Today's Verse: This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. ~Ezra 7:6 Ezra was one of God’s great men in the Old Testament. God used this man’s pen, personality, and persuasion to help with the finishing of the temple construction after the Jews returned from captivity. He was a tenderhearted man whom God use

Today's Verse: Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. ~Ezra 8:31 Years ago, Allstate Insurance Company branded the slogan, “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” When it comes to insurance, this is an important statement. When we say someone is in good hands, we are referring to the fact that

Today's Verse: They have spread a net by the wayside; ~Psalm 140:5b The word wayside describes the side of a road. It is not the beaten path that is commonly traveled. In driving this could be considered the shoulder of the road where cars pull off after a mechanical failure, accident, or for a road violation. To every day travelers, the wayside had the idea of a location that was not preferred or prominent. It is farm land to the side that was not broken up and ready for so

Today's Verse: This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. ~1 Timothy 3:1 God uses many recurring words and phrases to strongly emphasize a precept, principle, priority, or practice in the Christian life. These recurring words and phrases make for encouraging and enlightening Bible study that strengthens us in our convictions and walk with God. One of these phrases is “a good work.” This phrase emphasizes a practice that is highly

Today's Verse: And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. ~Luke 5:6 Commercial fishing is perhaps one of the hardest and most demanding occupations in the world. This kind of fishing is done mainly at night, when it is dark and cold. It is rewarding work when the evening catch is very good, with nets full of fish, and very disappointing when the catch is dismal. Cleaning the nets and the boat is a daily necessity to be ready

Today's Verse: A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. ~Proverbs 15:1 Publius once wisely said, “I have often regretted my speech, but never my silence.” I think all of us can think of one or more instances when we answered or reacted too quickly to something said to us, and later regretted that we spoke too soon. Solomon said in a later proverb, “a fool uttereth all his mind.” This morning, let us examine the virtue of a soft answer. We see a

Today's Verse: As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, ~1 Timothy 1:3 The book of 1 Timothy is one of the three pastoral epistles. Paul wrote this letter to a young pastor he trained and mentored. He starts off this letter to Timothy by telling him to stay at Ephesus where he was pastoring and to deal with issues that as a pastor he needed to address in the church. One of thes

Today's Verse: And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ~Luke 4:1 One of my dreams during my lifetime is that someone would develop an automobile that would have unlimited capability for driving without needing fuel or maintenance. Of course, if something like this was developed, it would be incredibly expensive given it would change the way the automobile industry does business. In our devotion this morning,

Today's Verse: Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. ~Ezra 1:3 New housing construction statistics are vitally important in gauging our economy’s growth and health. Booming housing construction indicates strong consumer spending and confidence in the future. I have had the privilege of seeing my church go through t

Today's Verse: Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. ~Numbers 25:11 This morning, our attention and focus is on the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron. His name is Phinehas. His name means “the face of trust.” He is noteworthy for being righteous and doing the right thing at the right time.

Today's Verse: But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. ~Philippians 2:22 Yesterday we looked at John Mark and his mentoring by Peter. This morning we are looking at Paul and his mentoring of Timothy. The principle of spiritual mentoring is given to us in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Today's Verse: The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. ~1 Peter 5:13 When we introduce or refer to family members, we typically refer to their relationship to us with descriptions as “my wife,” “my husband,” “my daughter,” or “my son.” Peter referred to a special relationship that he had with a young man he took under his wings. John Mark, or Marcus, is referred to as Peter’s spiritual son in the faith. We se

Today's Verse: And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign. ~Numbers 26:9-10 Are you good at reading the signs when d

Today's Verse: Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. ~Hebrews 13:13 The camp in the Old Testament was the sanctuary area where there were altars for burning sacrifices and incense. There was the brazen altar where blood sacrifices were made. Then, there was the golden altar where incense was burned in the morning and evening, representing the prayers of God’s people. The bodies of the animals offered as a sin offering had to be taken outs

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: 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: 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: 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