All my life I have been analytical. By definition, that means I study and evaluate just about everything. I seek to use logic and reasoning to answer the question that’s always on my mind: “Why?” ...
1 I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. 3 So many enemies against one man— all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a...
Recently, my dad had a falling out with a long-time friend. He’s not entirely sure what caused it, but he suspects that a comment he made one morning over breakfast hurt his friend’s feelings. Dad tried for several weeks to get in touch with his...
7 Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart. 8 Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. 9 Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. 10 Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. 11 Wisdom is even better when you have...
17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. 5 1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine...
1 When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! 2 Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world?...
25 Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country. 26 Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be...
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you...
1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for...
We’ve all been there at some point or another. New job, new church, new school, new neighborhood—what we know and what is familiar and safe is coming to a close and the horizon holds a shiny new idea for us to grab ahold of....
1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah...
Each year from August to May, Grace Church offers an internship called Cultor House. The internship provides recent college graduates with the opportunity to learn and work in the ministry structure, while also gaining experience in another part-time job. ...
I often don’t like what life serves me. I often imagine my days to look different. Then, I am easily discouraged and mad. ...
15 “Suppose a man has two wives, but he loves one and not the other, and both have given him sons. And suppose the firstborn son is the son of the wife he does not love. 16 When the man divides his inheritance, he may...
Proverbs 30:15b-16 15 The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” There are three things that are never satisfied— no, four that never say, “Enough!”: 16 the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire. Ecclesiastes 11:5 5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery...
30 Jacob had intercourse with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Then he worked for Laban another seven years. 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel remained...
2 The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind...
1 Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. 2 For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies? 3 Send out your light and your truth; let...
The desire for control is a creepy thing. It creeps up on us all the time in ways that we don’t even know. It creeps up in our thoughts and in our hearts, affecting our words, actions, and decisions....
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God,...
I am known by a lot of titles—school counselor, friend, church member, therapy dog handler—but the one that is my favorite is “aunt.” I always viewed this as a substandard title compared to “mom” until I went to an Ezer conference. ...
Proverbs 26:27 27 If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead. Romans 12:14-21 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with...
1 Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. 3 Swear...
1 Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. 2 He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth...
8 “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, 9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. 10 Don’t be afraid, for I am...