Tag: scripture

June 5, 2026

June 5th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Joel 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“After the cutting locusts finished eating the crops, the swarming locusts took what was left! After them came the hopping locusts, and then the stripping locusts, too!”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I learned something I didn’t know before while studying for this.

It wasn’t about the Bible but about insects – grasshoppers to be exact.

The word “locust” has more to do with the behavior of certain grasshoppers than with a biological distinction.

It is the swarming behavior that sets apart certain grasshopper species as locusts.

The four types of locusts mentioned in today’s highlight verse point to different types of behavior of different swarms, not necessarily biological distinctions.

That would explain why there is primarily one type of locust in the Middle East. The same species behaves differently in different swarms.

Regardless of what type of locust did what, they all caused great damage and destruction.

The grasshoppers we have here in North American do not usually swarm.

The ones described in today’s verse cut, swarm, hop and strip.

Not something I would like to witness.

While we may not have a lot of locusts, we have plenty of things that try to invade and attack in several different ways.

They all come down to one enemy trying to mess up our lives in many different ways.

That enemy may attack our bodies, our wealth, our mental health, etc.

This book will give us ways to fight the enemy regardless of its methods. Stay tuned for more.

What “locusts” have you seen used against you in this life?
How do you defend against such attacks?
June 4, 2026

June 4th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 John 1

Highlight Verse:

“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Read that verse again and realize that this was John.

The John who wrote the Gospel and three letters and Revelation.

Good friend to Jesus.

If anyone tries to tell you, “The New Testament was written long after Jesus was around,” just point them to the books written by John, and Peter.

They didn’t just see Him, they hung out with Jesus!

John reclined into Him at the Last Supper.

When he wrote about Jesus, he knew what he was saying.

As we read through these letters, keep your eyes open for the personal insight that John had into the life, teaching, and character of Jesus.

What stood out in this chapter to you?
Did you realize that the Gospel and letters of John were written by a close friend of Jesus’?
How does that change your perspective on John’s books?
June 3, 2026

June 3rd, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Chronicles 28-29

Highlight Verse:

““And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I like the way the NLT translated this verse.

The Hebrew word יָדַע or “yah-DAH” goes way beyond just knowing someone.

It implies a close trusting personal relationship.

David’s charge to Solomon was to go beyond religious head knowledge about God’s history and character.

David had personal history with God and knew God’s character through personal interaction.

He knew the power, mercy, and wisdom of the Father through his interactions with God.

For this reason and for his love of the nation of Israel, he strongly desired this same type of relationship with God for Solomon.

Is your knowledge of God personal and intimate or just head knowledge?
How do you interact with God to get to know Him better?
June 2, 2026

June 2nd, 2026

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 9-10

Highlight Verses:

“Now the Lord said to Moses, “Make two trumpets of hammered silver for calling the community to assemble and for signaling the breaking of camp.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My youngest daughter graduated from high school yesterday.

There were several airhorns present, despite them being expressly prohibited.

They were nothing like Israel’s horns.

They brought disunity as the people who obeyed the rules got annoyed at those who blasted out the ears of anyone in front of them.

Israel’s horns brought unity.

They coordinated their movements through the wilderness.

They called the leaders together for meetings.

They called the people to gatherings.

And they announced the sacrifices that served to cleanse the people from sin.

So, if air horns are not the equivalent of Israel’s great horns, what is?

I thought and prayed about that and came to the obvious conclusion that we don’t have a modern equivalent.

We have Pastors and worship leaders who coordinate the efforts of local bodies of Christ.

Some areas have ministerial associations that help coordinate the efforts of local churches.

Denominations coordinate the efforts of their own groups of churches throughout the world.

But the is no clarion call to bring all the bodies of Christ together.

Or is there?

We are not perfectly coordinated as a world-wide body of Christ, but we have a perfect coordinator.

The Holy Spirit.

When we listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we work as a unified body.

While it is true that we are not always great listeners when it comes to the Holy Spirit (or even half-way decent listeners), when we follow the Spirit’s guidance, there is no limit to what God can do through us.

How do you know when you are hearing the leading of the Holy Spirit?
When has God used you in coordination with others by the leading of the Holy Spirit?
June 1, 2026

June 1st, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 22

Highlight Verse:

“Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Passover involved a good amount of work.

This was often divided among the servants and the women of the extended families.

The heads of the families presided over the meals but rarely helped with the preparation.

Jesus was certainly the head of the group of Apostles but if they were ranked below him, the next in line would be Peter and John.

No one would expect them to be tasked with Passover meal prep.

Except Jesus.

To their credit, Peter and John didn’t complain. They obeyed. Their only question was “where?”

Their willingness was rewarded with seeing Jesus’ words being miraculously fulfilled.

Has God ever asked you to do something that could be considered to be below your status?
How did you react?
If you obeyed, did you see a reward for your actions?
May 31, 2026

May 31st, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Ecclesiastes 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Solomon went on a quest to find meaning in all the different things this world could offer.

And he found the world lacking.

What little meaning he found in this life was only because those things were from God.

He recognized that even the pleasures of this world are gifts from God.

We do well when we recognize that fact and show God gratitude for even the simple parts of life.

What part if everyday life are you the most thankful for?
How do you show your gratitude and obedience to the Lord.
May 30, 2026

May 30th, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Philippians 2

Highlight Verse:

“And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Confession time – after a very long busy Friday, I neglected to write this last night. To make the writing easier this morning, I am borrowing the topic from our small group Bible study last night. We had a good discussion, so I thought it would be good to share it with you.

Epaphroditus was a Greek convert to Christianity who had become a close friend and helper to Paul.

From the way Paul wrote about him, it was clear that he was very important to Paul.

We know that God worked through Paul to heal quite a few people.

Yet nowhere in this chapter does it say that Epaphroditus was healed.

In fact, it is strongly implied that his illness had to run its course. Epaphroditus seems to have recovered through the natural healing process of the body.

During that process, he came close to death.

I’m sure Paul prayed for him.

Why wasn’t he miraculously healed?

First of all, at least in Pentecostal circles, we tend to ignore the amazing creation of the immune system.

God gave our bodies the incredible ability to fight off viral and bacterial attacks as well as to self-repair injuries.

I love it when God bypasses that process to bring immediate healing.

But I believe He still deserves the credit for the natural healing process.

Also, there are times when that healing is eternal; granted through entering eternal life in heaven.

Finally, one abuse of faith that I have seen far too often is people treating God like a genie.

Healing is not magic. It is God’s decision how to bring healing.

I still believe that we should pray with absolute faith in the power of God to heal.

But we should never command God.

He is in charge. He is all powerful and all knowing.

I pray for healing in faith, acknowledging that it is His choice, and I will accept what He chooses.

Have you seen miraculous healings? Tell us about them.
Have you ever been sadly disappointed that someone was not healed?
How did you deal with that disappointment?
May 29, 2026

May 29th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Hosea 13-14

Highlight Verse:

“The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever.”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you read all the way through today’s reading, you know chapter 13 was a tough one.

You come out of that chapter thinking that there’s no hope for Israel.

But hope was not lost.

Chapter 14 is the redemption story to chapter 13.

Chapter 13 is the tough-love story.
Chapter 14 is the prodigal returning home.

Chapter 13 is being stuck in the bottom of a deep dark hole.
Chapter 14 is the rescue ladder being lowered to pull you out of the hole.

Chapter 13 is falling into the grave.
Chapter 14 is resurrection.

No matter how deep we fall into sin, deception, and fear,

Jesus is right there to pull us back from the brink of destruction into glorious life.

Whether it is for you or for someone you love –

never give up hope!

Is there someone you know who seems like they are so far away from God that there is no hope for them? Let the hope of Hosea 14 renew your prayers for that person.
Have you ever been so far down the road to destruction that you felt there was no hope for you? How did you return to hope?

If you need that hope right now, let us pray for you!
May 28, 2026

May 28th, 2026
Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Peter 1-3

Highlight Verse:

“But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I don’t always get things right.

On occasion, I may misunderstand a passage I am trying to present.

That’s not what this passage is talking about.

This chapter presents a good guide to detect a false teacher.
A false teacher may:
- Twist scriptures to cleverly get you to believe that their unique (heretical) teaching is the only way. ( v. 1)
- Deny the deity of Christ. ( v. 1)
- Practice immorality and draw others to it. ( v. 2, 14, 18)
- Find clever ways to get your money. ( v. 3)
- Despise authority. ( v. 10)
- Express disdain or arrogance toward others and supernatural beings. ( v. 10)
- Scoff at what they don’t understand. ( v. 12)
- Promise freedom though they are slaves to sin. ( v. 19)
As I wrote those things down, I realized that today’s world is much like Peter’s.

False teachers abound.

Many teach the false gospel of pride and tolerance.

Some hide their immorality while teaching a false gospel of greed.

Still others feed on pride while teaching a false gospel of exclusive knowledge.

By the grace of God, most churches (at least here in the US) still preach the Gospel of salvation by grace alone by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

If the teacher you listen to can be found described in this chapter, find another teacher.

Have you ever been exposed to a false teacher as described in this chapter? How did you discover that they were false?
What good traits do you see in your teachers/pastors that convince you that they are worth following?
May 27, 2026

May 27th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Chronicles 25-27

Highlight Verse:

“There were 2,700 capable men among the relatives of Jeriah. King David sent them to the east side of the Jordan River and put them in charge of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were responsible for all matters related to God and to the king.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭26‬:‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I just read an article on Facebook about the history of Commerce City, CO (Thanks for posting Jim).

I am fascinated by the stories of how different communities developed and changed over the decades.

Maybe too much so.

I’ve always been a history nerd.

I was a history major in college and intended to be a history teacher (until the college money ran out).

I especially love reading books about local history (of various places – not just here).

The Bible is not a history book in the traditional sense of the term.

It is not intended to chronicle exact dates and precise stories.

It is intended to show how God has worked throughout history.

Armed with the knowledge of how God works in history,

we can position ourselves to have a greater impact for good in our own histories.

In today’s reading, David showed how to manage the skills and callings of the Levites and the military leaders.

He was deliberate in his selections.

And today’s highlight verse shows why.

The purpose was to manage matters related to God and the King.

In other words, they were to help people in their relationship with God and the King.

How have you seen the hand of God in history?
What influence on history do you think you have?

Tag: scripture

The word “locust” has more to do with the behavior of certain grasshoppers than with a biological distinction.

While we may not have a lot of locusts, we have plenty of things that try to invade and attack in several different ways.

This book will give us ways to fight the enemy regardless of its methods. Stay tuned for more.

Good friend to Jesus.

They didn’t just see Him, they hung out with Jesus!

As we read through these letters, keep your eyes open for the personal insight that John had into the life, teaching, and character of Jesus.

I like the way the NLT translated this verse.

It implies a close trusting personal relationship.

He knew the power, mercy, and wisdom of the Father through his interactions with God.

They were nothing like Israel’s horns.

Israel’s horns brought unity.

When we listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we work as a unified body.

No one would expect them to be tasked with Passover meal prep.

Their willingness was rewarded with seeing Jesus’ words being miraculously fulfilled.

And he found the world lacking.

We do well when we recognize that fact and show God gratitude for even the simple parts of life.

Why wasn’t he miraculously healed?

But I believe He still deserves the credit for the natural healing process.

I pray for healing in faith, acknowledging that it is His choice, and I will accept what He chooses.

But hope was not lost.

Jesus is right there to pull us back from the brink of destruction into glorious life.

never give up hope!

I don’t always get things right.

False teachers abound.

If the teacher you listen to can be found described in this chapter, find another teacher.

I’ve always been a history nerd.

It is intended to show how God has worked throughout history.

we can position ourselves to have a greater impact for good in our own histories.