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: As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him. ~Proverbs 10:26 Apple cider vinegar is touted as a natural way to help you in many ways. It is said to alleviate gout, lower blood sugar levels, and decrease risk of diabetes, lower cholesterol levels, and assist with weight loss. However, one of the side effects that a user must be careful of is its effects on the enamel of your teeth. Apple cider vinegar is acidic an

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: 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