Today's Verse: And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. ~1 Samuel 9:6 A few years ago, I was preaching in the state of Virginia for a pastor friend. He took me to visit Mt. Vernon, which is famous as the place where George Washington lived and made his residence. That city is keenly identified with Ge

Today's Verse: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. ~James 1:8 Are you someone who has a hard time making decisions? Do you find yourself in turmoil because you have divided interests? James said that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. The idea of being double-minded means to be “two souled.” Let us see the importance of being able to make solid decisions and being concretely stable about our belief. There is the characteristic of a double-minde

Today's Verse: And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. ~Luke 1:19 Angels are God’s ministering spirits and flames of fire sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. They encamp around about them that love the Lord. They escort the souls of the departed into the presence of God. They overshadow and protect God’s people. Archangels are of the highest rank

Today's Verse: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. ~Revelation 2:17 Geology is the study of rocks, ore, and rock formations. Students of geology are able to identify colored rocks and determine how they attained that color. Rock colors have significance in l

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: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, ~Jude 1:24 One of the most difficult experiences for us to go through in life is failure. Failure is when we do not meet an expectation, do not make the cut, do not meet the minimum requirements, or we just mess up. Failure can be demoralizing and lead to countless insecurities. Failure in the Christian life is when we disappoin

Today's Verse: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; ~Hebrews 1:3 A few years ago, one of my neighbors negotiated a very good deal to install solar panels on his house. He did a thorough comparison of vendors to arrive at his decision. We do comparisons to make sure we get the best value for our mo

Today's Verse: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ~Matthew 16:18 Hudson Taylor aptly said, “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” As a man of faith, he lived and practiced this the entire time he planted churches, started schools, trained laborers, and advanced the cause of missions across China. The Lord Jesus Christ is the founder and owner of

Today's Verse: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ~2 Corinthians 5:10 Many years ago, I was requested to appear as a witness in an administrative case against someone accused of embezzlement. The room I waited in had a judge’s chair that was elevated, and behind it were the flags of the United States and California. As I looked at the jud

Today's Verse: And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: ~Zechariah 6:12 Zechariah 6 speaks of the temple of the Lord during the Millennium. It will be a literal temple where the people of the earth will worship the Lord. Waters will flow out from under that great temple and give life where things were formerly barren or lifele

Today's Verse: For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; ~Colossians 2:1 The word "conflict" means to fight or contend with. Dictionary.com defines it as a fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle or strife. Paul had a “shepherd’s heart” for the spiritual lives of believers. The devil seeks to discredit or destroy the faith of every believer. Paul wanted his

Today's Verse: For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. ~Psalm 22:16 The story is told of a boy who was trapped by a fire on the second floor of his house. The rest of his family had perished in the fire. A man, seeing the boy’s desperate situation, climbed his way into the boy’s bedroom by way of a metal pipe attached all the way to the roof of the house. The man was successful in reaching and rescuing the b

Today's Verse: For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. ~2 Corinthians 1:20 The word “yea” is a word of affirmation. It can mean a vote of approval or simply “yes.” Sometimes this idea is conveyed by phrases such as “right on” or “most assuredly.” Whatever the case may be, it is a word that tells us, “It is alright” or “OK.” This word is used to describe our Lord Jesus Christ and the promises of God in Him. This morning, let

Today's Verse: Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: ~Ezekiel 37:5 All of us recognize the importance of breathing. Breathing is a sign of life. When we stop breathing, we stop living. Sometimes after running or doing vigorous exercise, we might say that we are out of breath or need to catch our breath. Someone who is in need of CPR is someone who needs to breathe again. Our Scripture this morning contains

Today's Verse: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ~1 John 2:1 Advocacy work is the work of a person or group representing another person in a legal matter. The advocate stands in the place of the person in need, fully represents him, and makes a compelling argument for his benefit. A successful advocate is a champion defender. He has an unmatched win-loss re

Today's Verse: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ~2 Corinthians 3:17 The other day, we examined the meaning of liberty. This morning, let us see the work of liberty in our life. Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” I am thankful for the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead. He is co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent, and co-essential with the Father and the Son. Where the Spirit of the Lord is,

Today's Verse: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ~1 John 4:4 One of the most successful companies in the athletic shoe and clothing business is Nike. They have had a great marketing strategy of signing up the most talented athletes to endorse and help brand their merchandise. The Nike stores are very innovative and enticing in drawing loyal customers to their products. The name “Nike” i

Today's Verse: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ~2 Corinthians 3:17 Today marks the celebration of America’s declaration of independence from the oppression of Great Britain. It marks the date when America established the charter that described our freedom and liberty. Today, America is 250 years old as a nation. Leading to this great declaration were the valiant proclamations of men like Patrick Henry. It was Mr. Henry who

Today's Verse: And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. ~Genesis 24:58 On the wedding day, the most precious moment is when it is time for the bride to walk the aisle and to join her bridegroom. The congregation is asked to rise and stand out of respect for her entrance. The bride gracefully walks the aisle with great anticipation as she will join the groom and together recite their vows one to another and be joined as

Today's Verse: I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. ~Job 42:2 What you think and believe about God determines the kind of Christian you are. Years ago, leadership and management expert John Maxwell spoke about the law of the lid. The lid is the ceiling that you allow in your thinking and faith. The lid is what keeps you from attaining your goal or seeing a dream come to fruition. Job was going through an intense time of suff