Scripture:  I Peter 2:6 HCSB - … and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.From time to time, we feel the sting of disappointment – most of the time, it’s unwarranted. We’re disappointed about the job we applied for but didn’t get, the promotion we were passed over for, the man/woman we thought was “the one” riding off into the sunset with someone else, the solo you prayed for/pra...  Read More

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:30-32 – And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.Matthew 6:12 - And forgive us our debts, as...  Read More

Scripture:  Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV) - And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.Without a doubt, a thinking person recognizes that we all have an appointment with eternity. (Hebrews 9:27)  While this earthly life has an ending, an entrance into eternity-- whether one believes the precious life-giving gospel or not-- the eternal ending for the Christ-rejector is undoubtedl...  Read More

Scripture:  Ecclesiastes 7:8  (NKJV) - The end of a matter is better than the beginning.      Endings can lead us to reflect much upon all that has gone before.  In many cases, generally speaking, there’s something very hope-inspiring about them.  One gospel preacher has said that, “A wise person knows that the end of a matter is better than its beginning;” and we can readily appreciate this state...  Read More

Scripture:  Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV - Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.When you’re driving, you greatly depend on the side-view mirrors that are on the vehicle’s exterior as well as th...  Read More

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who bui...  Read More

Scripture:  Ps. 55:22 NKJ -  Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you….In our world today, there are pressures on every side in this fast-paced journey.  People seem to carry their burdensome past for many years, seemingly,  without clues as to how to gain relief. Many say, “I’m fine.” Is that really what is true? From an external view, we see something else.  Perhaps, you should tur...  Read More

Scripture  Jeremiah 17:9-10 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.  Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Proverbs 28:13 - He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: bu...  Read More

Scripture: I Corinthians 15:54b – 55 - Death is swallowed up in victory.”  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?”Bees and I have never gotten along.  I was stung once when I was nine, while away at a week-long summer camp—but that was my fault.  I had “smacked the proverbial bull,” as they say, by witlessly tossing a volleyball at a hornet’s nest affixed to the side of our...  Read More

Scripture: (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love is an essential part of life; it is a bas...  Read More

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 2:9 HCSB  - But as it is written: What eye did not see and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind – God prepared this for those who love Him.How many times have you said something will never happen … then when it doesn’t, you seem to be caught off guard? What’s the saying – NEVER SAY NEVER!! Yep, it’s true. Our own sinful ways cause us to believe this lie...  Read More

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.I am a work in progressMade new through a divine processBecause, I accepted Christ as my Lord and SaviorI’m identified and sanctified as a new creationThe Lord chose to take me as I wasA filthy sinner who needed to be cleansed and washedImmediatel...  Read More

Scripture: I Thessalonians 5:17 NKJ -  PRAY WITHOUT CEASINGMany will agree that it can be challenging to hear God when so much clamor is happening in our midst. Today's wild football game parties, backyard cookouts, or holiday public fireworks displays are among the many circumstances that bring along overbearing clamor.  I recall my college days while residing in my dormitory room. There were con...  Read More

Scripture:  James 4:7-8 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.As we live out our Christian life, we will be tested as we walk with God. Before I invited Jesus Christ into my life,  I can remember times when I found myself in trouble...  Read More

Scripture:  Psalms 42:11 -  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.Hebrews 6:19a – Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.An acronym for hope is holding on to a powerful expectation.  No matter what we are facing, there is hope for our future. The object of our hope...  Read More

Scripture:  Matthew 24:42 - Be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.  Few Christ-followers would deny that we, of all people, should value what our Lord values, and our God “wrote the book” on preparation! Before the Israelites could cross the Jordan River, heading into the Promised Land, their leader commanded them to sanctify themselves, for the Lord was about to do wond...  Read More

Scripture: (Matthew 7:1-3) Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?Olympic gold medalist, Simone Biles, withdrew from the 2021 Olympic games allegedly to work on her mental health. ...  Read More

Scripture:  Galatians 6:9-10 - And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.Are you one of those that began to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with excitement and energy, but now have or seem to be feeling like you want to quit?  The...  Read More