Bible Reading

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:1 – 2, KJV) Someone asked me this week, “What does it mean to bless the Lord? How can we bless God?” That’s a really good question, and […]

Paul lived in troubled times. During his time in Ephesus, Nero, a wicked tyrant, was the emperor of Rome. Jewish leaders sought to persecute Jews who turned to the Christian faith, and paganism was rampant. I don’t know if there was a right and a left, but there was certainly a right and a wrong […]

We downsized and moved into a new home, and I thought that the days of items piling up in closets and drawers were over. We had given away, sold, and thrown away so much stuff. Now everything had its own place. Fast forward a few years and here we are cleaning out closets and […]

“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.” – Psalm 62:1 If I could paint a picture of faith, I wouldn’t paint a picture of a beautiful cathedral or a church on a picturesque hillside. My portrait would not be of a mansion or of a life without care and problems. While […]

“While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” – Psalm 146:2, KJV The world is filled with chatter these days. Politics, philosophy, health advice, exercise advice, weight loss advice, the latest movies and television programs, sports, weather, you name it, we are talking […]

When we read Psalm 136 we may think that it sounds repetitive. It is actually a responsive psalm used in worship. The worship leader says the first part of the verse, and the congregation responds with “and His mercy endureth forever”. The psalm gives a brief history from the beginning of creation through the time […]

After almost two months of forced rest after emergency surgery, I find myself back at the computer. Don’t let anyone kid you, anesthesia brain is a real phenomenon. I am thankful for God’s healing touch and a caring family, and I am thankful to be regaining strength. The words in Psalm 23 ring true. There […]

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (Proverbs 4:23, NLT). Recent events in our family have focused our thoughts on hearts and heart disease. We have done a lot of reading. While our situation has been unusual, much of the literature focuses on general heart care. When reading, […]

Learning in Exodus I can only imagine the excitement as the children of Israel reached the end of creating all the implements and parts of the tabernacle. God had provided the workers and the materials. He had given them detailed instructions through Moses, and He had guided them step-by-step as they completed all of God’s […]

Written by Moses in the wilderness, Psalm 91 stands as a beacon of strength to God’s children. It speaks of His love, His protection, His strength, His nearness in time of trouble. I read the truths, the confidence, the promises of this psalm and my natural mind says, “no way”. Christians get sick. Christians have […]

The word precious means highly esteemed or valued, of great worth or price, cherished, priceless, dear. Our children are precious to us. We call our liberty precious. The memory of our loved ones is precious. The word ‘precious’ is found only sixteen times in the New Testament (KJV), and seven of those times are found […]

And he (Jesus) answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself (Luke 10:27) This command first appeared as part of the Shema, which remains a central prayer of Judaism, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6. Moses repeated it multiple times to the Israelites, and Joshua […]

I am not one for making New Year’s resolutions, but as I contemplate the year before me, I am drawn to Paul’s words in the Philippians, chapter three. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:10 KJV). Rather […]

On Christmas we remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior, what many think of as the beginning of his life. While it was the start of his life as a human being on this Earth, it was also a continuation of his eternal being. John chapter one tells us that he was in the […]

The birth of a child – what a momentous occasion. We love to talk about the births of our children. Our first born arrived after many hours of labor in a hospital and city where my husband and I knew no one. On that day before Thanksgiving, her tiny self sparked joy that has never […]

1 Corinthians 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) I said I was not going there again. But then the fall candy showed up. I had to buy some for the Trunk or Treat […]

Jesus was always sending people out to teach and to minister to the world around them. In Luke, chapter 10, As we read through the retelling of His ministry, we find that time after time, He sent people out. Jesus preached an active faith (Luke 8:21) that caused ripples in the world. His followers were […]

I fritter around, anxious about being anxious, forgetting that when Jesus is near, the sick are raised, funerals are interrupted, and the weary and wondering are given assurance and help. Luke 7:20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? […]

Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.Some days I need a checkup. Not from a medical doctor, but from my Lord.David asked for a checkup in Psalm 26. He asked God to inspect his mind, his heart, his emotions. He even asked God to prove, or test, […]

Life happens, and it gives no guarantees. Bad things, from our human perspective, attack those who try to do good. Sometimes, evil seems to prosper. Righteous people can die young, and the evilest among us may thrive well into old age. Both poverty and riches are fleeting, and we can take nothing of this life […]