But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26 NIV).
The command was: “Flee for your lives. Don’t look back.” And Lot’s wife violated it. She thus became an eternal reminder to those who do not heed God’s warning.
It was disobedience on her part. But what might have caused … Read the rest
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord (Jonah 1:3 NIV).
There is a Jonah in all of us! We do run … Read the rest
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes (Judges 16:28 NIV).
There is a God who remembers you when you cry out to Him. He is a God who … Read the rest
But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved (Judges 16:22 NIV).
Are you in the prison of defeat today? Has your life which began with great promise, now changed to one of darkness?
Was it your own neglect of walking closely with God responsible for the loss of … Read the rest
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him (Judges 16:20b NIV).
There is great danger in allowing others to cut off your strength in God. Samson made this huge mistake. The secret of his strength was … Read the rest
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not of their delicacies (Psalm 141:4 NIV).
Make this your prayer every single day: “Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil.” Why is this so important? It is important … Read the rest
As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt (Genesis 37:25).
Strange are God’s ways: His arranging of events are timed to perfection! You … Read the rest
After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland” (Genesis 30:25 NIV).
Have you ever felt that it is time to move? Possibly yes. Jacob also felt so at one time. But the important thing to note here is a … Read the rest
Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. (1 Chronicles 1:1–3 NIV).
This list of names does not make an interesting reading to many. So they skip reading this portion of the Scriptures.
This disinterest is also because people are not aware why it was written: This book was written to the Jewish … Read the rest
The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” (1 Kings 18:44a NIV).
One of the most valuable lessons on prayer is found here. It is perseverance. What does it mean? It means praying on and on, in spite of no sign of your prayer … Read the rest
They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins (1 Kings 18:30b NIV).
Are you expecting to see God come back to your life in a mighty way? If so, the first step is to repair the altar.
You may have allowed it to lie in ruins for … Read the rest
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth (Genesis 9:13 NIV).
God has set His rainbow in the clouds! In the midst of the clouds of doubt and despair; see, there shines God’s rainbow. Yes, it is in the clouds that … Read the rest
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy (2 Kings 5:11 NIV).
Man’s expectations and God’s methods may not always meet. They … Read the rest
Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side” (2 Kings 4:3,4 NIV).
God’s methods to meet His … Read the rest
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” — (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NIV).
The Bible asks you to remember your Creator in the days of your youth. It warns that youth and its vigor will … Read the rest
He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz (1 Kings 7:21 NIV).
These were the two impressive ornamental pillars that Huram completed for King Solomon. It stood outside at the portico of the temple. What was the exact … Read the rest
In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built (1 Kings 6:7 NIV).
God does the shaping work on your life early. He does not wait for the time for actual building … Read the rest
“But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 9:24 NIV).
The people of the world boast about many things. In the previous verse God picks out three … Read the rest
Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? (Lamentations 3:37 NIV).
Isn’t this a comforting thought? When you are faced by words that are spoken by others that trouble your mind, think on this truth. It means that nobody can make anything happen through their words unless God has … Read the rest
In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God (Ezekiel 1:1 NIV).
First of all, what is recorded in the Book of Ezekiel is no fantasy or fiction or imagination. It is … Read the rest
He is holy (Psalm 99:3b NIV).
The message of Psalm 99 revolves around this glorious truth: “He is holy.”
This Psalm reminds us the fact that the Lord is King and He reigns. He sits upon His throne and He is exalted over all the nations.
Therefore we are asked to praise His great and … Read the rest
All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you (Song of Songs 4:7 NIV).
There could be many truths condensed in this one statement. Definitely it reflects the happiness of a lover in his beloved. It could be that she is perfect in every respect; all … Read the rest
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant (Joshua 24:13 NIV).
God loves to remind His people certain truths. One of them is the fact that God had … Read the rest
But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful (2 Samuel 11:1b,2 NIV).
This is how the most tragic moments of David’s otherwise glorious life comes about. These verses … Read the rest
In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered (2 Samuel 2:1 NIV).
One of the chief qualities that shaped David’s life was his willingness to … Read the rest
The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you (Deuteronomy 31:3a NIV).
There is a change of leadership here. Moses had to step aside and Joshua was the new leader. And He was given the charge to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.
But the important person here was neither Moses nor … Read the rest
… Read the restAfterward, Joshua read all the words of the law–the blessings and the curses–just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, the aliens who lived among them
Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it (Joshua 3:4 NIV).
The way not traveled before! You may be standing at the crossroads thinking how you are going … Read the rest
No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5 NIV).
What was God trying to do in Abram’s life by changing his name? The shift in meaning can explain it to a great extent. Abram means exalted father while Abraham … Read the rest
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19 NIV).
Burdens are not uncommon to you. Every now and then you become burdened. There are a host of things that could burden you. Sometimes you move on in life like a heavy truck being towed; a slow and … Read the rest
