Scripture & Thought Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Have you ever gotten a phone call in the middle of the night? When the phone rings your heart jumps because no one wants a call at that hour. And […]
Scripture & Thought Romans 12:8 (NLT): “If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.” Some people don’t know how to pay compliments to others. They’re always critical, always critiquing this or that. And when they do pay a compliment, it’s more of the backhanded variety. For instance, they’ll say, “Hey! You’re on time!” […]
Scripture & Thought Esther 4:14 – “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” I made you for such a time as this. When you thought you couldn’t, or even when you wouldn’t, I was there. I was there in every haggard breath, in every […]
Scripture & Thought Luke 22:61 “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’” Simon Peter, definitely one of the most colorful individuals in the entire Bible, is perhaps my favorite. It’s […]
Scripture & Thought Hebrews 12:6 – “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.” Have you ever wondered what the phrase “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” means? Let’s remember what David said a few verses earlier: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 NKJV). David, a shepherd himself, would […]
Scripture & Thought Jonah 2:1 – “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.” After the crew tossed Jonah overboard in the middle of a storm, God sent a custom-designed watercraft Jonah’s way. In other words, He brought in a very large fish to swallow the prodigal prophet. Now, did God do […]
Scripture & Thought Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Easter is not about eggs and wearing pastel colors. That’s all fine, but that isn’t what Easter is about. It’s about Jesus wanting a relationship with you! Jesus was born to die—and to […]
Scripture & Thought Hebrews 13:5 – “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I remember a time that I didn’t feel God’s presence. I woke up one morning and just didn’t have the great feeling I had before. And I thought, “I think God left me last night. What […]
Scripture & Thought Proverbs 24:16 “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by a calamity.” Dr. David Jeremiah, in his book “Life Wide Open,” writes this: “Passionate people hang in there when the going gets tough. They persist, they persevere, they never lose heart, and they […]
Scripture & Thought 2 Corinthians 4:7, 16 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us…Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” The Apostle Paul knew something about human frailty. […]
Scripture & Thought 1 Samuel 7:12 “Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” A line from Robert Robinson’s hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” says, “Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’ve come, And I […]
Scripture & Thought Psalm 27:4 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Habakkuk 2:3 “Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Sometimes the longer we wait for a promise from God to be fulfilled; the more glorious is His answer. […]
Scripture & Thought John 1:3 “We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” “Christian Fellowship” – What does that mean? We know what “Christian” means. But what does “Fellowship” […]
Scripture & Thought Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This season of Lent raises for us the idea […]
Scripture & Thought Matthew 7:11 (NKJV) “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Notice these words from John Wesley’s journal: “My horse was very lame, and my head did ache […]
Scripture & Thought 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Philip Dormer Stanhope was the 4th Earl of Chesterfield. History remembers him as Lord Chesterfield. In his book, Letters to His Son, Chesterfield wrote these […]
Scripture & Thought 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Pamela McQuade: “Of all the promises we make and break, perhaps the most tragic are those we make to God…And yet we keep […]
Scripture & Thought Luke 18:9-14 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself…But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy upon me, a […]
Scripture & Thought Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” We are all captives to TIME (not the magazine). In fact, a couple weekends ago marked the “change” in time that affects nearly all North Americans. We had to set our time pieces back one […]
Scripture & Thought Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Michael W. Smith fans may remember the lyrics of his song, “Angels Unaware.” The opening verse reads: Maybe there’s a light in my soul Maybe it flickers like a neon […]