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The priests and diviners of the Philistines said, “Why be stubborn like the Egyptians and Pharaoh?” Even though they didn’t serve the God of Israel, they recognized his power. So why don’t we? Scripture:        1 Samuel, chapters 6-7; Psalm 72; 2 Corinthians, chapter 9 1 Samuel 6:1-9 (CEB): The Lord’s chest was in Philistine territory […] Source link

Rick, Frank, and David Rice (author’s photo) My Dad “My dad passed away last Thursday.” Actually, it was a few Thursdays ago – March 14, to be exact. But that phrase – “My dad passed away last Thursday” – has been stuck in my head ever since then. As time went on, I realized that I was not going to be able to write anything else until I wrote about […]

Photo by trail on Unsplash In Psalm 27, David prays “to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life.” What does that mean for us? What does that look like in our lives? Scripture:        Numbers, chapters 10-11; Psalm 27; Mark, chapter 1 Psalm 27 (CEB): The Lord is my light and my salvation. Should I fear anyone? The Lord is a fortress protecting my life. Should I […]

Photo by Alec Krum on Unsplash The Israelites saw God’s presence in “the Lord’s cloud”; that enabled them to know the Lord’s command. But “knowing” and “doing” are two different things! Scripture:        Numbers, chapters 8-9; Acts, chapter 28 Numbers 9:15-23 (CEB): On the day the dwelling was erected, the cloud covered the dwelling. At night until morning, the cloud appeared with lightning over the dwelling. It was always there. The […]

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash In Numbers 6, God tells Moses to have the priests bless the people. The first line of that blessing is, “The Lord bless you and keep you.” How does God want to bless us? Scripture:        Numbers, chapters 5-6; Psalm 22; Acts, chapter 26 Numbers 6:22-27 (CEB): The Lord spoke to Moses: Tell Aaron and his sons: You will bless the Israelites as follows. Say […]

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash Leviticus 25 reminds us that the land belongs to God; we are just “immigrants and foreign guests” here. How should that influence how we live? Scripture:        Leviticus, chapter 25; Psalms 25-26; Acts, chapter 22 Leviticus 25:23 (CEB): The land must not be permanently sold because the land is mine. You are just immigrants and foreign guests of mine. Observations: “The Land Is Mine” In […]

Photo by Harry Gillen on Unsplash Who can stand in God’s presence? Psalm 24 tells us, “those with clean hands and a pure heart.” But what exactly does that mean? Scripture:        Leviticus, chapters 23-24; Psalm 24; Acts, chapter 21 Psalm 24 (CEB): The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too. Because God is the one who established it on the seas; God set […]

Photo by Ali Kazal on Unsplash God’s grace means more than “just” forgiveness. Paul says that the message of grace means changing hearts and lives! Scripture:        Leviticus, chapters 20-22; Acts, chapter 20 Acts 20:17-24 (CEB): From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus calling for the church’s elders to meet him. When they arrived, he said to them, “You know how I lived among you the whole time I was […]

Photo by Jakob Stenqvist on UnsplashAll of us face difficult, even overwhelming, challenges in our lives. How do we hold to our faith in hard times? Scripture:        Leviticus, chapters 18-19; Psalm 13; Acts, chapter 19 Psalm 13 (CEB): How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I be left to my own wits, agony filling my heart? Daily? […]