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: They were as fed horses in the morning: ~Jeremiah 5:8a As we read the Word of God, we find the Lord using many colorful images to describe a situation. Since the people who lived during the time the Bible was written lived in an agrarian society, the Lord used real-life examples to more powerfully convey the message He was trying to get across. An example of this is the frequent usage of sowing and reaping, or sheep and a shepherd. In our study this morning, t

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 redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; ~Psalm 103:4 Mercy is pity and undeserved favor given to someone who is in trouble. When someone is tried in a court of law and found guilty, he desires the mercy of the court and the judge. Mercy extended to a condemned man exonerates him from the charges he has been found guilty of. One of God’s great attributes is His mercy. The psalmist used the phrase “tende

Today's Verse: And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. ~Numbers 28:3 The nation of Israel was commanded to observe various offerings and ceremonies as part of their spiritual relationship with God. Each of these offerings and ceremonies was designed to keep them conscious of and committed in their relationship to God. This morning,

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: 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, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. ~Luke 1:20 Being tongue-tied is when you are speechless and do not have the words to say what you want, perhaps out of shyness or embarrassment. This morning, we are considering a man who was “tongue-tied” because he did not believe the word of the Lord and was unable to speak

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: 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: 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: 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: …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