“Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~ II Corinthians 12:10 REFERENCE: II Corinthians 12:9-10 If you can’t find any weakness, ‘disability,’ disadvantage, or flaw in your life, then maybe you are not human; you are a robot, perhaps. We all have an area of our lives that we wish was better, stronger, more beautiful, or better developed. Some desire to be taller, others to look better, be more intelligent, or wish they had a better family background. However, life...
“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice – indeed, I myself.” ~ Proverb 23:15 REFERENCE: Proverbs 23:15-16 Our focus verse captures a father’s earnest desire for his son; he expresses the joy he would feel if his son became wise of heart. Why would this be important to the father? It is because wisdom is the principal thing. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 8:1, “There’s nothing better than being wise, knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes and gives gentleness to words and manners.” God, our Father, will rejoice if...
“…Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29b REFERENCE: John 1:29-34 The Baptist’s statement, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” calls us to take a close look at Jesus and discover Him in His fulness as God’s answer to everything that plagues man and the hope he desires. John saw Him as a sacrificial lamb because of His mission to be our substitute at the executioner’s post, dying for our sins. Several prophets and saints beheld Him and spoke glowingly about Him. Today, behold...
"But Jehosheba…sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed." ~ II Kings 11:2 REFERENCE: II Kings 11:1-12 It was a chaotic time in Israel; judgment came because of the sins of Ahab's house. God used Jehu to execute His judgment on Ahab's sons. Having killed them, including Ahaziah, Athaliah's son, she vowed to kill every son in the royal line so she could reign unchallenged. Joash was...
"And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built." ~ I kings 6:7 Reference: 1 Kings 6:1-7 In the 6th century, Solomon's Temple was called one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (Wikipedia). Its magnificence was such that people came from all over the world to see it. It was the pride of Israel, and it housed the Ark of Covenant, which signified the presence of God. Solomon used the...
“Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water….” ~ II Kings 3:15-18 REFERENCE: II Kings 3:8-20 The kings of Israel and Judah, Jehoram and Jehoshaphat, allied to fight against the Moabites to crush their rebellion. After a session of military strategy and projection, they concluded that they would make an incursion on Moab through the...
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ II Timothy 1:7 REFERENCE: I II Timothy 1:3-7 Fear is a damaging emotion to man. Fear can stop your ability to think or act or, at best, make you act irrationally. It is satan’s greatest weapon against man. If satan is allowed to inject fear in the heart, his work is done; a cycle of negative thoughts, hopelessness, worry, paranoia, etc., will begin; such a person will end up sabotaging himself. Job said, “the thing I greatly...
"Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother." ~ II Samuel 3:27 REFERENCE: II Samuel 3:22-30 Joab deceitfully lured Abner from the well of Sirah. He tricked him into thinking King David had information from him, and he caused him to depart from his course, eventually leading to his death. Joab’s quest for revenge and his despicable nature led him to shed the blood of war in a time of...
"Those in the crowd were indignant and scolded him for making so much of a disturbance, but he kept shouting with all his might, “Son of David, have mercy on me now and heal me!” ~ Mark 10:48 TPT REFERENCE: Mark 10: 46-52 Timai (Aramaic) was his name, and it means ‘highly prized’ or ‘honored,' but he was not at a location that befit his name. He was a blind beggar, sitting at the side of the road outside the village, wrapped in his beggar’s cloak. There was nothing that looked honorable at that season of Timai’s life....
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” ~ Isaiah 60:1 REFERENCE: Isaiah 60:1-5 Yesterday we began paying close attention to the verse above and its instructions. The first was to ARISE, and the second was SHINE. It is also a command! 'SHINE' is an action; it is a verb. The following describes what it means to SHINE: 1. To emit or reflect light to glow. 2. To distinguish oneself, to excel 3. To be immediately apparent 4. To be eminent, conspicuous. Light has come, and we are to shine. We...