SCRIPTURE:  "And Lamech lived one-hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”  Genesis 5:28-29       A pivot is a substantial, intentional, radical, abrupt, all-consuming change of direction which by its nature not only...  Read More

SCRIPTURE: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” [Colossians 3:15] NKJV Are you, dear Christ follower, greatly comforted by the revelations of Himself that God has given in His Word? As the hymn says, “Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide til the day is done. There’s not a Friend like the lowly Jesus. No, not ...  Read More

SCRIPTURE: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let you mind dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (NASB) Recently I had purchased some socks, which after one day proved to be the kind that retains an unbelievable amount of lint...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles  us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1 (NASB)     The word “witnesses,” as used in secular circles, has received a bad rap!  I believe the pejorative term is “snitch?”  Evildoers, of course, despi...  Read More

Type your new text here. SCRIPTURE:  “For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it?   And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”  Isaiah 14:27 (NASB)         In the book of Numbers (22:28), we read that God miraculously empowered a donkey to speak to a man named Balaam because the latter, on a mission to badmouth God’s people, needed a WAKE-UP CALL to see the Angel of...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever.”  Romans 11:36  (NASB)       Our Creator God has  and continues to use all kinds of people to accomplish His purposes throughout the ages.  Imagine His use of the raven and then a dove to serve as indicators of the floodwaters’ recession after the global flood—for the sake of His servant Noah and his...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “The LORD has made everything for its own purpose,…”  Proverbs 16:4 (NASB)      This brings me to a third lesson that our pets teach us: our ten-pound house guest possesses a heightened alertness every day for whatever’s coming down the pike.  Similarly, our Lord commands us who dwell in this antichristian world environment to watch AND pray, lest we succumb to temptation, or live as d...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you…and the fish of the sea will explain to you.”  Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this…?”  Job 12:7-9      Upon reading the title verse, you may wonder is Job actually telling his friends to become “Dr. Doolittle” and talk to the animals?  No, he is not, ...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal:  “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  2 Timothy 2:19 (NKJV)      Identity fraud is a rampant problem in today’s hyper-technological climate! One must be saavy about protecting one’s p.i.i. (personal identifying information).  The cruel barrage of pro...  Read More

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:5 "so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." 1 Peter 4:11  "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the [a]oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." Pastor, Bishop, Apos...  Read More

Scripture: Romans 5:3-5 "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." In 1987, Coach Hendricks demanded athletes from other sports to run track,Initially, we we...  Read More

Scripture:  Philippians 4:7-9 "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—medita...  Read More

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [c]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Many people laugh at my Bible because of its condition,But, a Bible falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t;Rejoicing unto the Lord for another ...  Read More

Scripture: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:1-2      Brother and Sister in Christ, when was the last time you opened your mouth and asked, “Jesus, please forgive me?” Some of the greatest peace comes when we agree w...  Read More

Scripture: John 1:50 NKJ - “…Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” (Read John 1:43-51) Nathaniel a fisherman by trade, was a bit skeptical of the man Jesus. He did not believe that anything worthwhile could come out of Nazareth. Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He grew up in Nazareth with His mother and earthly father Jo...  Read More

Type your new text here. Scripture: Matthew 20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many.” Involve your life in the lives of other people. Christ and the disciples constantly met the needs of other people. We can stabilize our own hearts during times of difficulty by serving others, and then find that our service has brought us a sense o...  Read More

Scripture: Mathew 8: 23 – 27 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. 25 And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds ...  Read More

Scripture: Mathew 8: 23 – 27 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. 25 And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and...  Read More

SCRIPTURE: “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!”  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. --- Mark 4:38, 39 (TLB)      There is much, dear saints, to tempt us to fear these days.  Over the past three decades alone, we’ve ...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes…It shall not cling to me.”  Psalm 101:3 NKJV      Just before bedtime one evening, I allowed a commercial depicting a game saturated with gratuitous violence to be the last object of my focus!  (The commercial preceded the nightly news—the watching of which was another bad idea)!  Though some of us may recall some campaigns about thirty years a...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  Romans 8:18 (NASB)     “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.  Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ.  One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase; so bravely run the race til we see Christ.”  The lyrics of this classic Christi...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “…but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.”  Mark 13:13  (NKJV)      Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Been there, done that!”  No one that we know, however, can say it with greater authority than Christ our Lord, as He is familiar with all that confronts us in this sin-cursed world. He has faced it all, yet WITHOUT SIN. (Hebrews 4:15)       Have you been lied on? ...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” Prov. 13:12 (NKJV)     In God’s word there’s a “league of extraordinary waiters!”  Sounds like a new restaurant reality show, doesn’t it?  Just like the “hall of faith” in Hebrews, chapter 11, peppered throughout Scriptures are people who can teach us, if we search them out, what perspective best ser...  Read More

SCRIPTURE:  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Romans 15:13) NIV      Today’s scriptural focus does not read, ‘May the God of positive thinking fill you with all joy and peace….!”  Our Savior God urges us to hope in Him, because  any old “slap-happy Joe (or Jill”), can recommend mere posit...  Read More