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: Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise. ~Nehemiah 5:13 Dictionary.com defines integrity as our adherence to moral and ethical principles. It refers to the soundness of our moral character. Another way of looking at it is, are you

Today's Verse: And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. ~Genesis 34:30 Years ago, I purchased a clip-on air freshener for my car, thinking it would add a pleasant fragrance to the interior. However, the extremely hot temperatures combine

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: Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. ~Psalm 147:1 Psalm 147 is a psalm that calls all of us to praise the Lord. Praise is a response to God’s goodness: we are to speak with praises, but we are to also sing with praises. Then, he says that praise is pleasant and comely. The word “comely” means “beautiful.” The question we must ask is, “Is my praise comely?” Let us see what comely praise is.

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: For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. ~Proverbs 4:2 Proverbs 4 is the instruction of a father to his son. I believe it is a good pattern for parents to follow for the training and instruction of their children. As parents, we must have the conviction that we never cease from being teachers of good things to our children, grandchildren, and future descendants. A father’s instruction is classified as good doctrine. Doctrine is what we believe and

Today's Verse: The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. ~3 John 1:1 The entire epistle of 3 John is written to a man whose name means “lord.” I get the sense that his parents gave him such a name because they envisioned him having strong influence among people as he matured and became a man. This man’s name is Gaius. In the opening verses, John makes some very favorable statements about Gaius that are an inspiration for our life this morning. We see

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: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ~2 Corinthians 12:9 The word “sufficient” means “adequate,” “enough,” and “a perfect fit.” The Greek word for “sufficient” is used fourteen times in the New Testament and is also translated as “contented.” God says, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” In an age

Today's Verse: And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. ~Mark 15:21 Weightlifting is a very good exercise for building endurance and muscle mass and for toning. It is helpful for your cardiovascular system as well. Athletes who are serious weightlifters can transform their bodies into muscular sensations. In effect, it changes a person outwardly and makes him look like a different man

Today's Verse: My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. ~Proverbs 3:11-12 An important aspect of raising children is the necessity of chastening or discipline. Chastening is exercised to correct bad and improper behavior in children. In Ephesians 6:4, parents are commanded to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The wor

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