The story of Balaam and the talking donkey has always intrigued me. Balaam was a prophet for hire; for a fee, he would bless and curse people. The Moab king wanted him to curse the Israelites so he could defeat them in battle. God tells Balaam not to curse them; Balaam agrees. The Moab king…
It’s day 98 of the One-Year Bible Plan, and today’s readings made me think about life and death. The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death. He will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water…
Paul gives us a strong warning in 1 Corinthians 6, and the types of sin that will block us from going to Heaven. There’s never been a time in history when it’s been so easy to sin. The vast majority of the content we can consume on the internet, in music, and in media normalizes…
Numbers 11 got me thinking about a couple of things this morning. First, I need to watch my complaining and be thankful for what I have. A lot of people would stand in line for my problems, and I have created most of those problems myself. And reading how the complaining started, the NKJV says…
This morning I’m reading 1 Corinthians 3, and I feel like I need to start taking better care of my body. Health experts classify being 30 pounds overweight as obesity. I need to make better lifestyle choices. I don’t want the temple to be so big that the Holy Spirit gets lost. I don’t want…
The Spirit reminded me this morning of my priorities as I read 1 Corinthians 2:2. I dwell on my problems too much. I think I need to forget about everything except Jesus Christ. I need to give everything and everyone to him. When I start to think about negativity, I need to pause and reflect…
Yesterday, my routine was thrown out of whack, too many things were going on. In the blur of the day, I missed the opportunity to invite the Lord’s peace, but I was too caught up in everything that needed to be done. I should have prayed, “Lord, if this is the enemy, make it stop…
This morning, I woke up thinking about an old friend I haven’t seen or talked to in years. I’m not sure why they crossed my mind, but then I read something in Exodus 30 that made me think of their name. I just felt the need to pray for them and their family. I hope…
Today’s reading of Romans 12 is an intense call to action. Paul pleads with us to give our bodies to God, in light of all that God has done for us, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He’s calling us to be living holy sacrifices and says that’s the way to worship him. I…
While I’m reading Exodus 26 and 27 today, I’m reminded of just how specific God’s instructions to Moses are. God gets into the details. I feel I don’t ask God to help me with the details of my own life. We pray about the big things, but we often neglect the small ones. We often…