Posts from 2022 (Page 7)

Three Things God Requires He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 The prophet Micah describes a tense courtroom scene as God accuses His people of being disloyal to Him and committing fraud against one another(Micah 6:2-4, 9-11). God’s tone, though, isn’t harsh and condemning. He pleads with them as “My people,” and He reminds…

One At A Time Jesus turned around and when He saw her, He said, “Be of good cheer; daughter, your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. Matthew 9:22 Jesus was in a big hurry. Well, actually, Jesus wasn’t in a hurry- the disciples were. A synagogue ruler, Jarius had asked Jesus to come to his house to heal his deathly-ill daughter, and he had agreed to go(Mark 5:22-24). The disciples thought this…

The Shirt Off Your Back Jonathan and David made a covenant, because [Jonathan] loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off his robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Samuel 18: 3-4 Jonathan had every reason to be wary of David. Jonathan was Saul’s son, the next in line for the throne. He was going to be king of Israel, with…

Handle With Care I testify and warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [its predictions, consolations, and admonitions]: if anyone adds [anything] to them, God will add to him the plagues (afflictions, calamities) which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away [from that one] his share from the tree of life and from the holy city (new…

The Green-Eyed Monster Saul was very angry…..and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. No what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward. 1 Samuel 18: 8-9 Saul was the tallest, most handsome man in the land- straight off the GQ cover. His good looks, though, weren’t as important as his status. Out of all the men of Israel, God had chosen…

Stumbling In Darkness 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. Micah 7:8 The prophet Micah had just issued a scathing condemnation of God’s people. Their sins were unspeakable- murdering members of their own families, practicing bribery and corruption in politics, oppressing the poor, and defying their parents (Micah 7:2-6). The sins of the people of God precipitated a very dark time…

Foolish Songs It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:5 “I didn’t enjoy hearing it, but I really needed to hear what you told me. Thank you.” This was the response of a man whose boss had told him he wasn’t getting a promotion. His boss explained the reasons the man had been bypassed, and instead of reacting defensively, he listened, accepted the truth, and made…

Never Enough He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase. This is also vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:10 In addictions like alcoholism, people experience a phenomenon called tolerance. A person’s body gets used to the level of alcohol so he or she has to drink more to get the same effect. And the process continues as the body adjusts to taking in more and more. The same phenomenon occurs in the world of…

When Less Is More Better is a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. Ecclesiastes4:6 Many of us are afflicted with the “go, go, go disease.” Somehow we’ve developed the core belief that we can’t be happy unless we have our lives full of activities. But the disease leaves us feeling exhausted. Our most cherished relationships become shallow and tense, and we become confused because we’re trying so hard but feel so…

An Immortal Legacy I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. Ecclesiastes 3:14 Does what we do for God really matter? Sometimes we wonder. We look around at others who don’t care about God but seem to be getting ahead far faster than we are,many we get discouraged. We need to remember that for all of eternity, God…