Today's Verse: Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~Acts 15:26 Since we are in the summer season, it is also fire season. In areas where there is very dry vegetation, signs are posted indicating the degree of fire danger. The brighter the color, the greater the fire hazard. The word "hazard" indicates a possible peril. The Bible speaks of Judas and Silas as men who hazarded their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ. They accepted the dangers

Today's Verse: Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly. ~2 Chronicles 27:1-2 A core principle about leaders and followers is that “people do what people see.” Dr. Lee

Today's Verse: There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. ~Proverbs 30:11 Sociologists have identified seven generational groups that are present in our society. There are the Traditionalists, who were born before 1945. There are the baby boomers, who represent everyone born between 1946 and 1964. There is Generation X, which includes those born between 1965 and 1976. There are the millennials, which include everyone born between 1977 a

Today's Verse: And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. ~1 Samuel 3:19 One of our core responsibilities is the raising up of leadership for the future. It is vitally important that we are focusing on mentoring men who will be the next generation of leaders. At the time when Samuel was just a very young lad, there was a void in leadership. The sons of Eli abused their office as priests and discouraged the hearts of the peop

Today's Verse: And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God ~Haggai 1:14 When someone is stirred up, he is aroused to action. He is moved from a state of inactivity to activity. He is motivated to get something done. We are highly motivated when we a

Today's Verse: Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. ~2 Thessalonians 3:12 Do you like to work? What kind of worker are you? Someone said that there are three kinds of workers. For example, when a piano needs to be moved, the first kind gets behind and pushes, the second pulls and guides, and the third grabs the piano stool. The Apostle Paul gave a command to the believers at Thessalonic

Today's Verse: And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. ~Acts 23:10 Do you sometimes feel like you have so many things competing for your attention or time that you almost feel like you are being pulled apart? If you have had this experience, it is a very uncomfortable and stressful feel

Today's Verse: And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. ~2 Kings 13:18 One of the greatest virtues we need in our lives is the virtue of persistence. Persistence is staying at something for a long time. It is not throwing in the towel and giving up early. It is staying in the race even if you are in agony. It is doing what you do with maximum effort until it is complete. Spurg

Today's Verse: So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. ~Ezekiel 33:7 Have you ever had a neighbor ask you to watch their house while they were away? If so, they had an expectation that you would be observant of any suspicious activity and that you would help circumvent problems by getting law enforcement involved. On the other hand, if something happened when you were s

Today's Verse: They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. ~Song of Solomon 1:6b We live very busy lives! Living in the San Francisco Bay Area places many demands upon working adults. Working people need to make time for commuting, attending classes, taking their children to school and after-school events, household chores, cooking, cleaning, and outside volunteer activities. In addition, those of us who are actively serving the Lord in o

Today's Verse: Fulfil your works, your daily tasks.... ~Exodus 5:13b Pharaoh told the Hebrews that they needed to do their daily tasks—we would call this the daily grind. Like it or not, the daily grind is what we must do each day in order to be productive. There are things we must accomplish that are essential for our work, school, and church. Even more important are the daily things we must do for a strong spiritual life. We must be daily in the getting of wisdom. “Bles

Today's Verse: And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. ~2 Kings 9:20 Everyone who drives an automobile has been taught to be alert, careful, obedient to the safety laws, and vigilant. Reckless drivers have a total disregard for the laws and safety of other people. One statistic that I recently read indicated that 56% of all deadly vehicle crashes invo

Today's Verse: Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. ~1 Peter 4:19 The reference to God as our Creator is found five times in the Bible. It is found three times in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament. Creator is a powerful name and description. It implies an author, founder, maker, controller, and master. The very name implies the One Who made all things. Pe

Today's Verse: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. ~Proverbs 28:1 What comes to your mind when you think of a lion? Lions have been labeled the king of the jungle. They are considered fierce, strong, and relentless. They are fearless and tactical hunters. They instill fear into the hearts of their prey. Peter describes a lion as a predator that walketh about, seeking whom it may devour. Solomon uses the boldness of a lion to describe t

Today's Verse: Arise, Barak, and lead….. ~Judges 5:12b The Bible contains the historical account of insignificant and weak people whom God used to do great things. Someone said, “The men who conquered the world were men the world could not conquer.” One of these seemingly insignificant men was Barak. Barak is presented to us as a man of faith. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae....” (Hebrews

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: But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. ~Micah 3:8 Algebra is an advanced and abstract study of mathematics. Algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols (Wikipedia). As a student works through complex equations and word problems, the ultimate goal is to arrive at the answer. The answer is a result that is

Today's Verse: And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? ~2 Kings 1:7 Our church has been blessed by God with weekly visitors for many years. It is a blessing to look out among the congregation and see many new faces. Oftentimes, I will ask one of our core leaders, “Do you know who that man or woman is?” They will reply, “Which man or woman are you referring to?” I then try to distinguish the visitor by whom they mi

Today's Verse: And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. ~1 Kings 20:13-14 Most of us can think of a time in our lives wh

Today's Verse: I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; ~1 Corinthians 1:4-5 Corinth was a large and thriving city during the first century. It was a city where idolatrous practices and sin abounded. God placed this city on Paul’s heart to plant a church there. God worked mightily through Paul’s ministry — many were saved and baptized, an