I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the verse of the day is Mark 13:33; it really goes along with what I read in 1 Corinthians 16 today. Scholars debate whether Mark 13 refers to the destruction of the temple, the end times, or both. I lean more toward the side that it’s both. To…
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…
Quite a few things popped out to me in today’s readings. First, in Exodus 17, the people of Israel are attacked by the Amalekites. Moses tells Joshua to grab some men and go out there and fight them. Joshua and his warriors are in a brutal battle that has raged for hours. As long as…
Sometimes our horses are out in the pasture, and we have to call them in. They will come racing towards us, and the roaring sound of their hooves on the hard ground is scary. That’s just 40 hooves. In Exodus 14, the people of Israel are pinned up, with the sea blocking their path and…
Just as Pharaoh didn’t listen to God’s warnings in Exodus 10 and 11, we see history repeating itself today. Our “leadership” in the United States has been corrupt for decades. The highest bidder controls our so-called 2-party system. The rich and powerful divide and conquer the ordinary people and use our taxes to enrich themselves…
In reading Genesis 49, Jacob is on his deathbed. He delivers a prophetic message to his descendants and gives them instructions for burial. The message in verse 31 hit me this morning. ‘31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. ‘Genesis 49:31…
The mob strikes again, chasing Paul all over the place in Acts 17. Paul and Silas wind up in Berea, and the Bereans set a great example in verse 11. ‘11Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see…
In Genesis 35, God tells Jacob get ready to move to Bethel to settle. In verse 2, Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothes. He takes the idols and earrings, buries them under a tree, and moves on out of the area….
I find the lives of the early Christians fascinating. In Acts 13, the prophets and teachers of the church in Antioch were fasting and worshiping the Lord. I wonder what our world would look like if members of the church gathered more often to worship, fast, and pray. It seems like we usually go to…
God tells Abram that his name is El-Shaddai — God Almighty, which reminds me of my mom listening to that Amy Grant song in the 80’s. Then God makes a covenant with Abram and changes his name. The Mark of the Covenant was circumcision — Abraham and each male in his household had to be…