But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and… [continue]

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah. Jonah 1:3 It would seem that Jonah did not yet have the chance… [continue]

This is a weird topic for me because I do not claim to love perfectly.  I am as flawed as the next man but reading Song of Solomon recently I was reminded of couple things.  The first is that love is a powerful thing.  This is an emotion that crosses boundaries that seem impossible to be crossed. … [continue]

  Ok. Here we go with another divergence from the norm. Not the usual format but I pray you are blessed nonetheless.   Looking back over my life, one of the surest ways that I knew God was working in me and through me was the ability I had to share my ugly past with others. I think this is a good sign to a… [continue]

 David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"  Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant,"… [continue]

 Recently our family received a tremendous breakthrough.  After a season of severe testing (much of what I’ve written about), God gave us a time of refreshing and relief.  As we begin to tell others of our testimony that included a season of perseverance, it becomes necessary to reflect on the things… [continue]

 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”  1 Samuel 16:11 In… [continue]

 (Read the entire book of Ruth) Tucked away in the Bible is a great story of friendship and companionship.  In the book of Ruth, Ruth models what most people covet in a personal relationship.  Her loyalty, diligence and selfless attitude are to be admired.  She reinforces the old adage that has… [continue]

 A couple of weeks ago I finished up talking about experiencing the “dry place”.  This is something that eventually happens to all Christians when walking with the Lord.  The beautiful thing about these times is the wisdom gleaned in this period.  Nonetheless, these can be very trying and… [continue]

    Last week’s study showed us how disobedience and doubt seriously hinder us from following God and his plan for our lives. But one may ask what happened? Or why did Israel fail like this? Who was to blame? All good questions. Therefore it is necessary to understand that the generation after Joshua… [continue]

  The other day I was listening to a respected theologian talk about the Israelite’s failure to receive the full blessing of the Promised Land. As I pondered his points it made me think of why that happened and how it could happen. How could a people that had experienced the many miracles of God right before… [continue]

 No better known example of testing in the Bible is there than the story of Job.  A righteous and upright man [see Job 1:1] he endured a severe period of trial and testing.  His story has had to inspire millions to a renewed perspective to whatever circumstance they are facing.  Many lessons can be learned… [continue]

 God is Sovereign—what does that mean?  When someone says that “God is sovereign”, what do you think of?  Do you think of someone who is able to do what he wills and wishes without the interference of anyone?  I think that is a good definition of the word.  In my dry place, this… [continue]

 I’d imagine there is no worst feeling than feeling as if you are a failure.  The disappointment that accompanies a person when they have not met their own expectations or those of others can sometimes be unbearable.  Even the strongest encouraging words from a trusted mentor or friend find difficulty… [continue]

 For the next few weeks I thought I’d focus on encouraging those of us (me included!) that are going through a tough trial.  As we all know, life brings us trials and difficulties that ultimately build our faith as we grow closer in our walk with God.  Over the past 3 years now, my family and I have… [continue]

 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife,… [continue]

  You know when you feel that you've "mastered" an area of faith exercise and God puts you back through it as if to say "do it again, you still don't understand". Well that is how it usually is for me, but I think that this time though I really will pass (smile!). There are plenty of… [continue]

 Trust They also received a lesson in “Trusting God-101” as they were told the following: The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.  Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any… [continue]

 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.  Exodus 16:4 A friend of mine recently shared something with me that I just… [continue]

(posted previously)    The Christian Life=A Hard Race When I ran track in high school and college, I specifically remember a drill that we did that involved us running past our target. Since my individual specialty was the 200m, in practice my coach often made me run 300m so that my endurance for the 200m would… [continue]

 This week in my bible reading my wife pointed out something I hadn’t seen before.  In Job 19:23, he [Job] says, “ Oh that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll…”  I found that very amazing that he didn’t realize then that a part of his life would go down… [continue]

 Happy New Year!  I’ve set as a personal goal to read the Bible in its entirety this year.  (I’ve started and stopped at least twice before.)  My goal is that this experience will pay rich dividends for me and the readers of this devotional in that biblical truths never return void (see… [continue]

 As the year comes to a rapid close, I’ve been challenged to stand fast to the theme of continuing to fight.  The idea for this devotional was originally born from my personal journal of the events of my faith walk.  Three plus years later I find it appropriate to look back and reflect on some of those… [continue]

And we know from endless examples in his word that he does it in ways that do not always meet our expectations. Did Joseph ever think that his rise to authority in Egypt would take him down a road of desertion, betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment? No. But when he had his two sons (Manasseh and Ephraim) he unveils for… [continue]

Time and time again I praise God for the revelations that are given to me through life experience. I am fortunate to have a great circle of individuals that are helping to shape my most precious faith. Years ago I would have tried to selectively filter these individuals into and out of my life. But recently I have learned… [continue]

I think I’ve mentioned this before (so excuse the redundancy), but several months ago my wife started using a powerful phrase that has really helped us both grow spiritually. Here is the phrase: “God doesn’t require us to be perfect, just to be honest”. It is a simple phrase, but it has tremendously… [continue]

 Favor from God = Favor with  man The second principle actually leads to a sub-plot of pride that Haman possessed.  When I guard my heart, I understand that true honor and favor are given by God—not man.   I have learned that when I seek favor with man first, that it doesn’t… [continue]

 Why are we commanded to “guard our hearts above all else”? (Proverbs 4:23).  My pastor recently mentioned that “above all” is only used sixteen times in the Bible and this is the only place where “above all else” is used—signifying utmost importance in this command. … [continue]

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14 NIV I’ve heard it said that women that go into labor and eventually give birth to a child hate the process of labor. (No kidding, right!)… [continue]

  Favor. What causes an individual to have the “favor of God” upon their lives? Do some individuals have more of it than others? Is favor the same as anointing? All good questions that came to my mind while reading a book about this subject recently. Many people preach on how to walk in God’s… [continue]

Popularized by Edward Hickson, the phrase, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again", has come to mean displaying determination against all odds. It is an admirable phrase, one that I've used both for myself and to encourage others in my short life. However, I would like to change this antique… [continue]

 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV) The… [continue]

 Just one more week of change.  May this be a refreshing spring of water for your spirit as you wait patiently on the Lord.  He is faithful and he will answer.  Although it may seem that you are in a drought or a dry season, do not let your natural man perceive something that is not true.  Continue… [continue]

 This is something different that I pray will bless you.  Often I like to take a division of the psalms and personalize it.  I have found great peace and joy in this process.  Replacing the personal pronouns with my own name and speaking the “revised” psalm out loud.  God’s amazing… [continue]

 Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains. Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you. But it happened that night… [continue]

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. Psalm 92 12-14 (NIV) Ok. Stop and think. Name the last situation… [continue]

And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day… [continue]

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) In the Last Samurai, there is a scene where Tom Cruise’s character, James Algren, is learning to fence but keeps being defeated. The commander’s son, Nobutada, finally tells him that he has… [continue]

Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Then Saul attacked the Amalekites… [continue]

 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. God accepted Abel's offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith.  It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed… [continue]