I have always been fascinated by the description of the four rivers that flowed out of Eden (Gen. 2:10-14), but it has been a while since I have considered them. The Gihon and the Pishon are the two mysterious rivers. I am especially intrigued by the description of the land of Havilah (“where gold is…
Shaped BY the cross into the shape OF the cross
Here is my goal for 2019 (and 2020 and 2021): I plan to do a daily Bible reading. I will be following the “Every Word in the Bible” reading plan for the next three years or so. Most days, it involves reading just one chapter. I plan to read the chapter in a translation I…
I heard this analogy recently, and I absolutely love it: You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? “Well because someone bumped into me, of course!” Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee…
On a visit to New York, an Englishman and a Scotsman go to a pastry shop. The Englishman whisks three cookies into his pocket with lightning speed. The baker doesn’t notice. The Englishman says to the Scotsman: “You see how clever we are? You’ll never beat that!” The Scotsman says to the Englishman: “Watch this, a Scotsman is always…
Last night, in our Bible class, we talked about the importance of taking time every day to spend time alone with God. Even Jesus saw the need to get away from the crowds to be alone in prayer (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). In those quiet times, prayer is important. So is Bible reading.…
God our Father, you intend us to be the body of Jesus Christ, your Son. You expect us to be a voice to speak for him, hands to work for him, feet to go for him. Without your help the church can never be what you mean it to be. Cleanse the church from all…
In Old Testament (and, even today, in some parts of the world), a well was an extremely valuable commodity. It was a necessity for human survival and for the well-being of livestock. It’s not surprising, then, that a well was often a source of contention as people argued about who owned the well. For example,…
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4) I was recently reading Steve DeWitt’s book, “Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything” and…
“Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.” (Proverbs 19:20, NLT) Tommy Bolt, winner of the 1958 US Open, tells a story of something that happened during one of his golf tournaments. Bolt arrived at the golf course for the tournament and was approached by a youngster, “Mr.…
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to keep, and a time to cast away.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,6) This past week, I made one of the most painful decisions I have ever made. I decided to quit sending out Thought For The Day, a devotional message I have sent…