Today's Verse: And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. ~John 19:38 The Bible records for us three Joseph's. There is Joseph, who was the son of Jacob and who rose to prominence as the man who helped to save Egypt from a seven-year famine. There is Joseph, who was the husband of Mary and

Today's Verse: And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: ~Joshua 17:17 As Christians, we know the importance of being content. Contentment is when we are satisfied with everything in our life, good or bad, and give God the glory for what He has entrusted to us. However, there are times when we should be stirred in our hearts and in our determination to d

Today's Verse: So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. ~1 Kings 19:19 Among the many topics the Bible addresses, one of the important ones is leadership succession. Leadership succession is when the leader of a ministry carefully selects and develops his eventual replacement. Leadership succession is critical for making sur

Today's Verse: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. ~Ecclesiastes 10:1 Flies! I do not like flies. They have to be among the most annoying pests. Living flies are bad. Dead flies are just as bad. Back in Solomon’s day, a container of special ointment was very precious. People would leave the containers open to allow the sweet-smelling aroma to fill the air in t

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: Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. ~Acts 14:20 Roy Riegels played for the University of California, Berkeley's football team from 1927–1929. Cal played against Georgia Tech in the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl. Roy is remembered as the player who picked up a fumble but unknowingly ran the ball back to his team’s goal line. The Cal quarterback, Benny Lom, chased h

Today's Verse: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. ~Romans 8:15 One of the blessed privileges of salvation is our spiritual adoption into God’s family. Spiritual adoption brings us into immediate and close fellowship with God as our heavenly Father. It gives us all of the same privileges as being a direct descendant. It is enjoying God as our Father Who is in Heaven. Ther

Today's Verse: So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. ~Jonah 4:5 A western idiom that we use is the term “sitting duck.” This is a way of saying that a person is vulnerable to attack or other sources of danger. The term comes from hunting, where it is much easier to hit ducks when they are sitting on the water than when they are in fligh

Today's Verse: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ~Romans 8:6 Every believer has two natures. There is the old man, which represents our carnal, sinful nature. This nature lives to please its appetite and fleshly desires. The other nature is the new man in Christ, which is the Spirit life. The first is known as the carnal man. The second is known as the spiritual man. Paul describes the carnal mind, which only thinks about th

Today's Verse: And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. ~2 Samuel 9:7 It is very special to sit at the table with dignity. It is very humbling when someone of great prominence and importance invites me to sit at his table with him. His table is preeminent of all the tables in the room. Everyone watches the he

Today's Verse: And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. ~1 Kings 19:3 Fear is when we are afraid of someone or something that we think will cause serious harm to us. Fear will quickly take over every aspect of our life. Fear is the opposite of faith. Everyone has a fear that can overcome them. I believe that fear is one of the devil’s biggest lies that he uses to sideline us from the

Today's Verse: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: ~1 Peter 2:21 Has anyone ever said to you, “That’s a step in the right direction”? It’s a way of saying that you are headed on the right path, that you are making progress, and that you are going forward and not backwards. Our sinful nature tends to reject and go against what is right. When we decide to follow the Lord Jesus in every

Today's Verse: For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, ~Psalm 95:7 One of the blessed metaphors that the Bible uses to describe our relationship to God is that of a shepherd and his sheep. Shepherding is one of the most arduous occupations. It is a very demanding work that is 24/7 in nature. A shepherd must be vigilant at all times. A shepherd must be concerned for the entire flock, and especially

Today's Verse: For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ~Ephesians 3:1-2 Have you ever been stuck in really bad traffic? This can be very frustrating and draining on your energy. Have you ever been stuck in a problem that made you feel bound and shackled with little certainty of getting out? Paul was in prison bound to two Roman soldiers. He referred to himse

Today's Verse: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: ~1 Peter 3:15 Many times people have questions about the Bible and the Christian life. They might hear something said in the pastor’s message that they did not completely understand. In order to help someone get a good grasp on a subject, you allow them to ask questions. This enables them to o

Today's Verse: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. ~Psalm 92:10 Oil is a necessity of life. It is used for medicinal purposes. It is used to provide relief during the intense heat of the day. It is used for cooking. It was also used to indicate the approval of God upon a new king or a prophet of God. Oil is made by applying strong pressure to olives until all the oil has been extracted. Many olives must be crushed to

Today's Verse: And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. ~1 Kings 18:30 When you are in major trouble, you are relieved to get out of it. We refer to this as "getting out of a fix." The word "fix" also has the idea of repairing and restoring. King Ahab made an unholy alliance when he married Jezebel of Zidon. Through her influence, Baal worship permeated the land

Today's Verse: As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool. ~Proverbs 26:1 A con man is a cheater who is deceitful and fraudulent. He takes advantage of other people for his personal gain. Proverbs 26 speaks to us about three types of con men. There is the conceited man who is proud and full of himself. There is the contemptuous man who despises God, goodness, and righteousness. There is the contentious man who is a troublemaker. Each of the

Today's Verse: And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. ~Judges 7:4 Has anyone ever told you that you have “too much” or “too many”? “Too many” implies more than necessary or more than is required. The Isr

Today's Verse: Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! ~Amos 6:1 I love the ministry and serving the Lord. The role that I serve in involves a multiplicity of tasks, responsibilities, and many people who need to be ministered to. The fast pace and large workload require me to be highly inspired and on the edge when it comes to completing tasks. I purposely try to plan a