“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). You will have an influence on others today; you can’t help it. But what you can help is the kind of influence you are. No better prep than […]
When history seems to hang by a thread, remember: “He hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7). Haman had the heart of a monster, the ear of the king, and a plot hatched in hell. Yet he still seemed to have everything going his way. You can’t help but notice his likeness to the coming Man of […]
“Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind” (Eccl 4:6). Solomon reminds us (9x) that going after this world is “grasping for the wind.” Why run if you’re on the wrong road? Why fight if you’re in the wrong war? Make sure today is lived for […]
“For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8). The believer understands both the how and why of life: “by faith” (Rom 1:17), “by every word of God” (Lk 4:4), “by the Spirit” (Gal […]
“I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies” (Ps 119:59). A person is not idle when absorbed in beneficial thought; self-examination in God’s presence is far more productive than mere busyness when our feet may be leading us away from God’s path. […]
Conceit is a strange disease in that, when a person has it, it makes everyone else sick! To grasp the significance of the events today, we’ll have to go back to two other stories in Israel’s history. One dates to the early days of the nation’s Egyptian exodus, and the other to the inception of […]
Wounds are history frozen in time. My grandfather’s war wounds told me of his sacrifice. But Jesus’ wounds tell me something else. […]
“The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit” (Eccl 7:8). Often hard beginnings lead to good ends; small seeds can grow into fruitful trees. Proud spirits like glory from the start; patient spirits are content with slow, steady progress in God’s will. […]
“How unsearchable are His judgments…and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways! ” (Rom 11:33, AMP). While the selection process unfolded in the palace, Mordecai has been occupied with more than pacing “in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare” (Est 2:11). With his ear tuned to hear any news from the […]