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

Today's Verse: So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. ~Nehemiah 4:6 Determination is the sheer drive, tenacity, and willpower to accomplish a deed or task. It is when a person says, “I will get it done.” Determination is when you put your mind to the task and get it done. This morning, let us see how determination is a key factor in getting great things done. We see the conviction. In spite of

Today's Verse: And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; ~Luke 2:36 One of the marvels about the grace of God is that it is God’s strength made perfect in weakness. As we get older, the reality is that we start to slow down and our health starts to decline. We have less energy and become weaker. As many people age, they use their slowing-down and w

Today's Verse: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ~Revelation 2:2 Revelation 2:1-7 is the record of a letter that the Lord had the Apostle John write to the church at Ephesus. God loves His churches, and He wants every local church and its members to have a long-term and deeply rooted impact where it is planted. The L

Today's Verse: By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. ~Hebrews 11:29 According to Wikipedia, the Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. It borders six countries. This salty sea is just over 190 miles across at its widest point and about 1,200 miles in length. There's a measured maximum depth of 8,200 feet and an estimated average depth of 1,640 feet. Needless to say, i

Today's Verse: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. ~Luke 1:17 A man of the hour is a man who has a special purpose and function. He is unique, influential, and one-of-a-kind. John the Baptist was God’s man for the hour. The prophets Isaiah and Malachi foretold of John and the unique ministry God had for him.

Today's Verse: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. ~2 John 1:8 I am thankful for people who serve as an extra set of eyes for me. These are people who assist me in making sure we have left no stone unturned, covered all of our bases, and seen what I cannot see in my blind spots. The Apostle John was writing to “the elect lady and her children.” Some believe this was addressed to a lady and her children i

Today's Verse: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ~2 Peter 1:4 A promise is an oath or a word of commitment for an action to be accomplished. I think of marriage vows where the groom and bride promise to be faithful and remain at each other’s side. The Bible is a book that contains the promises of God. Peter described them a

Today's Verse: Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? ~Genesis 31:27 Have you ever driven on a freeway and accidentally taken the wrong exit? If you have, you might have felt anxious and frustrated. Fortunately, in this day of advanced GPS technology, we can quickly get our bearings corrected and be back on our way to our desired destinati

Today's Verse: And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. ~Nehemiah 2:12 Nehemiah took on the risky project to rebuild the broken walls and burned down gates of Jerusalem. These walls and gates had been unattended for more than seventy years. The people who returned after the captivity got used to seeing the rubbish, deca

Today's Verse: And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. ~Exodus 8:9-10 Are you someone who tends to put things off? Do you have a difficult time making decisions? Are you a procrast