Three Kings and Three Outcomes In today’s passage, we read about three kings. It’s a father, his son, and his grandson. They all rule as successive kings over Judah. Yet from this point their similarities diverge. Each one experiences a different outcome. King Amaziah First we have King Amaziah. The Bible tells us he does […]
Seek First His Kingdom We know we need to make God a priority in our lives. Regarding Father God, Jesus says we are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Then other things will fall into place (Matthew 6:33). In the Old Testament, Moses quotes God telling the people—and us—that we’re to have no […]
Righteousness is Another Word for Integrity Someone once surprised me, catching me off guard by calling me a “man of integrity.” Though honored by their perception, I shook my head. Yes, I aspire to be a person of integrity, but I’m not there. I have a long way to go and will never fully arrive. […]
Keeping Our Heart Pure Is Hard, Especially When God Offers Us Grace and Mercy There are at least twelve psalms in the Bible written by Asaph. Psalm 73 is one of them. Asaph’s having a bad day. He’s going through a difficult time. It’s a rough season for him. He’s discouraged and pours out his […]
May Our Actions Show Our Righteousness We discussed the faith of Abraham demonstrated through his willingness to act. This is understandable; we uphold Abraham as a great example of faith. Yet after James talks about Abraham’s great faith in action (James 2:25), he immediately adds Rahab as another example. Rahab, you may recall, was a […]
The Bible includes the account of Abraham discussing the future of Sodom with God. Abraham is torn, he knows the city is corrupt and warrants punishment, but he also carries concern for his nephew Lot who lives there. In a series of bold moves, Abraham asks God if he’ll spare the town because of the […]
Discover the Fitting Capstone of King David’s Life In the last recorded words of King David, we learn more about him and his relationship with God. David’s words may come across as bragging, but remember that God said David was a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22). Here’s what King […]
Discover Who God Is from Scripture We can learn a lot about God from the Bible. After all, we do sometimes call it the Word of God. Every book in the Bible, even every chapter reveals truth about God. This includes Psalm 33. It’s a psalm of praise. It reveals five biblical truths about God. […]
The book of Ecclesiastes (in the Bible) is an example of wisdom literature, and it makes for an interesting read. At one point the author says, “Do not be overrighteous.” Over-righteous is a curious word. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard it before, and I certainly don’t remember seeing it in the Bible. In fact, […]
In the Bible, there is the instruction to “put on the full armor of God.” To the casual reader, this might seem like a call to arms or a provocation for military action. Yet I don’t see this as a militant statement, but merely a memory aid to help people remember key items needed to […]