Today's Verse: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; ~Hebrews 1:3 A few years ago, one of my neighbors negotiated a very good deal to install solar panels on his house. He did a thorough comparison of vendors to arrive at his decision. We do comparisons to make sure we get the best value for our mo

Today's Verse: What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? ~Ezekiel 18:2 I enjoy eating grapes, especially when they are firm, crunchy, and sweet. My favorite grapes are black and red. Sour grapes can be a challenge to eat unless you like sour flavors. Generally speaking, sour grapes have not ripened long enough on the vine to allow the sweetness to develop. The Lo

Today's Verse: For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. ~Psalm 22:16 The story is told of a boy who was trapped by a fire on the second floor of his house. The rest of his family had perished in the fire. A man, seeing the boy’s desperate situation, climbed his way into the boy’s bedroom by way of a metal pipe attached all the way to the roof of the house. The man was successful in reaching and rescuing the b

Today's Verse: For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. ~2 Corinthians 1:20 The word “yea” is a word of affirmation. It can mean a vote of approval or simply “yes.” Sometimes this idea is conveyed by phrases such as “right on” or “most assuredly.” Whatever the case may be, it is a word that tells us, “It is alright” or “OK.” This word is used to describe our Lord Jesus Christ and the promises of God in Him. This morning, let

Today's Verse: Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. ~Acts 26:28 The word "almost" describes a near decision or event. When the terrorist attacks on four of our commercial airplanes occurred on September 11, 2001, there were people who almost took those flights, but did not. There were some people who had planned to enter the World Trade Towers that morning for work or other reasons, and did not. For these people, they probably are living

Today's Verse: The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17 Zephaniah 3:17 is an incredibly encouraging verse of Scripture. It was a word of comfort and promise given to God’s people during a dark moment of affliction and suffering. In our darkest moments, God never fails to come alongside of us when we need Him and give us words of encouragement

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