SCRIPTURE: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Col. 3:1-4 (NIV, 1984) My favorite news channel over the past several years has been Fox 45 here in the Baltimore region. Its reporters are focused, professional, and have become like f...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  "Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, 'How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.' Selah 5 Come and see the works of God;He is awesome in His doi...  Read More

SCRIPTURE: “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,….” Luke 18:1 (NASB) The sanctuary was so quiet that one could almost hear a pin drop where the floor was carpet-free. All the congregants prayed one at a time, quietly waiting for the Spirit to move yet another saint to offer up praises and petitions at the weekly prayer meeting. Sudde...  Read More

SCRIPTURE: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you….” 1 Peter 1:3, 4 (NASB) If you are a child of God today, by the definition found i...  Read More

Scripture: "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world...But of the Son He says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom...For this reason we must pay much closer attenti...  Read More

Prayer: "Let my soul live that it may praise Thee, and let Thine ordinances help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant, for I do not forget Thy commandments."Psalm 119:175-176 [NASB] The latter 'let' of Psalm 119, its 'punchline', can be summarized as Permit me, all of Thee, upon all Thine. The emphases are pointing to the ordinances, the precepts, the testimonies, the statute...  Read More

Scripture:  "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; neither is He served by human hands, as though He nee...  Read More

Scripture: "And some of them were persuaded" [by the gospel, v. 2-3] "and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the peop...  Read More

Scripture: "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power...  Read More

Scripture: "Give Me Understanding and I Shall Live" - Psalm 119:144b Put differently, without the highest understanding, there is neither 'life' nor 'living'. The gain of the highest understanding is the gaining of the gloriously and eternally sacred, which has no earthly equal. All else is an unsatisfying mismatching of a misshapen puzzle piece with that space in reality, reserved for God and the...  Read More

Scripture: "...Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Philippians 2:16 As Jesus was perfectly mindful for our sakes to exit glory and the Glorious, to be God with us, so should we in kind, invite, receive, and keep a lifted gaze, which for the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Word, we have the capacity to...  Read More

Scripture: "...Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Philippians 2:16 A few days ago Debora and I attended a church's health fair. We were not a part of its staffing, so we were free to walk about and chat up various vendors. Along the way we met one of the more seniorly members of the church who was a retired mi...  Read More

Scripture: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1 (NASB) No matter what, the call upon us all is to 'Shine Jesus' light'. When life gets dark, or when good things happen we are to shine Jesus' light. Happy, or sad, we must shine Jesus' light. Whether we feel like it, or whether we don't, we just gotta shine Jesus light. Having His Spiri...  Read More

Scripture: "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  James 4:7 Demons are real,They latch on to what I think, love, or feel;These forces can only do what I allow,Leaving me to discern what’s appropriate or foul;Demons are attractive while stirring up trouble,Knowing my weaknesses to ensure my stumble;They appear friendly, cunning, and beneficial,Suddenly, that person,...  Read More

Scripture:  "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45 43  The godly man’s power is Holy Spirit driven,I decrease, He increases, which persuades righte...  Read More

Scripture:  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13 Prayer: Father, t...  Read More

Scripture: “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’” Acts 13:22 The godly man understands he is in spiritual warfare,He relies on the truth to ensure his battle plan is prepared;The godly man knows he is set apart,He expects persecution and su...  Read More

Scripture:  "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more," Romans 5:20 Where sin abounded, grace abounded even more,I can freely experience what the Lord has in store;I’ve walked defeated carrying the burdens of my transgressions,The guilt of my sin has hindered my potential and progression;Often, feeling insecure about my heavenly conne...  Read More