Today's Verse: And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. ~Acts 16:25-26 Breakout is a term that is used in many descriptive ways. It is used to describe something unexpected that occurs like the breakout of a rash. In the stock market, it describes a st

Today's Verse: And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. ~2 Kings 3:16 I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine whose ministry has been blessed of God. Somehow our topic shifted to, “What if the offerings dropped and the church found itself in financial difficulty?” My friend responded by saying if this happened, he would probably go and dig ditches to pay his bills. I don’t personally know anyone who digs ditches for a living, but undoubte

Today's Verse: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. ~Acts 16:14 Lydia is one of many special women whom God used in a great way. Her name means “travail,” which implies hardship and difficulty. She was a successful businesswoman from Thyatira. She thrived in the mercantile business selling purple garments. However,

Today's Verse: And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. ~2 Kings 2:12 Are you a person with focus? Do you find yourself getting easily distracted? It is a term that is used to describe a focused person is “eagle eye.” When we say, “He has an eagle eye,” we mean that a person has a keen focus on his objective and will not bec

Today's Verse: When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. ~Proverbs 23:1-2 One of the most frightening circumstances that could happen to you is having someone put a sharp knife to your throat. The slightest resistance could result in the perpetrator using the knife to cut your throat and causing you to bleed to death. You don’t want to do anything that results in your inj

Today's Verse: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ~Galatians 6:2 Do you do weightlifting? Weightlifting is when you use weights to build and strengthen your muscles. This type of exercise is very helpful in preventing muscle atrophy and strengthening your bones. As a sport, competitors seek to lift massive amounts of weight to demonstrate power and strength. Everyone should do some form of weightlifting for good health. This morning, we want to c

Today's Verse: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. ~Romans 13:1 One of our key Baptist tenets is the separation of church and state. By this, the state is not to control the affairs of the church, and the church is not to unduly influence the state for unbiblical reasons. However, Christians are obligated to obey the laws of the land as good citizens. God refers to government as “the high

Today's Verse: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ~Hebrews 11:17 The word "sterling" is typically associated with silver and implies the very best quality. It speaks of gold or silver that meets the highest available standard. Something sterling is the standard by which other things must measure up. It is the benchmark of all that is excellent. We are looking at the faith of Abraham w

Today's Verse: Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. ~Hebrews 11:11 As we get older, we become more knowledgeable about things in life. We know that getting older means there are certain things we could do in our youth that we cannot do as adults. Our eyesight changes to the point where reading glasses are necessary. Unless we exercise daily, ou

Today's Verse: As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; ~Job 29:4 A secret is something that is hidden from the view and understanding of others. It is a hidden answer, fact, idea, or solution. We sometimes refer to a secret pathway to a destination as a path that only a few know about. We sometimes refer to secret plans as plans that are hidden from other people. Job referred to the secret of God. By this, he was speaking of the privi