Today’s Verse: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. ~Luke 9:62 A little boy heard a Sunday School lesson about Lot’s wife that, as she was following Lot out of Sodom, she looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. The teacher asked if anyone had any questions, and the little boy raised his hand. He said, “My mother once looked back when she was driving and turned into a light pole.” All kid

Today’s Verse: The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. ~Deuteronomy 33:27 When we say, “You can bank on this,” we mean that something is steadfastly reliable. We mean that it is trustworthy and dependable. It has the idea of a faithful guarantee. As Israel was preparing to enter into the Promised Land to claim their inheritance, God gave them a powerful promise tha

Today’s Verse: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31 For some of us, waiting can be very challenging to our need for patience. For instance, I am not one that likes to wait in lines or past a certain amount of time for an appointment. Waiting is frustrating. You wind up delayed for other planned events. Waiting is frittering. It

Today’s Verse: And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. ~Ezekiel 40:4 In a court of law, a witness is someone who testifies of what he saw or heard. This is important in verifying legal matters. The word of a witness can prove that something is true or

Today’s Verse: So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. ~Ezekiel 39:7 Your name conveys to others who you are. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” In Ezekiel 38-39, we read of a future attack that Russia and the Islamic nations will mount against Israel at the

Today’s Verse: When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. ~Luke 7:9 Do you have great faith? I think most, if not all of us, sadly, are lacking in great faith. Great faith is exercised when we are under extreme circumstances. Extreme circumstances are when things are bigger than us, beyond our control, and humanly impossible. A Roman c

Today’s Verse: And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ~Luke 2:7 This morning is Christmas, when we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord. Mary’s nine months of maternity would culminate in the most important and miraculous birth: the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ! Mary would endure all of the normality of this maternity but with greater anticipation than any mothe

Today’s Verse: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ~Matthew 1:20-21 Back in the day, major public announcements were made with a town crier or other public official who

Today’s Verse: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6 In Isaiah 9:6, the prophetic announcement of Christ coming into this world by way of a miraculous birth is given to us. In this announcement, we are given six wonderful names that describe His deity and ministry to every sinner who places f

Today’s Verse: And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. ~Psalm 1:3 Douglas fir trees are harvested and sold as decorative trees for Christmas. They bring a fresh smell and look into every home. However, after a few days, they start to wither and eventually lose their initial appeal and freshness. They are trees that are seasonal in their usefu

Today’s Verse: And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. ~Exodus 2:14 When I was about nine or ten years old, I was throwing a rubber ball around in the small house that we lived in. I missed while throwing it to another person and the ball flew towards the fireplace mantle, hit a picture frame, and broke it. I tried to glue it back together, but it

Today’s Verse: And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. ~Genesis 30:1 Have you ever been threatened by someone who said to you, “Do this, or else?” If so, you may have felt like an unreasonable demand was placed upon you. You may have felt pushed against a wall and faced incredible pressure to do something that requires more than just you to get it done. Rachel made a strong demand of

Today’s Verse: And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. ~2 Corinthians 12:7 Whenever someone has surgery, the surgeon will prescribe medication to the patient to help them “manage the pain.” Managing pain means to alleviate the discomfort so that we do not feel it or until the pain subsides and is no longer a prob

Today’s Verse: Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. ~Psalm 55:22 Weightlifting is considered an important exercise regimen to build and strengthen muscle and bone mass. It is a very good means for developing endurance and building resistance against weakness. Dead weight is a phrase that describes a heavy burden that is holding someone back or down. All of us will encounter one or more times when a burden t

Today’s Verse: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ~1 Corinthians 1:27 Our culture magnifies endurance ability, fitness, muscular prowess, and extraordinary strength. Large numbers of people dedicate segments of their day to endurance and weight training in order to achieve a level of fitness and strength that places them in the upper echelons of suc

Today’s Verse: And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. ~Numbers 11:1-2 Have you ever accidentally burned your toast? If you have, you know that there is a blackened, charred effect that makes the toast inedible. We

Today’s Verse: Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. ~Song of Solomon 5:1b Are you someone who enjoys eating at buffet restaurants? Buffet restaurants have a large variety of food, desserts, and drinks that you can choose from. Basically, you pay one price and eat as much as you want of anything. There is no limit on the amount that you can eat. Some people who have incredibly voracious appetites get more than their money's worth at a buffet restaurant. I t

Today’s Verse: Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ~Ezekiel 16:49 Idleness is time that is unproductive and not put to good use. It is a word associated with laziness and slothfulness. Solomon coined the term “bread of idleness” in Proverbs 31:27 to describe the antipathy of a virtuous woman to idleness. He said that she

Today’s Verse: And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. ~Esther 3:2 How courageous are you? How really devoted to God are you? This morning, we are looking at a man who stands out as one of the most courageous men of faith in the Bible. He inspires us to stand for God in our convictions, in our careers, and when conflicts arise. This morn

Today’s Verse: For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ~Ephesians 3:1-2 Have you ever been stuck in really bad traffic? This can be very frustrating and draining on your energy. Have you ever been stuck in a problem that made you feel bound and shackled, with little certainty as to getting out? Paul was in prison, bound to two Roman soldiers. He refers to hims