Today’s Verse: And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. ~Luke 2:45-46 Have you ever seen those poster signs entitled “Missing Child”? They typically have a picture and description of the child and the last time he was seen. You can only imagine the fear and anxiety in the hearts of the

Today’s Verse: Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. ~John 13:8 In Jesus' time, foot washing was a common and acceptable act of courtesy and kindness towards any guest that entered a home. A servant in the home was assigned the task of washing the feet. This was also a good hygiene practice since the people wore sandals and the roads were typically dusty, dirty, and strewn with garbage and anima

Today’s Verse: Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. ~Luke 22:54 When learning to drive an automobile, the driving instructor will caution every student driver to watch his distance. By this, it means that the driver should not drive so close to the car in front of him that he could accidentally rear-end the other driver. It is a saying that is meant for safety. This morning, we want to apply this thought o

Today’s Verse: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. ~Psalm 42:1 Have you ever been without water to drink for a very long, extended period of time? Have you ever experienced the feeling of dryness of throat, parched lips, a swollen tongue, and the physical languishing of being thirsty? If you have, you will empathize with the psalmist. The psalmist speaks of being thirsty, but in a spiritual sense. He describes for us what it is li

Today’s Verse: I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. ~Psalm 119:63 Ben Franklin said, “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.” Aristotle the philosopher said, “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” The phrase “on the same page” refers to a very close friendship among people who have common objectives and desires. It refers to a friendship bond that exists because of mutual commonalities including beliefs, pr

Today’s Verse: Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. ~Song of Solomon 5:1b Are you someone who enjoys eating at buffet restaurants? Buffet restaurants have a large variety of food, desserts, and drinks that you can choose from. Basically, you pay one price and eat as much as you want of anything. There is no limit on the amount that you can eat. Some people who have incredibly voracious appetites get more than their money's worth at a buffet restaurant. I t

Today’s Verse: And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. ~Luke 2:45-46 Have you ever seen those poster signs entitled “Missing Child”? They typically have a picture and description of the child and the last time that they were seen. You can only imagine the fear and anxiety in the heart

Today’s Verse: And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: ~Ruth 1:16 When we consider the woman named Ruth, she represents some of the finest features of Christian virtue, transparency, and loyalty found in Scripture. This morning, we are considering the characteristics that demonstrated that she was tried and tr

Today’s Verse: For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. ~Jeremiah 2:13 In our modern-day world, we are blessed that water fountains can be found in most public locations. These fountains provide us water so that we can quench our thirst and maintain our hydration while we are out and about. All of us understand that water is necessary for life. Without wat

Today’s Verse: And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. ~Joshua 3:13 Getting your feet wet is a way of saying that you are experiencing something new. It is doing something that you have not done before, but you are willing to do i

Today’s Verse: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:25 When Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, indoor in person worship was deemed a risk in spreading the disease and this type of service was banned. After several weeks of non-indoor in person assembly, at the prodding of Christian leaders our President publicly declared that church is essential.

Today’s Verse: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ~Isaiah 41:10 At least once in our life, we will face a problem or trouble that looks so overwhelming that we will panic and lose faith in everyone, including God. Fear brings torment. God knows this about us and gives us today’s verse to encourage us about five truths on how to dea

Today’s Verse: And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: ~Genesis 45:10 One of the most touching stories in the Bible is when Joseph is reunited with his brothers and father. It is a beautiful and powerful picture of the unfolding of God’s plan for us after we get saved. Getting saved is when we are reconciled to God. Being saved is abo

Today’s Verse: Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. ~Hosea 10:1 What a colorful image our Scripture places in our thoughts this morning. An empty vine is one that does not bring forth its fruit in its season. It is planted and watered, but it has no fruit on it. An empty vine does not produce what it was planted to

Today’s Verse: And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. ~Galatians 2:9 The shaking of hands between two individuals is a socially-accepted recognition in almost all societies. The right hand indicates strength and favor. Shaking hands is a gesture of welcome and acceptance of another pers

Today’s Verse: …Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. ~Song of Solomon 5:1b Are you someone who enjoys eating at buffet restaurants? Buffet restaurants have a large variety of food, dessert, and drinking items that you can choose from. Basically, you pay one price and eat as much as you want of anything. There is no limit on the amount that you can eat. There are some people who have incredibly voracious appetites and get more than their money’s worth at a

Today’s Verse: … I sought him, but I found him not. ~Song of Solomon 3:2b Recently, I had the privilege to be part of a panel of pastors that were interviewed about current topics. I left later that afternoon to return home to the Bay Area. About two hours into my drive back, one of the secretaries at the host church called me and said, “Brother Fong, we found an iPad that was left behind. Is this yours?” My iPad has the majority of my sermons that I have preached over the la

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 a dignitary. 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

Today’s Verse: Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. ~John 21:12 It is a blessing and privilege when someone invites you to their home for a meal, or to a banquet celebration. The hosts go to great effort and expense in making this meal event something special and enjoyable. In our Western tradition of making invitations, the invited guest is asked to respond with an RSVP. This helps the host

Today’s Verse: Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. ~Isaiah 62:4 The word “forsaken” is very ominous and carries with it feelings of darkness and despair. It has the meaning of being abandoned, deserted, and rejected. To be forsaken is to be at a very dark and lonely place in life. The Jews had become so