“‘And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me. 17 The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.’” Job 30:16-17 (ESV) I don’t know how much more I can take. Have you ever said that? Have you ever felt that way? […]
“‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 3 as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, 4 my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. 5 Far be it from […]
“‘But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11 My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of […]
“‘For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!’” Job 19:25-27 […]
“‘Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. 2 He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.’” Job 14:1-2 (ESV) Job confronts his human condition. He acknowledges the brevity of life and the certainty of death. Job identifies the presence […]
“‘You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.’” Job 10:12 (ESV) Job was in a season of desperation. He knew calamity on a first name basis. Surrounded by an inner circle of friends, Job made a profound statement about God’s provision. In the midst of severe adversity and […]
“‘Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? 3 If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times.’” Job 9:2-3 (ESV) Have you come to grips with your finiteness? Have you discovered how big God is and […]
“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’” Job 1:20-21 (ESV) Have you […]
“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of […]
“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.’ 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon […]
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26 (ESV) You were […]
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” 1 John 2:3 (ESV) Is it possible to know God by experience? Let’s examine the final Experiencing God reality: You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you. God […]
“Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle […]
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’” Luke 5:4 (ESV) Let’s examine the fifth Experiencing God reality: God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. Jesus […]
“And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him.’” Mark 9:7 (ESV) Peter, James, and John had a mountaintop experience with Jesus on Mt. Transfiguration. They were privileged to hear the voice of God affirming His Son and our Savior, Jesus. God’s direct word to them was an imperative for […]
“Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’” Jonah 3:1-2 (ESV) Jonah received an invitation from God to go preach against the city of Nineveh. Jonah chose to run in the […]
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” […]
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And […]
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom […]
“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV) On the final day of the year, let’s explore what moves the heart of […]
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Phil 2:3 (NIV) How do you view yourself? Your answer to that question provides insight into your understanding of humility. As Rick Warren says, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” It […]
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philem 1:6 (NIV) God uses the person who embodies a deep craving for the lost. It is possible to live your life each day and become so consumed […]
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6 (NIV) What kind of person does God use? What are the characteristics that are evident in the person God uses? God uses the person who has a passion for His presence. One of the characteristics evident in the […]
“’Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’” Luke 2:49 (NIV) Diffused light does not have much power to impact the environment it is placed in, but focused light can cut steel. Your life is most powerful when it is most focused. Our proclivity […]
“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” Luke 2:39-40 (NIV) Can you name the people God used to […]
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:6-7 (NIV) What does Christmas mean to you? What will you […]
“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me–holy is his name.’” Luke 1:46-49 (NIV) Life moves […]
“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:38 (NIV) Why did God choose Mary to give birth to the Son of God? In His perfect wisdom, God chose Mary because He knew she would willingly make herself available for His use. Mary affirmed her […]
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.’” Luke 1:30-31 (NIV) God chooses ordinary people to accomplish the extraordinary. Mary was just a teenager when she […]
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV) Travel down memory lane with me for a moment. Think about your Christmas experiences as a child. What do you remember as the most meaningful gift […]