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: Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. ~Nehemiah 9:20 God has given every believer many remarkable gifts that we are not worthy of. James 1:17 tells us that the gifts of God are fail-safe. They are perfect and from above; they are favorable and good; they are fatherly and from God our Father, Who gives us His best. One of the supernatural gifts we overlook is th

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: And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. ~Mark 11:2 When I travel in a vehicle, I generally like to be the driver. When you are in the driver’s seat, you are the one who is leading and in control. Jesus told the disciples to look for a colt whereon never a man sat. Let us see this morning why it is imperative that the Lor

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: Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. ~Haggai 1:5-6 The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the country to live in. Many people work long hours in their primary employment, and many ot

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: And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. ~Acts 22:21 Travel advisors make it their responsibility to encourage travelers to include certain countries on their travel bucket lists. The factors contributing to this recommendation include attractions, things to do, hotels and resorts, food, and safety. God has a travel bucket list for those to whom He gives a specific calling to serve Him as a missionary on foreign soil. Let

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: But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. ~2 Kings 11:2 Are you in possession of a hidden asset? By this, I mean, do you have something very useful, meaningful, and profitable that benefits you or other people? Athaliah was engaged in a violent campaign

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: 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: Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. ~Psalm 37:1 Dealing with people can be a blessing. It can also be a trying experience as some personalities choose to be adversarial, annoying, contentious, disloyal, undermining, or difficult to work with. Some types of personalities can just get under your skin. In other words, they test your patience and lead to fretting on our part. Three times in the opening ve

Today's Verse: Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, ~2 Thessalonians 2:16 In 2 Thessalonians 1-2, Paul gives us prophetical insight on things to come. He tells us about a faithful removal (the rapture of the Christians and the removal of the Holy Spirit), a false representative (the Antichrist of the Great Tribulation), and a forsaken remnant (people who hear t

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: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? ~Genesis 25:32 Every summer, the NBA will be in the midst of players declaring their free agency status and teams making trades to clear up room in their salary cap. Teams will be making trades to strengthen their position and make them championship contenders. Every team strives to make a trade that is profitable and not one that they will regret. This morning, we

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