Judgy, Judgy Church…

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to…

For All Time

“But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand…” Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” (Hebrews 10:12, 17) Read: Ezekiel 21:1 – 22:31, Hebrews 10:1-17, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 27:12 Relate: Tomorrow I will fail.…

Dare To Hope

I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore,…

Roll the Shame Away

Joshua and the men of Israel had to make a decision to follow God’s instructions in complete obedience. After they did this God rolled the shame of their slavery in Egypt away.

No Entry

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 23:3) Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19, Luke 10:13-37, Psalm 75:1-10, Proverbs 12:12-14 Relate: I want to quote something from the end of the book of Ruth: Boaz was the father of Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of…

Psalm 66:16 (Testimony Time)

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. (Psalms 66:16) Read: Numbers 36:1-13, Deuteronomy 1:1-46, Luke 5:29-6:11, Psalm 66:1-20, Proverbs 11:24-26 Relate: We were climbing a cliff. It wasn’t impossibly steep and it was only about 70 to the top so the three of us decided to go…

The Unlovables

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) Read: Numbers 4:1 – 5:31, Mark 12:18-37, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 10:26 Relate: Some people are easy to like. They just exude charm. It…

Mark 9:24 (Help My Unbelief)

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) Read: Leviticus 20:22-27, Leviticus 21, Leviticus 22:1-16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalms 43:1-5, Proverbs 10:18 Relate: I have always known that I serve a powerful and capable God, but understanding has not always translated to a belief that God will be…

Psalm 21:13 (Ordinary Resurrections)

Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts. (Psalm 21:13) Read: Genesis 50:1-26, Exodus 1:1-2:10, Matthew 16:13-17:9, Psalm 21:1-13, Proverbs 5:1-6 React: Jacob dies. Joseph dies. A new Pharaoh comes to power who isn’t a big fan of the Hebrew people. Slavery ensues. Four hundred years of oppression follows. Things…

Matthew 9:6 (The Power To Forgive)

So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (Matthew 9:6) Read: Genesis 26:17 – 27:46, Matthew 9:1-17, Psalm 10:16-18, Proverbs 3:9-10 Relate: Jesus knew what they were…