Today's Verse: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ~1 John 2:1 Advocacy work is the work of a person or group representing another person in a legal matter. The advocate stands in the place of the person in need, fully represents him, and makes a compelling argument for his benefit. A successful advocate is a champion defender. He has an unmatched win-loss re

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: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ~1 John 4:4 One of the most successful companies in the athletic shoe and clothing business is Nike. They have had a great marketing strategy of signing up the most talented athletes to endorse and help brand their merchandise. The Nike stores are very innovative and enticing in drawing loyal customers to their products. The name “Nike” i

Today's Verse: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ~2 Corinthians 3:17 Today marks the celebration of America’s declaration of independence from the oppression of Great Britain. It marks the date when America established the charter that described our freedom and liberty. Today, America is 250 years old as a nation. Leading to this great declaration were the valiant proclamations of men like Patrick Henry. It was Mr. Henry who

Today's Verse: By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. ~Hebrews 7:22 The Bible uses some words that have financial and legal meaning. The word imputation is a financial word that means to put a debt on the account of another person. Our sin debt was placed on Jesus. The word justification means God looks at us just as if we never sinned. In a legal sense that meaning is similar to the word expunge. Expunge means to clear the criminal record of someone so th

Today's Verse: Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ~Judges 6:24 “Shalom” is the Hebrew word for “peace.” Jewish people greet one another with the expression “shalom.” Most people desire peace. They want to be at peace with other people. They want peace in their sleep. They want peace instead of worry. They want peace and safety in their neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and the wor

Today's Verse: Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; ~Psalm 114:7 The words "tremble" and "trembling" are found 78 times in the English King James Version of the Bible. These words are associated with being moved with awe, respect, and fear. They mean to shake and shiver within. When we are very cold or our body temperature drops below normal, we tend to shiver. When we have been terribly frightened or traumatized by a serious

Today's Verse: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. ~Acts 16:14 Lydia is one of many special women whom God used in a great way. Her name means “travail,” which implies hardship and difficulty. She was a successful businesswoman from Thyatira. She thrived in the mercantile business selling purple garments. However,

Today's Verse: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. ~Ephesians 2:13 One of the great doctrines of the Bible is the efficacious power of the blood of Christ. When we read through the Bible, it is so clear that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. Take away the shed blood of Christ, and our salvation is incomplete and insufficient. Let us see this morning the power in the blood of Christ. We see

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: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. ~Romans 10:4 Prior to Christ dying on the cross for our sins, every Jew atoned for his sins according to the law that God gave through Moses. Once a year, the Jewish high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of an unblemished lamb and would sprinkle it on the mercy seat. The sprinkling of the blood provided remission for the sins of the entire nation. The law came t

Today's Verse: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. ~1 Corinthians 1:18 God has ordained that the ministry of preaching is how His Word is to be communicated to the masses. The Corinthian believers fell into the error of “hero worship” and became divisive over whom they followed and listened to. They made the mistake of being attracted to “preaching styles” instead of being “preaching submissiv

Today's Verse: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: ~1 Corinthians 2:7 Years ago, I spoke with a man about a unique service that he had to offer. He stated that his service was proprietary in nature. What he meant was that he owned it and had exclusive access to it. In a sense, he was saying that he had privileged information. This morning, we are considering “privileged information.” Paul re

Today's Verse: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city.... ~Isaiah 52:1a When I am at home, I like to change into clothing that is comfortable for work, exercise, or relaxing around the house. However, when Sunday comes, I like to wear my “Sunday best.” This includes a pressed white shirt, a pressed dark suit, a necktie, and black-shined shoes. I think this would qualify as what is referred to as “beautiful garment

Today's Verse: And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. ~Luke 24:31 Have you ever gone shopping and could not find the item you were looking for? You were in the aisle and searching the shelves for a particular item, but you could not locate it. Then, a sales associate came along to point it out to you, and you said, “How did I miss it? It was right in front of my eyes!” Jesus appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to E

Today's Verse: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ~John 11:25 The word "Easter" is found once in the Bible, and it is the word “paschal,” from which we get "Passover." Easter refers to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” In this one sentence, Jesus powerfully

Today's Verse: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ~Philippians 3:10 If you ever see a police chase after a speeding vehicle or a criminal trying to run from being arrested, the police are said to be in hot pursuit of the perpetrator. To be in hot pursuit means to give all of your attention and focus on that one thing. In his epistles, Paul has given us great explanation of the

Today's Verse: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ~John 11:25 The entertainment industry has mesmerized America with the concept of dead people coming back to life as zombies that terrorize communities. It is an accepted fact that once all life activity in a person ceases, that person is dead. When there is a death, it is accepted that the deceased is gone from this life. When Lazarus di

Today's Verse: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. ~1 John 5:13 The greatest fear of some believers, who are not well grounded in God’s Word, is the matter of their eternal security. Every now and then, someone will confide in me that they struggle with whether they are really saved. This morning, we are considering the important ma

Today's Verse: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: ~Galatians 3:13 A curse is a misfortune or evil that befalls a person or a group. The Kennedy clan is said to have a curse on them. Among the many tragedies this family experienced were the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy by assassination. John F. Kennedy, Jr. died in an airplane accident. A curse is an evil