“You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.” (Haggai 1:9) When the people of Judah returned to ...

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” 25 He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are ...

And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans ...

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  (Isaiah 53:7) Although the above verse was written over 700 ...

Elijah said to the widow, “For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”  (1 Kings 17:14) When someone starts to read through the Old Testament from ...

They answered him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he disregarded the advice that the older men gave him… (1 Kings 12:7-8) When Solomon died, ...

When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: “I am about to go the way of all the earth.” (1 Kings 2:1-2) While we don’t always want to think about it, every person will eventually reach the end of his or her life journey. Death is ...

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) One of the most interesting stories about Christian witness comes from a discussion Mahatma Gandhi had with a Christian missionary, Stanley Jones. Gandhi would often quote Jesus in his teaching and Jones ...

This week Christmas is getting close enough to feel close. For people who have been preparing, the preparations seem to be done and mostly they are waiting. For others, the urgency of needing to prepare is now high enough to be a source of anxiety – “time to paint or ...

Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried. ...

God said, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it.”  (Joshua 1:8) Joshua was selected by God to take over after Moses’ ...