“Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” ~ II Samuel 3:1 REFERENCE: II Samuel 3:1-10 God promised David the kingship of Israel. Although he ascended the throne of Judah, he had no rest nor enjoyed peace, for the house of Saul was bitter towards him, resisted his kingship, and opposed his authority. Although Saul was dead, his household still troubled David. Can you identify what is supposed to have died in your life, yet you...
"You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you." ~ II Chronicles 20:17 REFERENCE: II Chronicles 20:15-25 God fights our battles and gives us victories. Jesus defeated satan on the cross of Calvary; thus, all our spiritual battles are against a defeated foe. When the Bible says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood…" some people stop at, "We wrestle not…" and think that we...
"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." ~ Mark 10:17-22 REFERENCE: Mark 10:17-22 The world may not agree, but religion has significantly influenced man's engagement with his society. In most cases, it has tamed his propensity for evil and appetite for the forbidden. This is even more accurate with life in Christ Jesus; Jesus came to make us new men with the nature of God. Giving is the most prominent expression of God's...
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” ~ Matthew 5:27-28 REFERENCE: Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28; 31-35 & 43-44 God created the heavens and the earth with His spoken words. Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, “Let there be light…” verse 4 says, “And God saw the light….” The Almighty God shaped His world with words; He changed what was unpleasant to a beautiful sight with spoken words....
"But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." – James 1:4 REFERENCE: James 1:2-4 The Greek word for Patience, 'Hupomonē,' means hopeful endurance or constancy, patient enduring, sustaining, and perseverance. Webster says Patience is "to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or dealing with problems or difficult people." However, God uses Patience to qualify us for His higher purpose and mission for our lives; for this reason, we must let Patience have its perfect work. Patience is challenging; our nature recoils at it because we like things to happen...
“…that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” ~ I Thessalonians 4:11 REFERENCE I Thessalonians 4:9-11 God made Adam, placed him in a garden He planted eastward of Eden, and commanded him to tend and keep the garden. To tend in Hebrew is to labor as a servant over something, and to keep suggests to have charge, attend to, protect, and preserve. God gave Adam the business of nurturing, protecting, and attending to the garden to grow and multiply it. Adam gave...
"A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." – Luke 6:40 REFERENCE: LUKE 6:39-40 Our ultimate goal as believers is to become disciples of Jesus. A disciple is a disciplined student who trusts and follows the teaching and practices of his teacher. A disciple of Christ, therefore, is someone committed to following Jesus, not just in words but deeds. Getting saved is excellent, but there is more; being a part of a cell group is good, but that is not the goal; worship and giving are commendable, but discipleship is...
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea…behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” ~ Matthew 2:1-2 REFERENCE: Matthew 2:1-5 “Have you heard?” You must have heard this phrase several times, often relating to a rumor in your community. You wonder, “Why am I always the last person to hear what is happening?” True, if it is about a rumor, you don’t need to bother yourself, but if it is information that could help your business, protect you, your family, and your investment, or give...
"Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels…thought he could kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him." ~ II Samuel 21:16-17 REFERENCE: II Samuel 21:15-22 Exhausted and alone, David's back was against the wall, cornered by a Philistine giant. He was too weak to lift his sword to fight because of age, and death was imminent. Ishbi-Benob must have relished the moment; he could avenge the death of Goliath, the former Philistine champ. Would...
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." ~ John 15:15 REFERENCE: John 15:9-17 Jesus models friendly leadership to us in our text. We have seen how He, God in human flesh, chose to call His 'subjects' friends. The philosopher Cicero said, "Life is nothing without friendship." Understanding this as a leader should motivate you to build a culture of friendship amongst and with your team, remembering that they spend...