Luke 16:19-31Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.  And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.  Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angel...  Read More

Can we ever out give the Lord?  The answer is of course no!There are many biblical examples to this truth.  One that is often over looked occurs in 1 Kings 3.  God has given Solomon the awesome task of building the temple, but the work has not started yet.  One night Solomon was talking to God and praising Him for being so good to his father David and to himself.   At the end of this conversation,...  Read More

If you suffer as a Christian do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Peter 4:16).Peter is offering hope and encouragement to suffering and persecuted Christians.   Many of the early Christians were experiencing physical persecution as well as being socially ostracized.  I am sure many of them wanted to give up but Peter encourages them to remain steadfast and loyal to Christ. ...  Read More

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:18-19a).When my sons were younger we loved to go on new adventures.  They were never long trips but it was new to them.  We would hike through the woods to find a fresh spring.  We uncovered worms to take fishing.  We would spend t...  Read More

John 11:38-46So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  Jesus said, Remove the stone.  Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.  Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?  So they removed the sto...  Read More

In all of Joseph’s trials, he complained very little and he had plenty to complain about, especially where his bothers were concerned.  They wanted him dead because they were jealous of the relationship between him and their father.  Jacob and Joseph loved each other deeply.  Joseph carried that love for family through his life.I know we have a concept that real men don’t cry, but Joseph was a rea...  Read More

Do not judge or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7: 1-2).This is a verse that is quoted very often.  We have all heard it quoted perhaps directly to us and we have most likely  to someone.  After many years of hearing and quoting these verses I noticed something very interesting that ...  Read More

“And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23).“Where do you want to eat?”  That is the question between Kim and I each time we go out for dinner.  A relationship of love (sacrificial grace) seeks to promote the well being of others.  I willing give up what I think I want to make her happy.  It is di...  Read More

John 11:28-37When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."  And when she heard it, she *got up quickly and was coming to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up...  Read More

My favorite person in the Bible is Joseph.  He suffered through so many trials and never gave in to the hurt.  He never turned away from God. In Genesis 37:23-28, his brothers threw him in a pit.  They later sold him to Ishmaelite traders.In Genesis 39:20-21 he was falsely accused and thrown in to prison.In Genesis 40:14-15 he asked the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about his circumstance.  The man fo...  Read More

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all." Psalm 34:18-19I don’t know about you but this gives me a hope and peace that is indescribable. In this Psalm, David has isolated himself and was living in fear.  We have all recently experienced a lot of fear with the unknown of COVID 1...  Read More

”The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:37).We use many words to describe our relationship with God.  We are Christians, believers, and church members.  Jesus refers to us as disciples.  It was His most common description of those who trusted Him in the Gospels.A disciple is one who responds in faith and obedience to the gracious call to follow Jesus.  The basic idea r...  Read More