I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 – Acts 21:11-12 Paul understood his personal mission, which should be the personal mission of every believer

God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Psalms 53:2 – Acts 21:11-12 “I really don’t understand why I should come to this. How can I really benefit?” was his response. At that moment, I realized that I was wasting my

Coming over to us, he [Agabus] took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” When we heard this, we and the people there

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions.” – Exodus 16:4 When God took the nation of Israel through

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. – Proverbs 13:12 Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God’s greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit,

“…Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” – Romans 4:3 You can be a believer yet act as though there is no God. Whenever you fret over life circumstances, you immediately demonstrate unbelief. Whenever you move out of fear or anxiety, you believe a lie about God’s nature. Each day your

And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. (Josh 3:7-8). Joshua had been a faithful number two man under Moses for 40 years. Can you imagine serving

“I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.” – John 17:23 A story is told about F.B. Meyer, the great Bible teacher and pastor who lived a century ago. He

“Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.” 1 Corinthians 7:17a – 1 Thessalonians 5:24 Each of us is called to relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are called by Him, to Him, and for Him. Once we enter that

“The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:24 When I was in my 20’s, I participated in a wilderness-training course in a desert and mountain area. For our “final exam,” we were blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote area.

“We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” – Acts 5:32 So often we as a society equate numbers with success. The larger the conference, the more successful we deem it. The larger a church, the more we believe that God is

“And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ One suggested this, and another that. – 1 Kings 22:20 There are few times we get a glimpse of what goes on in Heaven. Here is one instance when the angels were conferring with the Lord about

“The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.” – Acts 15:12 “I was a pastor for 19 years before I went into business,” said the man sitting across the table from me as we were sharing

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.” – Psalm 143:8 Two of the greatest inventions of my time have been the laptop computer and e-mail. The laptop means I

“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” – Genesis 3:1 God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries-freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us,

…”Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory!….” – 1 Chronicles 4:10 He is mentioned only once in a brief description in the Old Testament, yet what he says and what his life bespeaks could fill volumes. He was a man whom God saw as worthy of a request that had significant consequences

“But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:8 “The root issue you are dealing with is fear. The physical symptom is control, and when you cannot control, you get angry because of unmet expectations.” These were the words

“Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” – Romans 8:14 The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between “good things” and “God-things.” When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert,

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:39 Otto Koning was a missionary in New Guinea. He worked among a native tribe that had known only their village ways. One of those village ways was stealing from others. When Otto and his

Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” – 1 Samuel 9:3 The people of Israel wanted a king. God finally agreed. Samuel was the prophet of Israel who was to anoint

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. – James 1:9 Do you find yourself in humble circumstances? If so, James tells us that we are to take pride in this “high” position. These two things would seem to be an oxymoron. Most of us would not consider humble circumstances

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. – Romans 8:13-14 Joshua and Caleb are described in Scripture as men

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. – Ecclesiastes 5:4 Have you ever had a business relationship with someone who made a commitment but later said, “Well, things changed, so I cannot honor our original agreement.” Sometimes this may be

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” – Matthew 25:21 Testing allows one to discover how well a product is made when placed under extreme stress. Increasing the pulling pressure

And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business? Luke 2:49 KJV Earth is God’s business. He has set up many franchises (churches) designed to send His representatives (Body of Christ) into the world to make known the best product ever

“While they were going out a man, who was demon-possessed and could not talk, was brought to Jesus.” Matthew 9:32 Years ago, it was not uncommon to have your milk delivered to your home. Doctors made house calls. And when you made a call to a company to discuss a problem, you actually spoke to

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Philippians 3:7 George Mueller was a man known for building orphanages by faith in the mid-1800s. He raised literally millions of dollars for his orphanages, yet died with little in his own bank account. When asked about his conversion experience

“The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’” Genesis 41:52 When Joseph was elevated to rule over the Egyptian kingdom, he revealed some profound truths gained from the experiences of his years of adversity. He named his first son, Manasseh for,

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 Eric Liddell was an Olympic runner from Britain who won a gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was a man who had a deep commitment to the Lord and

“I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me-to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” Genesis 14:24 Abraham’s nephew was a man named Lot. Lot was part of Abraham’s household until the land on which they fed their flocks