2 Corinthians 2:4 NASB95 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you. "This hurts me more than it hurts you." The old saying that was said before the spanking comes. I imagine we have all heard it and within moments disagreed with it. However, there is much truth to the statement when we understand that hurt can be both physical and em

Philippians 4:19 NASB95 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. We have all seen those reality shows where a family is struggling, and a group comes in, builds them this big, extravagant house, and gets them this nice car loaded with all the options. Then they leave, and you wonder how they will make it. They don't have a job to pay utilities. They don't have money for gas or insurance. Did they really help them? God's help is

I saw what appeared to be clouds reaching the ground. As I rode in that direction, I realized they did not move east or west. They didn't drift to the north or the south. All they did was rise further in the sky. As I camped that night on the wide open plain. I could see as the sun set, that they were mountains and not clouds. As I rode the next day they continued to rise bigger and bigger. They just continued to grow in my sight. I imagined camping in those mountains tonight

Ezra 9:9 NASB95 “For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. Solomon Northup was a free black man in New York State in 1840. Married to Anne Northup, and with three children, Solomon was known for his talent as a violinist. In 1841, he left with two men to work

1 John 5:3-4 NASB95 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Mankind has attempted to reduce love to simply an emotion, but it is so much more. Love is determined. You can decide to love. If you strive to love because you decide to love then you will take loving action. Our text says this is the love of Go

"Impossible is nothing." "Like a Rock." "Built Ford Tough." "Just Do It." "Own Your Own Tomorrow." "Have It Your Way." "Gives you Wings." "Opportunity / Strength / Miracles. What We Deliver By Delivering." You have probably heard some or all of these taglines before. They are listed as some of the best advertising taglines in history. They all have something in common. They all project strength and power. They are designed to make you think that with their product, you can a

Acts 28:28 NASB95 “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” What a great proclamation for all people in the world who are not Jews. Paul made it clear that the salvation offered by Jesus is available to all. Anyone who will listen to the gospel and believe in faith that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead will be saved. I am deeply thankful for Paul's willingness to make this statement,

Hebrews 13:20-21 NASB95 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Moses had a speech problem. Jeremiah was young and cried a lot. Gideon was afraid. Ruth was a widow in a foreign country. Hosea's wife was unfait

When driving on some of the roads in our great nation, it might surprise you to know that the United States of America has possession of over $1.09 trillion worth of road pavement material in storage. That is right; as you drive through those potholes, right now, sitting in storage is $1.09 trillion worth of pavement. Owned by the federal government. Where is this pavement stored? Well, it is kept in four locations the most well-known is called, the Fort Knox Gold Depository.

Some people can be told and they will learn from what they hear or read. Yet others need to see it happen, to learn. They must be shown. They are visual learners. Yet others still, have to do it for themselves, to learn. God throughout Scripture teaches in each of these ways. He used Ezekiel to teach in all these ways, in our text today. This was extremely hard for the prophet, but as we will see, God leaves no one out, when it comes to sharing His righteous desire for humani

Song of Songs 5:16 NASB95 “His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” The bride has spent 6 verses attempting to describe the groom but she fails to give him the glory for which he deserves. She finishes by attempting to summarize him as a whole. His mouth is full of sweetness. Sweetness refers to honey. The TWOT suggest that it is used figuratively for gracious and pleasant things includin

Imagine a person who wants what is best for his family, so to avoid the decline of morality he takes them to a deserted island where he plans on raising them away from the immorality of civilization. They have plenty of fish to eat and edible plants but no drinking water. He tries to capture rainwater but can not get enough to survive. He then decides he needs to dig a well to find water. He gets up every morning and begins to dig for water. At the end of the day, having not

There are many landowners worldwide. In the United States the largest continuous ranch, or privately owned land is the King Ranch. It is over 825,000 acres and is larger than the state of Rhode Island. Stan Kroenke owns over 2.7 million acres of land in the United States, and there are several others who own around 2 million acres. Then there are Scott and Stacey Dunaway who own a massive 2.2 acres of land in the State of TN. Land ownership has for a long time been a status

Leviticus 27:32 NASB95 ‘For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. As the Jews tithed they tithed of their assets. If a man was a shepherd, then he would tithe sheep. If he raised cattle he would tithe cattle. If he was a grain farmer then he gave one tenth of his grain. The way they did this was to have a narrow gate. As they brought the sheep, cattle, or bundles of grain through the gate they would have a r

Romans 7:5-6 NASB95 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. I have heard people say, "If we are free in Christ and held in the security of salvation, then I will just live like Hell." Their thought is, if I

A few years ago, when I was on social media, I used to see posts come across with a quiz or questions. I never did them but they were supposed to reveal your go-to person. The title would be things like " Are you my final ride, my ride or die, my lifeline, my support, my backbone, my backup, my six, and many more. The basic thought was, answer these questions, and let's see who knows me best and is the one person I can trust to be with me until the end. The truth is every pe

Esther 10:3 NASB95 For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. When the story of Esther begins Mordecai was just an average person living in the capital city. There appeared to be nothing special about him. That is except for the fact that he was a caring person. He took care of the daughter of his uncle after he

Lions have flat, square-shaped vocal cords that vibrate very efficiently to produce low-frequency, guttural sounds. These deep frequencies carry exceptionally well over long distances. It is said that a lion's roar can be heard over 5 miles away. It can strike fear in the heart of a lion's enemy, and it can call the pride, or family group, together. A lion's roar is often used to call and unite the group in a single area. They will know the King of the jungle has called them

Mark 4:12 NASB95 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.” The disciples ask Jesus why He speaks in parables. Our text is His explanation. In the previous verse He says, Mark 4:11 NASB95 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, Those who have believed by faith, the Kingdo

Psalm 38:17-18 NASB95 For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. The anguish of sin in the life of a follower of Christ is extreme. There are many different types of pain. Physical, Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual pain can all cause great suffering. All suffering is ultimately traced back to sin. This is because sin is what caused the fall of man in the first place. There was no