Praising the Lord
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires […]
Outcry for Justice
Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive we must get grain. Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during […]
The Secret of Oil
At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with […]
No Power Apart From God
This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 The Moabites and the Amnonites came to wage war against King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Some men came and told the king that a vast army […]
Standing Strong against Opposition
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. Exodus 14:13 Although Pharaoh released the Israelites to leave Egypt, he later changed his mind. So he took 600 of his best […]
Turning Complaints into Constructive Action
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, or he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” Numbers 12:1-2 Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses’ wife being a Cushite. Their complaining turned into judgment of Moses and […]
Turning Darkness into Light
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16 After Jesus was led into the desert and was tempted by Satan, He began to preach to the people. He came preaching with power and was filled […]
Sin
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 The Greek translation for sin is amartia. It means “missing the mark.” Sin begins with temptation. It doesn’t become sin until you give in to the temptation. As courageous leaders, we must resist temptation by having the […]
Christ the Stumbling Stone
As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 9:33 In this passage in Romans 9, starting with verse 30, Paul concludes the chapter with a […]
Fully Persuaded
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the Father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – […]