“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Luke 22:31-32. Bold, impetuous Peter, so confident that he would never…
And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35, NKJV). The twelve disciples of Jesus were a mix of backgrounds and personalities. Under other circumstances, it’s quite possible some of…
“And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). When reading the Bible, it is sometimes easy to skim right over a key phrase. It’s so familiar, we just hurry on…
“And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17). The Book of Esther is a small book…
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13). There are so many kinds of salt — iodized, sea, pink…
“The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4, New King James Version). All of us probably have some sort of to-do list for our day, even if it’s only in our mind and not written down. There’s work, errands…
“But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). I have always found the story of Lot a bit curious. We know that this nephew of Abraham accompanied his uncle from Haran to Canaan (Genesis 12). Both…
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I’m fortunate to live in an area that enjoys four seasons of weather. Or at least I say that when the temperature isn’t freezing me with sub-zero blasts or roasting me with…
“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord!…