Today’s Verse: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. ~Ephesians 4:30 Grief is an unbearable sorrow due to a loss, disappointment, or adversity. Grief produces sadness, heaviness of heart, and many tears. Grief can lead us into a state of inactivity and ineffectiveness until we have recovered. In some cases, grief results in such heartache that the person grieving can even die from it. This morning, we want to consider how the

Today’s Verse: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, ~Jude 20 Perhaps, the one area of the Christian life that most people struggle with is in the area of prayer. Finding time to pray, knowing how to pray, being consistent in praying, and seeing answers to our prayers can be a struggle for some Christians. Maybe you have read Jude 20 many times and have asked the question, “What does it mean to pray in the Holy Ghost?” The

Today’s Verse: And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ~Luke 4:1 Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.” [Source unknown]

Today’s Verse: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ~Genesis 2:7 Breathing is a vital and necessary part of life for us. We inhale air so that we can take in oxygen. We exhale air so that carbon dioxide is released out of us. Breathing is a necessity for living. When CPR is administered to someone unconscious, we seek to breathe air into their lungs to restore their breathing. W

Today’s Verse: As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. ~Acts 13:2 One of our greatest needs as Christians is to discern when the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come as our Comforter and our Teacher (John 14:26). As our Teacher, He teaches us all things, is truth, and is no lie (1 John 2:27). In Acts 8:29, the Spirit told Philip to go near and

Today’s Verse: And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. ~Ezekiel 37:3 As a kid, I was very skinny and thin. My uncles and aunts used to tell me that I needed to eat more because I was “too bony.” Telling someone that they are bony is not considered polite. However, it does describe someone who appears to be physically declining, malnourished, emaciated, and, even, near death. In our passage this morning, Ezekiel is taken

Today’s Verse: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ~Galatians 6:2 Many years ago, Rescue Journal retold the story of an American who was walking down the streets of a Chinese city and who was greatly interested in the children, many of whom were carrying smaller children upon their backs and managing, at the same time, to play their games, says a writer in the Youth's Companion. "It is too bad," the American sympathetically said to one little fello

Today’s Verse: Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. ~Acts 8:29 Glue is a sticky substance that we use to bond two objects together. They might be pieces of paper. Super Glue® has a special bonding material that can bond denser, heavier objects. Philip the Evangelist was told to go near and join himself with a man in the Gaza desert who was reading Isaiah 53 and wanted to know how to be saved. Let us see how the instruction given to Phil

Today’s Verse: This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ~Galatians 5:16 Liberty refers to being set free from bondage. Christian liberty is the freedom that we have from the bondage of the law. The law in itself is not bad since it is our schoolmaster, pointing us to Christ. However, once we are in Christ, we are not bound by traditions of men, but we walk in the liberty that we have in Jesus. Paul reminds us that we are not to use o

Today’s Verse: The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? ~Isaiah 33:14 What image comes to your mind when you read of a devouring fire? I think of a fire that burns up everything in its path: a fire that is strong, unstoppable, and growing. Isaiah asked two questions:“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell w

Today’s Verse: And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. ~Genesis 24:63 Camels are widely mentioned in the Bible. We find camels mentioned 59 times in the Bible, and eighteen of these mentions are in Genesis 24. Jesus used camels as analogies in His teaching. They were a symbol of a man’s wealth. They were a useful means of transportation. Their coarse skin and hair was worn as clothin

Today’s Verse: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. ~John 16:7 Our Lord Jesus Christ gave a wonderful name to describe the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The name parakletos means the one who comes to my side. Someone who comes to the side of another is a companion who brings comfort, encouragement, counsel, and closeness. The H

Today’s Verse: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ~Romans 8:1 In criminal law, a man found guilty of a crime must be punished. The severity of the crime dictates the severity of the punishment. A capital crime, such as a murder, places the guilty individual under the penalty of condemnation, which can be the death penalty. Being a condemned person is very serious and sad. However, if th

Today’s Verse: Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. ~Zechariah 10:1 Jesus defined prayer as simply asking God. "Ask, and ye shall receive." Dr. John R. Rice authored a book entitled Prayer: Asking and Receiving on how to get our prayers answered by God. Unanswered prayer is because we do not ask God. “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” When we ask, we must a

Today’s Verse: ... And the smoking flax shall he not quench:... ~Isaiah 42:3b If you study the Bible very carefully, you will realize that it is rich in content on many daily, common subjects. Among the many things of interest are the many plant varieties that were used for food or fuel. Flax is a plant known for its fibrous composition. It has many nutritious qualities and is most famous for its seeds that are very good for digestive and heart health. The flax plant, when dr

Today’s Verse: For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. ~Lamentations 1:16 Comfort is what we all need when tragedy or unexpected circumstances come into our life. Spurgeon is quoted as saying, “Troubled one, you will enjoy calm yet.” That was his way of saying that comfort is on the way. Another quote of his is, “The night shall

Today’s Verse: And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ~Matthew 25:8 Oil in the Bible was a necessary commodity of life. Since olives were abundant, olive oil was processed for many uses. It was used for cooking. It was applied to the skin to give moisture in the hot and humid climate. It was used to anoint kings. It was fuel for keeping a lamp burning for lighting at night. Oil had many practical uses. Oil is also a symbol of the