Psalm 119:9 NASB95 BETH. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. The word Beth is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means house. In other words, you can see the house name's origin. Bethlehem is Beth (house) of Lehem (bread). Bethlehem is the house of bread. Bethel is Beth (house) of El (God). Bethel is the house of God. So, as I read this text, how can the house of a young man (also means servant) keep his way (life) pure (clea

Nehemiah 2:18 NASB95 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. Has the hand of God been favorable to you? Did you wake up this morning? Are you breathing? Do you have the salvation offered through Jesus? If not, then you do have the opportunity to receive salvation through Jesus. Will you have opportunities to glorif

Micah 6:7-8 NASB95 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? Without the redemption of Jesus through His shed blood on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, the only way to God is perfecti

Nehemiah 11:2 NASB95 And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. The Holy City had become such a dump that, even with its walls rebuilt, people were forced to live there. It had become a city of rubble. It had been deserted, and because it was recognized as God's city, the city of David, and a city of peace, it would be the primary target of any attack. People would have to leave family and friends. They would have to possibly give up their land,

Psalms 129:4 NASB1995 The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked. What does it mean that the Lord is righteous? The theological word book of the Old Testament says it means He is "Just, Lawful, and Righteous. The Holman Illustrated Dictionary says, Righteousness itself is grounded in the character of God. He is righteous, His law is righteous, and He alone credits righteousness to man. Wilson describes it this way; God is a righteous judge, in punishing,

Nehemiah 9:12 NASB1995 And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day, And with a pillar of fire by night To light for them the way In which they were to go. God heard the cry of the Israelites as they were enslaved in Egypt and He guided them. Look at the provision found in God's guidance. He guide them with a pillar of clouds in the day. This was not just a cloud but a pillar of clouds. It showed them the way to go and it provided shade from the immence heat of the sun dur

I was with a friend the other day who was celebrating his 76th. Birthday. As several of us were talking, someone said, 'I never thought I would live to see 50 years.' I remember thinking the same thing. Here I am at 56. If I hadn't seen my 50th birthday I would have missed out on all the precious time (5 years tomorrow) with my granddaughter. I remember when my dad died it really bothered me that my children wouldn't grow up knowing him. They would have very little memory of

Ezekiel 34:15 NASB95 “I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD. I remember as a child we were not a wealthy family, however we had so much. I not only had all my needs provided but I also had many wants as well. I often didn't realize this. God is so good to us yet we miss out on this still today. Just as I did. When I was seventeen I bought a motorcycle. I worked and paid for it by the blessings of God. I enjoyed that bike so much. Then a f

Deuteronomy 26:11 NASB95 and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household. In this season of Thanksgiving, God led me to this verse this morning. This chapter speaks of the Jew who, it says, is to take a tithe from the first fruits of his labor and give it to the Lord. He shall then give a testimony of how God has blessed him from his time of being bound in Egypt to God's salvation an

Acts 19:7 NASB95 There were in all about twelve men. If you just read the verse God took me to for today's Devotional you might immediately jump to the conclusion that it is speaking of Jesus' disciples. In doing so you would be incorrect. These 12 or so men were actually disciples without a teacher. Paul had come to the church at Ephesus and found twelve or so men who were claiming repentance of sin. I wonder if Paul noticed the twelve in number, and did he remember the twel

Ecclesiastes 8:17 NASB95 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover. This morning, I was reading a scientific article about discoveries made in the last several years that provide excellent examples of the Bible's accuracy regarding the creation of man. Discoveries that provide strong

Mark 13:33 NASB95 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. I remember watching baseball and seeing a person in the stands not paying attention when a foul ball hit them in the head. It was a horrible sight. It hit them so hard, and they never saw it coming because they weren't watching. They were at the game but they were not focused on the game. Therefore they were injured. Then there was another time in Little League when the bal

Proverbs 19:5 NASB95 A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will not escape. Proverbs 19:9 NASB95 A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will perish. Proverbs 19:22 NASB95 What is desirable in a man is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor man than a liar. All we see, read, and hear on the news is about the government shutdown. One side says this, the other side says that, and at least one side has to be a liar. I feel that

Thank you to all our veterans! You had a job to do, a responsibility to keep, and you did not back down. Instead, you stood strong in the face of danger. All Christians are given an opportunity to do the same. Veterans have stood strong with an M16, but we as Christians have a vastly more powerful instrument than that. We should stand strong in the power of God, the Creator of all things, with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Our mission, we should accept is

Jesus speaking to the Church at Smyrna says this. Revelation 2:9a NASB95 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich). Most churches have gone through a period of tribulation and financial struggle because the church (body of believers in Christ) has gone through this. In the United States, our definition of tribulation and financial struggle often lacks the meaning that most people around the world associate with these concepts. Even today, in many countries

Many Christians struggle to understand how another Christian can stray away from God for a long period of time. Actually, the more you stay away, the easier it becomes to stay away and the harder it becomes to come back. Some people even stray away while attending church. The writer of Hebrews speaks of such people. Hebrews 3:13 NASB95 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of s

I read somewhere that after an eating contest, the women's winner was asked if she was full. Her response was, Yes, I am extremely full, but I would eat more! This is just like Satan and his attack. I got you, but I'm going to get you more. Ahab was probably the most evil king that Israel ever had. He was under siege by Ben-hadad the king of Aram. Ben-hadad sent to Ahab a message Give me all your gold, silver, wives, and children. Ahab, in his pride, thought, I can give him t

What is the absolute best gift you have ever received? I remember getting a bicycle for CHRISTmas one year as a child. Living in the north, there was snow on the ground and it was impossible to ride in that deep snow. Therefore I rode from the kitchen through the living room down the hall. Then I would turn into the bathroom. Walk it back into the hall and ride back to the kitchen. My brother, who also received a bicycle, did the same. We repeated this over and over for days

Zephaniah 2:2 NASB95 Before the decree takes effect— The day passes like the chaff— Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you. It is amazing to me how fast time seems to fly. I have lived 56 years, and yet it feels like I should be in my early 30s. The time I spent with my children when they were little was such a great time, but it went so fast; it seems like a blur. In our text, God speaks to evil nations, tellin

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. Our God is the God of peace! Our God raises the dead! Our God is the Great Shepherd! Our God gave His blood for the eternal covenant! Our God is