“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.” Acts 12:1 After a disaster, probably…

“He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: Selah” Psalm 87:1-3 “Where ya from?” That’s a common question when we come to a new place and new people. We might…

The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son”! (2 Samuel 18:33) Mothers may shed more tears, but fathers are no strangers to…

“Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”…

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Proverbs 14:34 If we ask the question “What makes America great?” we would receive a variety of answers. Some would contradict others. It makes us wonder what we might answer. A flurry of possibilities quickly comes to mind. Surely its natural resources make…

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11 Sometimes it’s called “having the blues.” Sometimes, “down in the dumps.” And sometimes, it is called “depression.” Winston Churchill called it “the black dog.” He…

Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap, and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son.” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth 4:16 We usually are more concerned with the “What?” questions in life than with the “Why?”…

 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:7,8 His name was Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee.…

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. 2 Timothy 4:9,10 Desertion brings shame. In times of war, it may bring death by a firing squad. But before one can desert, one must first belong. On the opening day of…

I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7 He, who claims the title, The Lord God Almighty, does not easily fit into a slot designed by humans. We tend to view him from the human perspective. We realize he has attributes…