Today’s Verse: And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. ~Hosea 2:15 There are some locations that will be memorialized or remembered as places of tragedy. I think of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of the bombing of the federal government building that resulted in 168 fatalities and hundreds of inju

Today’s Verse: Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. ~Isaiah 52:6 Sometimes, I might make a quick shopping run at a store and will run into one of our church families. If they are the first to see and greet me, I tend to be slow in recognizing them. However, after a few moments, I usually blurt out, “Oh, it’s you!” While we might be slow in recognizing another person at an outside location,

Today’s Verse: Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? ~John 4:29 When something exciting happens, we encourage others to join us to see it. A woman who lived a private and shameful life had the pleasure of meeting the Lord Jesus Christ one day as she made her daily, noontime trip to draw water from a well. Her life was so changed that she ran back to town and excitedly told the men of the city, “Come, see a man.” We see the motive.

Today’s Verse: And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. ~1 Kings 17:24 Credibility is when we back up what we say with our life and actions. It means we are genuine and believable. Through credibility, we show that we are worthy of trust. Credibility is an essential component of leadership. Without this, we are suspect and cannot lead and develop followers to a goal. Elijah is a case stud

Today’s Verse: And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. ~1 Kings 17:13 I remember as a child that whenever we were told to line up for recess or to be called on by the teacher, many of us would cry out, “Me first!” We wanted to be recognized as the first to be selected, to be in line, or to be recognized. Most people don’t like being other than first

Today’s Verse: And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. ~1 Samuel 22:2 John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." David was that kind of leader. David inspired men to achieve greater potential through his influence. He

Today’s Verse: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ~Genesis 2:7 The COVID pandemic has caused all of us to focus on its impact on an affected person’s breathing. More serious cases of COVID have caused some patients to require breathing assistance including oxygen and, in very severe circumstances, intubation. Breathing assistance is meant to help a person until he is able to b

Today’s Verse: But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. ~Acts 15:38 In every language, we have words that we use to describe things that are good or not good. If we say, “That’s good” or, “That’s not good,” we are describing something that we believe is favorable or unfavorable. Several times in the Bible, God calls our attention to things that are not good. We see that detachment is not good.

Today’s Verse: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? ~Psalm 11:3 A foundation is the major support for a building. The strength of a building when an earthquake occurs is dependent upon its foundation. However, if the foundation is destroyed, the building integrity is at risk. David asked, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The foundation for our faith is nestled in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a foundation Who is steadfast and

Today’s Verse: And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? ~Joshua 5:14 From an organizational and reporting standpoint, we do things by order of rank. We have supervisors, managers, and final decisionmakers whom we are accountable to. Regardless of our title and responsibility, we know that it is important that we fall into rank when

Today’s Verse: And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? ~Joshua 4:21 Memorials are established as reminders to future generations. God commanded Joshua to have the men of Israel take twelve stones out of the Jordan River and place them on the other side of the river after they had crossed it. The other side was named Gilgal. The shoreline at Gilgal would have twelve stones arr

Today’s Verse: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. ~Genesis 1:31 The Bible begins with an undisputed fact: "In the beginning God...." Everything that is points to Creator God: God Who is, God Who always will be. The Hebrew name for God is Elohim, which powerfully embodies the triune Godhead. It implies absoluteness, perfection, and completeness. He is God powerful, God personal, and God p

Today’s Verse: Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. ~1 Samuel 20:18 Whenever my little granddaughter spends time with me and my wife, there comes a point where she might say, “I miss my mommy and daddy.” People who have a definite place in our hearts are missed when they are not with us. I think of some precious friends who are grieving the homegoing of a family member. While they are resting in the

Today’s Verse: For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. ~1 Thessalonians 1:8 Have you ever experienced making an echo? Typically, an echo effect will happen in a mountainous area where a sound that you make will repeat itself. It’s a fun experience for children and adults alike when they hear the echo of their voice or sounds. Twice t

Today’s Verse: And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. ~1 Kings 17:12 Are you someone who thinks big or little? How we see and envision things determines our attitude, our approach to challenges, and the magnitude of our accomplishments. This morning, we see a passage of Scri

Today’s Verse: And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: ~John 2:14 Prospective home buyers typically request a home inspection before making an offer. They want to know if the appliances are in good working order, the condition of the roof and structure of the house, and if there are any known defects, repairs, or hazardous materials in the house. They don’t want any surprises that would make their future home undesi

Today’s Verse: And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: ~Genesis 18:3 In tennis, players yell out, “Serve” to indicate that the one who has the tennis ball is about to hit it toward his opponent. I have always thought that was an awkward word to announce that the ball is being "served” to the opponent, but on the other hand, it represents a powerful image of the fervor in which we should serve our Lord. Our serv

Today’s Verse: And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. ~Joshua 3:13 Getting your feet wet is a way of saying that you are experiencing something new. It is doing something that you have not done before, but you are willing to do i

Today’s Verse: And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: ~1 Samuel 19:4 Employers do reference checks on prospective new employees. Its is extremely helpful when the reference says things that are commendable and compelling about the person’s character and person. David was in danger of being

Today’s Verse: Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. ~Jeremiah 12:14 The phrase “pluck out” in the Old Testament means to pull up, pull out, root out, expel, or overthrow. In the New Testament, a similar phrase is used and means to catch up, pluck out, pull out, or take by force. We see that