disconnect comes…
Numbers 18 – In what has become one of the most seemingly taboo topics today within the church, many a congregant and pastor steer clear of it. It doesn’t…
Numbers 14 – The loss of perspective brings despair. When we begin to focus on the tangible rather than the ability of God, we will slowly and dramatically fall…
Luke 24 – “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen” – Luke 24:5-6 “But we were hoping that…
Luke 23 – There was no doubt He was innocent. 3 different times he declared this and 3 different times the Jewish people rose up screaming for His death….
Luke 22 – The Passover was a commemoration of Israel’s escape from Egypt after being held in bondage for 400 years. Through specific instructions, the Jewish people were told…
Luke 21 – It began with an observation of the rich putting their money into the treasury in comparison to a poor widow putting only 2 copper coins in…
Luke 20 – Jesus had more than ruffled feathers. He had gone for the jugular. He turned things completely upside down, calling out the corruptness of the religious leaders,…
Luke 19 – Turncoat – “The phrase comes from the ancient practice of wearing a badge or pin on one’s coat signifying the party or leader you supported. By…
Luke 18 – Jesus teaches on prayer, humility and the true following of Him through discipleship. Opening up his thoughts through a parable He reveals how we should always…
Luke 17 – Directly on the heels of Jesus speaking of the rich man in hell and the poor beggar in heaven chapter 17 continues his conversation to the…
Luke 16 – Money. It’s been a snare for countless centuries that still catches people. The topic of cash was spoken of by Jesus more than any other. When…
Luke 15 – Jesus tells three absolutely beautiful parables back to back revealing how much God the Father loves and seeks those who are lost. A shepherd has 100…
Luke 14 – There are prophecies in the Old Testament of a feast that will come at the end of the age – the Messiah’s Banquet. I have always…
Luke 13 – Wow! “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to…
Luke 12 – If you stepped back and assessed your prayers, what do you find you pray about the most? Where is the focus of your prayers at these…
Luke 11 – The man was desperate. An unexpected friend had stopped on his journey for a place to sleep. In ancient times hospitality was a given. Being after…
Luke 10 – “At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things…
Luke 9 – It’s called the comfort zone. We all have one and if we’re honest live within its confines as much as possible. It’s the place where we…
Luke 8 – The ministry of Jesus continues to grow and expand. It’s noteworthy that as he went from one town and village to another the 12 were right…
Luke 7 – How many tears do you have to shed to wash someone’s feet? Luke 7 records several stories of Jesus from a remarkable Roman Centurion demonstrating faith…
Luke 6 – I stood there with my mouth open, blinking as his words hovered in the air. This was by far one of the strangest conversations I had…
Luke 5 – Here begins a turning point in Luke as we read of his many miracles, the calling of who would be his disciples and his ministry to…
Luke 4 – “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”– Hebrews…
Luke 3 – 400 years of silence had smothered the Israelites. For 400 years God had not spoken one word to His people. When the time came for His…
Luke 2 – “The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.” –…
Luke 1 – He’s the only author of the Gospels who was a Gentile. Luke was a physician and companion of Paul who traveled alongside on many of his…
Ezekiel 19 – Military might nor political powers could change the course of the nation for Judah. As we often stand and look upon the horizon of our rising…
Acts 28 – For 3 months Paul and his companions stayed on the island of Malta after the shipwreck before they were able to complete the journey…
Acts 27 – A Nor’easter is a storm mixed with the collision of several weaker storms. As a parent storm, the polar jet stream mixes with the…
Acts 19 – There is a growing longing within me for a powerful movement of God among us. It’s something I cannot escape as I desire so…
Acts 15 – The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Conflict. We would rather run as far away as we could rather…
Acts 13 – The church in Antioch was in the middle of worshiping God and fasting when the Holy Spirit spoke. It was a direct commission of…
Acts 12 – It’s 44 AD. 11 years have passed since Jesus had been crucified and rose from the grave. Herod had begun a full frontal attack…
Acts 4 – What is God asking of you? What is He personally calling you to do? Where is He working and asking you to join? Depending…
Acts 1 – Over 2000 years ago a match was struck in Jerusalem. Initially, just a few were ignited, but the fire spread. The disciples were first…
Leviticus 26 – It comes down two choices: The path of obedience or the path of disobedience. God made it very clear to the Israelite’s then and these thoughts…
Leviticus 12 – Sex is not a dirty thing. Let’s look just a moment at what He said during creation: “God created mankind in His own image, in the…
Leviticus 10 – It may have been the hardest day of Aaron’s life. He watched as his sons did not fulfill the duties as priests and were burned up…
Revelation 20 – Judging by the amount of attention given by so many people to the first 10 verses of the chapter you would think it’s the most important…
Revelation 15 – It feels as though the book of Revelation has these endless rounds of a heavyweight, worldwide championship boxing or wrestling match. There seem to be these…
Revelation 12 – This chapter and the next two to follow are loaded with much to consider. The massive struggle between good and evil begins and the church itself…
Revelation 11 – In a mere 11 verses, there are incredible twists, populated by fantastic creatures and people with superpowers.This section alone is one of the most difficult chapters…
Revelation 9 – I want you to think of someone in your life, someone you know who does not know Jesus. Someone who actually is not even remotely interested…
Revelation 8 – The reprieve of the picture from chapter 7, this magnificent worship, changes as Revelation 8 opens with the 7th and final seal is cracked. And what…
Revelation 3 – Zombies Zombies. They’re everywhere. They pop up in commercials asking “Where’s your wallet?” There are movies, TV shows, covers of magazines and even have been in…
Revelation 2 – What if Jesus wrote your church a letter? What would He have to say? What if Jesus wrote you one? What would He speak of concerning…
2 Chronicles 35 – Armchair Quarterback noun. a person who offers advice or an opinion on something in which they have no expertise…
2 Chronicles 29 – Sometimes watching someone else fall is enough motivation to change course. The ramifications of choices of another can be something that brings about…
1 Chronicles 21 – Numbers. We often can be caught up in the measurement of success by how much or how many things we have. Obviously, we…
1 Chronicles 13 – Some 400 years before God had instructed Moses to construct the Ark of the Covenant. Measuring 3 feet 9″ long, 2 feet 3…
1 Chronicles 3 – The royal line of David and house of Jesse is recorded here. I love how Ezra was led to record this in detail…
Isaiah 61 – “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” – Jesus (Luke 4:21) Jesus had just come off the heels of His time in the desert…