“That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘they shall never enter my rest’” (Heb 3:10-11). Technology is supposed to make our ability to accomplish things easier and make us

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21). Can a caterpillar fly? If you said, “No,” you would be partially correct. Actually, a caterpillar can fly, but it must have a transformation

“When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely” (Judg 1:28-29). Have you ever hired a contractor to do some work and ended up having to spend time and energy to get him back to finish the job? The small unfinished projects simply irritate you and create

“You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there” (1 Kings 17:4). The prophet Elijah pronounced a drought upon the land because of the sin of Ahab and the nation of Israel. There was only one problem. Elijah had to live in the same land as Ahab. “Now

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days (John 11:17). Mary and Martha were very close to Jesus. The Bible says Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Mary was the woman who came and poured expensive perfume on Jesus and the disciples rebuked her. Lazarus, Mary and

“But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer. . .” (Judg 3:8-9). I often receive requests to help someone whose life is in a difficult place. After a few questions I am able to discern if the Lord has called me to get involved. More often than not,

“They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which He had given their forefathers through Moses” (Judg. 3:4). There is a spiritual truth God revealed in the conquest of the Promised Land recorded in Judges chapter 3: “These are the nations the LORD left to test all

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14). What measurements do you use to define your self-worth? Do you define it based on your financial assets? Is it based on what you have achieved professionally? Perhaps you define your value based on

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35-36). How do you get refueled? When our cars run low on fuel, we simply drop by the local filling station to get more fuel. When our bodies

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their

“To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:8). I walked out of the church parking lot after participating in a training class on hearing the voice of God. As I was talking to a friend I

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position” (James 1:9). Most of us avoid pain. We keep our medicine cabinets loaded with pain relievers. We couldn’t imagine major surgery without an anesthetic. We are so averse to pain that we think God must desire that we will experience pain-free lives.

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Prov 29:2, NKJV). We hear a lot these days about being “politically correct.” It seems we must be sensitive to every group, no matter how that group might negatively impact our lives or violate ethical or moral

“The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (Mark 1:22-23). “It is not enough to simply teach; you must also impart to others,” said my mentor one day. One of the spiritual gifts God has given to me is the

“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you’” (Josh 5:9). A longtime TGIF subscriber, Bill called and asked for my help. I met him in Lake Tahoe and, over a three-hour lunch, he confided to me some of his struggles in his industry. He said that

“So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the LORD made all the nations fear him” (1 Chron 14:17). We live in a day of self-promotion. Marketing firms are hired today to persuade others to view a person or situation in the way they want you to. There are millions of dollars spent annually by

“Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright” (Gen 25:34). Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, he had such great potential? He never lived up to it though.” Esau was the brother of Jacob. He was a

“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by’” (1 Kings 19:11). “I don’t believe that God is in it,” I said to my friend. A situation had arisen in which another friend was about to engage in something they

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (1 Cor 12:12-13). Imagine with me for a moment that you have won a very expensive car. However, in order to receive your prize, you must

“Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:26-28). A rider on horseback, many

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh 8:10). One of the overriding evidences that someone has a genuine relationship with our living Savior is their consistent attitude of joy and outlook on life. A follower of Jesus should not be a person who always looks at life as if

“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life” (Ps 39:4). David accomplished a great deal in his lifetime. However, he also understood life had an end to it and he wanted to make the most of it. He learned to use his

“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). When John Benson decided to make some financial investments in a new business venture, he was very excited about the possibilities for a handsome financial return. His business and financial background had served him well. John felt

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). I have discovered a pattern in the way God speaks to me when I’m faced with major decisions. I will spend a great deal of time seeking direction from Him and asking Him to speak to me regarding a decision.

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1). The desert holds a special place in God’s Word. The Scriptures portray the desert as a place of inspiration and exaltation –

“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25). What type of person does God raise up when a

“But after the men were healed, God told Joshua, ‘today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you’” (Josh 5:9). God is calling thousands of people out of Egypt, out of their old lives of bondage. He’s calling them to become new people, living out His plan for their lives in the Promised

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom 6:4). When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, he took them to the edge of the Red

“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Rom. 6:17-18). Becoming a new person in Christ is part of a life-long journey that begins

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph 1:18-19). Paul’s letter to the Ephesians exhorts believers to experience

“Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her