Today's Verse: And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. ~2 Kings 4:4 In many corporate business dealings, some of the most important decisions are made behind closed doors. The President of the United States makes important decisions with his cabinet behind closed doors. In 2 Kings 4, reference is made three times to “shut the door.” The first time

Today's Verse: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ~2 Timothy 3:17 When I go on vacation, we enjoy using our timeshare which gives us the opportunity to live in a unit that is “fully furnished.” It has comfortable furniture for relaxation, sleeping, and dining. It has all of the kitchen equipment for cooking. Being fully furnished provides us with all the amenities we need to have an enjoyable time away. Paul uses the term “throughly

Today's Verse: Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; ~Psalm 114:7 The words "tremble" and "trembling" are found 78 times in the English King James Version of the Bible. These words are associated with being moved with awe, respect, and fear. They mean to shake and shiver within. When we are very cold or our body temperature drops below normal, we tend to shiver. When we have been terribly frightened or traumatized by a serious

Today's Verse: And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. ~Acts 16:25-26 Breakout is a term that is used in many descriptive ways. It is used to describe something unexpected that occurs like the breakout of a rash. In the stock market, it describes a st

Today's Verse: And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. ~2 Kings 3:16 I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine whose ministry has been blessed of God. Somehow our topic shifted to, “What if the offerings dropped and the church found itself in financial difficulty?” My friend responded by saying if this happened, he would probably go and dig ditches to pay his bills. I don’t personally know anyone who digs ditches for a living, but undoubte

Today's Verse: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. ~Acts 16:14 Lydia is one of many special women whom God used in a great way. Her name means “travail,” which implies hardship and difficulty. She was a successful businesswoman from Thyatira. She thrived in the mercantile business selling purple garments. However,

Today's Verse: And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. ~2 Kings 2:12 Are you a person with focus? Do you find yourself getting easily distracted? It is a term that is used to describe a focused person is “eagle eye.” When we say, “He has an eagle eye,” we mean that a person has a keen focus on his objective and will not bec

Today's Verse: When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. ~Proverbs 23:1-2 One of the most frightening circumstances that could happen to you is having someone put a sharp knife to your throat. The slightest resistance could result in the perpetrator using the knife to cut your throat and causing you to bleed to death. You don’t want to do anything that results in your inj

Today's Verse: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ~Galatians 6:2 Do you do weightlifting? Weightlifting is when you use weights to build and strengthen your muscles. This type of exercise is very helpful in preventing muscle atrophy and strengthening your bones. As a sport, competitors seek to lift massive amounts of weight to demonstrate power and strength. Everyone should do some form of weightlifting for good health. This morning, we want to c

Today's Verse: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. ~Romans 13:1 One of our key Baptist tenets is the separation of church and state. By this, the state is not to control the affairs of the church, and the church is not to unduly influence the state for unbiblical reasons. However, Christians are obligated to obey the laws of the land as good citizens. God refers to government as “the high