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Photo by Katherine Conrad on Unsplash People want to know how to be truly happy. Advertisers tell us, politicians tell us – but we need to listen to God.  Read Psalm 84! Scripture:        Ezra, chapter 1; Psalms 84 and 85; Luke, chapter 7 Psalm 84:1-7 (CEB): How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord of heavenly forces! My very being longs, even yearns, for the Lord’s courtyards. My heart and my […]

Photo by Ashley Whitlatch on Unsplash Almost everyone knows the “Golden Rule.” But how does Jesus say that “children of the Most High” should live according to the Golden Rule? Scripture:        Daniel, chapters 11-12; Luke, chapter 6 Luke 6:27-36 (CEB): “But I say to you who are willing to hear: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat […]

Photo by Star of the Sea on Unsplash Do you believe in miracles? The answer depends on whether you believe in One who can do them! Scripture:        Ezekiel, chapters 45-46; Luke, chapter 1 Luke 1:26-38 (CEB): When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of […]

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez In Ezekiel 44:23, God tells the priests to teach people the difference between the holy and the ordinary. But what is the difference? Scripture:        Ezekiel, chapters 42-44; Revelation, chapter 22 Ezekiel 44:23 (CEB): They must teach my people the difference between the holy and the ordinary, and show them the difference between clean and unclean. Observations: Symbolic Passages, Concrete Teaching The last chapters of Ezekiel […]

Photo by Arto Marttinen on Unsplash The idea of “heaven” fascinates people. In Revelation 21, John describes the “New Jerusalem.” What does the Bible say about the “New Jerusalem,” and who will live in it? Scripture:        Ezekiel, chapters 40-41; Psalm 128; Revelation, chapter 21 Revelation 21:1-5 (CEB): Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the […]

Photo by jose ramos on Unsplash Many people claim to speak on God’s behalf. But many of those provide worthless and empty visions. The writer of Lamentations warns us about the dangers of listening to such false prophets. We need to wake up! Scripture:        Lamentations, chapters 1-2; Obadiah; Revelation, chapter 14 Lamentations 2:13-14 (CEB): What can I testify about you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what could I compare you? With what could […]

Photo by Anastasiia Balandina on Unsplash People are fascinated by secrets; we want to know something that others don’t. But what about God’s “secrets”? Do we need to know? Scripture:        Ezekiel, chapters 25-28; Revelation, chapter 10 Revelation 10:1-4 (CEB): Then I saw another powerful angel coming down from heaven. He was robed with a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet […]

Photo by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash What do you think of when you think of “the Judgment”? More importantly, why does the Bible talk about judgment? Scripture:        Ezekiel, chapters 22-24; Revelation, chapter 9 Ezekiel 22:13-16 (CEB): I now strike my hands over your ill-gotten gain and blood that’s been shed in you. Will your strength and courage endure when I deal with you? I am the Lord: I […]

Photo by G.F. Erichsen on Unsplash God’s faithful love lasts forever. Would-be human leaders try to scare us into following them. Psalm 118 says, “It’s far better to take refuge in the Lord!” Scripture:        Psalm 118; Jeremiah chapters 21, 24, 27; 1 John, chapter 2 Psalm 118:5-9 (CEB): In tight circumstances, I cried out to the Lord. The Lord answered me with wide-open spaces. The Lord is for me – […]