Today's Verse: And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. ~Acts 23:10 Do you sometimes feel like you have so many things competing for your attention or time that you almost feel like you are being pulled apart? If you have had this experience, it is a very uncomfortable and stressful feel

Today's Verse: Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. ~Haggai 1:5-6 The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the country to live in. Many people work long hours in their primary employment, and many ot

Today's Verse: And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. ~2 Kings 13:18 One of the greatest virtues we need in our lives is the virtue of persistence. Persistence is staying at something for a long time. It is not throwing in the towel and giving up early. It is staying in the race even if you are in agony. It is doing what you do with maximum effort until it is complete. Spurg

Today's Verse: And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. ~Acts 22:21 Travel advisors make it their responsibility to encourage travelers to include certain countries on their travel bucket lists. The factors contributing to this recommendation include attractions, things to do, hotels and resorts, food, and safety. God has a travel bucket list for those to whom He gives a specific calling to serve Him as a missionary on foreign soil. Let

Today's Verse: So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. ~Ezekiel 33:7 Have you ever had a neighbor ask you to watch their house while they were away? If so, they had an expectation that you would be observant of any suspicious activity and that you would help circumvent problems by getting law enforcement involved. On the other hand, if something happened when you were s

Today's Verse: I sought him, but I found him not. ~Song of Solomon 3:2b A few years ago, I had the privilege of being part of a panel of pastors who were interviewed about current topics. I left later that afternoon to return home to the San Francisco Bay Area. About two hours into my drive back, one of the secretaries at the host church where I had been called me and said, “Bro. Fong, we found an iPad that was left behind. Is this yours?” I immediately thought, “How did I l

Today's Verse: By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; ~Hebrews 11:24 This morning, we are studying the second mention of the Moses' faith. Faith is a decision that we must make many times in our lives. We walk by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith. Faith can be exercised by little children and older adults. Everyone can and should live by faith. Let us see the ingredients of a maturing faith. We see

Today's Verse: They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. ~Song of Solomon 1:6b We live very busy lives! Living in the San Francisco Bay Area places many demands upon working adults. Working people need to make time for commuting, attending classes, taking their children to school and after-school events, household chores, cooking, cleaning, and outside volunteer activities. In addition, those of us who are actively serving the Lord in o

Today's Verse: By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. ~Hebrews 11:23 The faith of Moses is referred to five times in Hebrews 11:23-29. He demonstrated great faith at critical junctures of his life. The first mention of his faith occurs when he was born. It is not so much his faith as it is the faith of his parents. This morning, let us see how the faith

Today's Verse: Fulfil your works, your daily tasks.... ~Exodus 5:13b Pharaoh told the Hebrews that they needed to do their daily tasks—we would call this the daily grind. Like it or not, the daily grind is what we must do each day in order to be productive. There are things we must accomplish that are essential for our work, school, and church. Even more important are the daily things we must do for a strong spiritual life. We must be daily in the getting of wisdom. “Bles