Today’s Verse: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) ~Ephesians 2:4-5 The song writer wrote: “Oh, what love that He should die for me; saving grace, thus to supply for me. Oh, what love; Oh, what love, what great love. Evermore I’ll sing it, Oh, what love!” Our Scripture this morning celebrates the love of God which drew salvation’s plan and save

Today’s Verse: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9 This morning, we are considering one of the great promises of the Bible. Bible promises are also Bible truths and absolutes. It is the promise that God is longsuffering, that is, incredibly patient, towards the entire human race that all would hear the glorious gospel

Today’s Verse: The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. ~Proverbs 18:10 One of the most famous towers in the world is the Eiffel Tower. Standing at 1,063 feet tall, it is an architectural icon of Paris, France. It is the most visited tower in the world. It stands upright as a symbol of strength and the French culture. Towers in the Bible were not constructed so much as an icon but as places of refuge whenever a city was under attack.

Today’s Verse: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? ~Psalm 22:1 Psalm 22, 23, and 24 are a trilogy of psalms that are known as the Shepherd Psalms. In Psalm 22, we see Jesus as the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for His sheep. In Psalm 23, Jesus is referred to as the Great Shepherd Who cares for and leads His sheep. In Psalm 24, Jesus is referred to as the Chief Shepherd of the sheep. In Psalm

Today’s Verse: Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. ~Numbers 25:11 Someone who saves the day either prevents or stops a major misfortune or problem from happening or continuing. He is heroic. He is one of a kind. He is someone who, by his action and involvement, saves many people from a terrible fa

Today’s Verse: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. ~Luke 23:43 The Garden Isle of Kauai is called “paradise” by vacation experts. Paradise brings to the mind a place of blissful beauty, a tropical garden setting, peace, safety, and an irresistible haven of rest. The ancient Persians described paradise as a shady, well-watered hunting reserve with enclosed walls where animals were kept for hunting. Paradise is also synonym

Today’s Verse: And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him. ~Numbers 7:89 Mercy is sympathy exercised towards someone who is under fire for a crime. It is compassionate forbearance shown toward an offender or enemy. It is the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or

Today’s Verse: And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. ~Mark 5:15 Are you someone who has a sound mind? This means that your thoughts and passions are under control. It implies the idea of being sober-minded, sane, and in the right frame of mind. This morning, we see a man who is sitting next to Jesus who is described as being in his right mind. Let us see wha

Today’s Verse: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ~ Colossians 1:18 Sometimes, in the busyness of everything that we do, we forget Who Jesus really is. As a preacher, I preach and talk about Jesus. When I sit in a service where there is another preacher, I listen to messages about Jesus. When we serve, we know that we are serving Jesus. When we pray, we are praying th

Today’s Verse: Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. ~Isaiah 30:29 The Assyrians were the mighty world power during the days of King Ahaz. Israel would be overtaken by them. King Ahaz made an alliance with them, only to have them turn against him and Judah. The Lord intervened and delivered Ahaz and Judah. In is deliverance, G

Today’s Verse: But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. ~Hebrews 6:9 A really good coach teaches, disciplines, and inspires. He patiently takes the time to help an individual achieve and excel in academics, artistry, sports, or a vocation. He is persuaded that his protégé can do more, go further, and attain new breakthroughs. Paul told believers who were struggling in their faith, “We are persuaded better

Today’s Verse: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ~Luke 23:42 One of the hymns we sing as Christians is “At the Cross.” The chorus says, “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.” This morning, we see the dramatic salvation of a man who was not only at the cross, but on a cross. We see the condemned. This man

Today’s Verse: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: ~Genesis 19:12 It is said, “Statements accuse, but questions convict.” In Genesis 19:12, we see one of these convicting questions. It was asked of a man who got his roots settled in too deep in the city in which he lived, and he now faced the prospect of losing everything, including his family. T

Today’s Verse: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. ~Genesis 15:1 The Bible has many wonderful lessons for us about the faith of Abraham. He was strong in faith, not doubting the promises. The greatness of Abraham’s faith was because it was in the most high God. What made Abraham a great believer, great in faith, great in prayer, and great in his testimony was the simple

Today’s Verse: Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ~Romans 10:1 The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The desires of our heart are the people or things we are most passionate about. They are what occupies our thoughts. It is that which we wish to impact through our efforts. Paul laid bare his heart to his friends at Rome in letting them know how much he loved the souls of the peo

Today’s Verse: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9 This morning, we are considering one of the great promises of the Bible. Bible promises are also Bible truths and absolutes. It is the promise that God is longsuffering; that is, He is incredibly patient towards the entire human race, so that all would hear the glorio

Today’s Verse: And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. ~Joshua 2:21 The Oxford dictionary defines a “lifeline” as "a thing on which someone or something depends or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation." For someone trapped on an upper floor of a building on fire, a lifeline is vital to his rescue. For someone who is trying to escape being captured or hurt

Today’s Verse: And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. ~Luke 19:5 One of the favorite Bible accounts for both young and old is how Zacchaeus came to Jesus. The salvation of Zacchaeus led to Jesus stating His ministry purpose when He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” While he is a great lesson on a sinner getting saved, Z

Today’s Verse: Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. ~1 Peter 1:21 First Peter 1 is a very encouraging chapter about our salvation in Jesus Christ. We sometimes take for granted all that is involved in our salvation. In vv. 18-25, we see the work FOR salvation, the work IN salvation, and the work THROUGH salvation. We see the blood. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corr

Today’s Verse: Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: ~1 Peter 1:6 One of my favorite words in the Bible is “rejoice.” It means "joy elevated to a higher level." In Matthew 5:12, it means to be “exceeding glad,” Peter says that is it is “exceeding joy.” The idea of rejoicing implies we have a joy that is abundant, beyond description, and overflowing. Peter said that the believers he wrote to greatly r