Today's Verse: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ~James 2:23 Of the many wonderful things to describe a man's relationship to God, being called the Friend of God in Scripture ranks as one of them. This morning, we want to examine why Abraham stands out as a man who is called the Friend of God. There is the necessity. To not be a friend of God is to be at en

Today's Verse: And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. ~Numbers 21:23 A roadblock is an obstruction that prevents a traveler from moving forward and arriving at his destination. It is a barrier that must be avoided, detoured, or overcome. This morning, let us see a roadblock that threatened Moses and the Israelite

Today's Verse: Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. ~John 21:5 One of the hardest things for us to deal with is when God shows us we lack maturity in our decisions, judgment, and works. We don’t like being told we are immature. This morning, seven of Jesus' choicest men received a vital and timely lesson on what real maturity is all about when it comes to doing the work of the Lord. We see a dismal failure. “Simon Peter saith unt

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. Many 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 success in thi

Today's Verse: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. ~Proverbs 10:22 Are you rich? According to Charles Schwab and Company you are considered rich if your net worth exceeds $2.4M. Being financially rich will depend on where you live and the cost of living. To be considered rich in Detroit, MI you need to have an annual income of $51,000. The extreme of this is you are not rich in Anchorage, Alaska unless your annual income does not exceed

Today's Verse: That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. ~Nehemiah 6:2 The reality of the Christian life is that we are challenged with many adversities and adversaries. Each of them tests our character and whether we will stand or wilt when the pressure is on. Nehemiah was being pressured by two men who were his avowed enemies. They did not welcome his prese

Today's Verse: And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. ~2 Samuel 15:30 Are you comfortable walking barefoot? While being barefoot is a great relief from being confined to shoes and socks, there are many risks. You are more prone to accidents and injuries to your feet. You are at risk of ba

Today's Verse: Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. ~Psalm 112:4 Integrity refers to the character, honesty, truthfulness, and virtue of a man. A man of integrity is non-compromising when it comes to his affairs and relationship with others. He is a trusted and respected individual. Another word that describes a man of integrity is upright. Ps. 112 is about the upright man. Upright means he is straight u

Today's Verse: Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise. ~Nehemiah 5:13 Dictionary.com defines integrity as our adherence to moral and ethical principles. It refers to the soundness of our moral character. Another way of looking at it is, are you

Today's Verse: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. ~Jeremiah 1:5 When I was in second grade, I remember a discussion my father had with me while he was driving me to elementary school. He embedded in my mind the importance of knowing what career path I should take for my life. From that point on, he encouraged me to think about where I saw myself as a wo

Today's Verse: And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. ~Genesis 34:30 Years ago, I purchased a clip-on air freshener for my car, thinking it would add a pleasant fragrance to the interior. However, the extremely hot temperatures combine

Today's Verse: …They hear thy words, but they will not do them…~Ezekiel 33:31 One of the greatest tests of character is our obedience. Obedience is doing what you have been told to do. It is doing what you have been told to do immediately after you have received the instructions and doing it exactly as described. God raised up Ezekiel as His prophet during the time Judah was under Babylonian captivity. God told Ezekiel, “They hear what I told you to tell them, but they are n

Today's Verse: The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come. ~Isaiah 21:12 My favorite time of the day is the morning. There is something about waking up after a good night’s sleep, breathing in the morning air, reading my Bible, and praying that is invigorating. When I go on vacation, I purpose to wake up before the sunrise and then watch as the sun starts to come up. Isaiah told the men of Edom, “The morning cometh

Today's Verse: And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. ~Matthew 17:8 Many years ago, when I was in 4th grade, I spent a summer at the home of one of my cousins. I had a great time with them. When the day came for them to drive me back to being with my family, I felt a sense of sadness. However, that did not last long! I soon remembered how good it was to be back home with my parents. This morning, we see where three of the apostles had an un

Today's Verse: So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. ~Nehemiah 4:6 Determination is the sheer drive, tenacity, and willpower to accomplish a deed or task. It is when a person says, “I will get it done.” Determination is when you put your mind to the task and get it done. This morning, let us see how determination is a key factor in getting great things done. We see the conviction. In spite of

Today's Verse: Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. ~Psalm 147:1 Psalm 147 is a psalm that calls all of us to praise the Lord. Praise is a response to God’s goodness: we are to speak with praises, but we are to also sing with praises. Then, he says that praise is pleasant and comely. The word “comely” means “beautiful.” The question we must ask is, “Is my praise comely?” Let us see what comely praise is.

Today's Verse: And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; ~Luke 2:36 One of the marvels about the grace of God is that it is God’s strength made perfect in weakness. As we get older, the reality is that we start to slow down and our health starts to decline. We have less energy and become weaker. As many people age, they use their slowing-down and w

Today's Verse: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ~Revelation 2:2 Revelation 2:1-7 is the record of a letter that the Lord had the Apostle John write to the church at Ephesus. God loves His churches, and He wants every local church and its members to have a long-term and deeply rooted impact where it is planted. The L

Today's Verse: Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: ~Proverbs 6:6 When someone is served a notice, it is a formal announcement of great importance that requires his attention. Typically, a notice is served formally with a specified period of time to respond. This morning, we see a notice that God serves upon the sluggard. We see the nature of the sluggard. “Thou sluggard....” Sluggard is someone who is careless, complacent, indifferent, lazy, pro

Today's Verse: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. ~Luke 1:17 A man of the hour is a man who has a special purpose and function. He is unique, influential, and one-of-a-kind. John the Baptist was God’s man for the hour. The prophets Isaiah and Malachi foretold of John and the unique ministry God had for him.