All Scripture references are quoted from the Christian Standard Bible (unless otherwise noted).
“Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:4-5 I can’t remember a time when I laid worried in...
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” – Proverbs 29:25 What is motivating you today? Many of us spend our days in the trap of “fearing man.” The decisions we make, the things we say, and the places we...
“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” – Malachi 3:6 God does not change. This truth is known in theological circles as God’s “immutability.” To say that God is immutable is to say that He does not mature or grow old; He...
“When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment.” – John 16:8 We, as people left to our own, have no ability to change hearts. So often, when thinking about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, we make the mistake of thinking...
“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well...
March 1, 2017 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105 Why is it important to spend regular, disciplined time in the Word of God? Because God’s word is the fixed point on which we set our bearings in order to...
“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish– ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.” – John 10:27-28 In the ancient world, sheep from many shepherds were often kept in large communal pens...
“God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:9 All of us, at one time or another, have probably struggled with finding our purpose. Why are we on this earth? What plan does God have for our life?...
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32 After 19 years of marriage, I get an incredible amount of peace from my relationship with my wife. We have been through so much together. I have seen her in so many different situations,...
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep...
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” – John 1:4, 14 The opening verses of the book of John give us a picture, not of a cold distant god, but of an intimate Creator. The picture...
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – James 4:10 When we get down, depressed, and discouraged in life, we often make the mistake of turning inward and attempting to lift ourselves up out of the darkness. But the book of James clearly gives us the...
“Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” – Luke 8:13 Over the last several days here on the plains of Colorado,...
“He said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” – Matthew 22:37 What does it mean to “know God”? Surely it means more than just knowing things about God, because Satan knows more about God than any...
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24 As we close out the last week of 2016, I have heard a lot of talk about how bad the year has been with the loss of many favorite celebrities, a...
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” – John 3:19-20 For quite some...
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” – Revelation 3:20 Have you ever heard the old discussion question; “If you could sit and have dinner...
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27 Peace can be a difficult thing to find during the hectic pace of the holidays…which...
“But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” – Hebrews 3:13 I always have to laugh when we come around to this time of year, because, during the holidays, we like to assign some sort of significance...
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” – Psalm 136:1 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. However, I have heard from many people that they are having trouble being thankful this year. We have violence and protesting in the cities over our government, and violence and protesting...
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18 One of the first things I was taught when learning to ride a motorcycle is “look where...
“I lift up my eyes to the hills– where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” – Psalm 121:1-2 Yesterday was an incredibly important day for the United States of America, as historic elections took place all across our country....
“How I love Your teaching! It is my meditation all day long.” – Psalm 119:97 (HCSB) What does it mean to meditate on God’s word? It is not simply studying a passage to know the meaning better. It is not simply memorizing a Bible verse. So what is meditation? I...
October 26, 2016 “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:8 In our country, there is an entire culture built around physical fitness. There are gyms of all...
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” – Ephesians 6:14 In the book of Ephesians, Paul teaches us to be prepared for spiritual warfare by using the illustration of a Roman soldier preparing for battle. One of the aspects of that preparation is to put...
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain...
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:2 When we come across passages...
“You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You.” – Isaiah 26:3 (HCSB) I often hear talk in Christian circles about “trusting God,” but what exactly do we mean when we say that? Often, what we mean is that we...
“But You, God my Lord, deal kindly with me because of Your name; deliver me because of the goodness of Your faithful love.” – Psalm 109:21 (HCSB) Psalm 109:21 teaches us a very important lesson about prayer; notice the psalmist does not offer any reason from within himself why these...
“Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in...