“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) You have a new day before you today. Wonderful opportunities to experience God await your arrival. This day is filled with many options for you to select and decisions for you to make. God has placed inside you a […]
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) Who do you walk with? Who are the people influencing your life? God instructs you to walk with the wise and to guard against becoming the companion of fools. God has created you to continue the ministry […]
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30 (ESV) You were worth capturing. God intentionally pursued you with His redeeming love. God poured out His love on you and lavished you with His grace and covered you with His compassion. Before you were conceived, God […]
“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 7:1-3 (ESV) What do you treasure? What do you keep close to your heart? You […]
“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27 (ESV) Have you ever peeked into the rear view mirror of […]
“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 (ESV) God’s way is paved with wisdom. You have unlimited […]
“These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 For David said, ‘The Lord, […]
“Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, ‘Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.’” 1 Chronicles 21:1-2 (ESV) When you see God at work you can rest assured that […]
“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and […]
“And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had.” 1 Chronicles 13:14 (ESV) Obed-edom must have been a very special man to be chosen to bring the ark of God into his house. For three […]
“All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation […]
“So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the […]
“These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their […]
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm […]
“Adam, Seth, Enosh; Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” 1 Chronicles 1:1-4 (ESV) People matter to God. As you read chapter one and chapter two of 1 Chronicles, you read a list of names. Some of them may be familiar to you while some of the names may seem foreign. […]
“When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went […]
Motion causes friction! As you fulfill the vision God gives you with the passion God supplies for you, expect the enemy to generate tension. When you are on mission with God you can expect opposition. Often the friction you encounter as you are on mission with God is related to difficult people that come into […]
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 (ESV) It has been estimated that as many as 160,000 Christians are martyred each year worldwide. Godliness generates hostility. To live for Christ is to live in constant opposition to Satan and his crafty agenda to undermine […]
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (ESV) Peacemaking involves helping others make peace with […]
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 (ESV) The first crucial step in becoming a peacemaker is to make peace with God. Until you are in a right relationship with God, your horizontal influence for the kingdom of God will not be […]
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (ESV) While viewing a leadership talk delivered by Pastor Andy Stanley, I was captivated by his statement, “In eternity past, God looked upon our sin-saturated planet and asked, ‘What can I do to help?’” That concept painted a vivid image in […]
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 (ESV) God’s standard of perfection is Christ. The purity of Christ is the bull’s-eye for the believer. To be pure in heart is to be right with God. You cannot have a right relationship with God without having a relationship with others. […]
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (ESV) Have you ever been on the receiving end of the hurtful treatment rendered by an unmerciful person? It was not an enjoyable experience was it? Being unmerciful is a direct result of our fallen nature. However, Jesus ushered in a new way to […]
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 (ESV) You were born with a hole in your heart that only God can fill. Once you respond in faith to the vertical tug of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, you become a new creation. Your earthly […]
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (ESV) Christ-centered living involves being bridled. Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. You have the capacity to live a sinful lifestyle that will bring disrepute to Christianity and disdain to the character of Christ. The world, Satan, and your flesh have […]
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (ESV) Are you constantly broken over your sinfulness? Christ-centered living involves brokenness. In the language of the New Testament, there are nine different words used to describe sorrow. The Greek word Jesus uses here is the strongest of the nine. This level of mourning is equated with grieving over the […]
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 (ESV) Delays, detours, and distractions are common in this life. Sin, sickness, and sorrow permeate the landscape of our humanity. Is it possible to find happiness while living in a fallen world? The keys to happiness are found in the […]
“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’” Matthew 28:5-6 (ESV) Are you looking for Jesus? He has risen! Death has been conquered. Sin […]
“And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” Mark 15:39 (ESV) What was it about the final hours of Jesus’ life that made an eternal impact on the centurion who approved of the crucifixion of Jesus? […]
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 (ESV) Jesus died so we could live. Our destiny was destruction. Our identity was diluted by sin. Our iniquity was placed upon Jesus (Isa. 53:6). Jesus became sin for us so […]