Was your cup filled today? If the words of God had special meaning for you, please share your reflections in the comments section at the end of each post. We would love to hear Christ's impact on you.

Gracious God and most merciful Father, You have given us the rich and precious jewel of your holy Living Word. We pray the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds to Your teachings. We pray that the same Word may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to further reform us. May we continue to be molded into your own image, to build us up and sanctify us into the perfect dwelling place of Your son Christ Jesus, and increase in us all heavenly virtues. For this,

" Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep."(Acts 7:58-60 ESV) Remember Deacon Stephen, the man “full of grace and power, ”  has had false charges given about his sp

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief;   when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10 ESV) Today, I am probably going to ruffle some feathers. God called Isaiah as His prophet. In doing so, Isaiah wrote several messiah prophecies, all of which Christ fulfilled. Yet despite God’s completed and successful plan of redemption, the Fa

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26 ESV) This promise of transformation, spoken by God to His prophet Ezekiel, is a beacon of hope for all of us, a testament to the miraculous power of God's salvation process. God spoke these words to His prophet Ezekiel. This is part of a message God was sending to Israel. Today, for us, this speaks of the

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1 ESV) If Paul were to ask this question, what would the answer be? While this was a rhetorical question answered by Paul, many of the “Christians” in today’s churches would not answer it in the same way he did. Today, this question causes many to tremble. Grace has been hijacked, twisted, and the power of grace has been lost by a society of Christians who have veered from the true gospel. It

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1 ESV) When Jesus spoke these words, several things had already happened. Peter had denied Christ, as Jesus had professed. Judas had been indicated as the betrayer of the Son of God, and the apostles were told of the Lord’s pending departure. What troubling times. On this side of the cross, we know the outcome; however, the apostles lived what we now read in Scripture. These men had given up every

"And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." (Acts 8:1-3 ESV) Chapters 8 through 9:31 introduce a young Pharisee Named Saul

Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the blessings which you have given me; for all the pains and insults which you bore for me. The pain and insults I receive in Your name, which strengthen me in You. O most merciful Redeemer, my friend, my brother, may I come to know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day, month by month, and year by year. Without you, I am an empty shell, but with I in You, and You in me, my cup runneth ov

“And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” (Esther 4:14 ESV) Our story of how God protected His chosen people from destruction throughout the Persian empire continues. Remember th

“ If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22 ESV) Today, many begin to lose their ability to obtain food. The world looks on as the United States government is closed. A laugh to many in other countries, humiliating as an American, and our leaders purposely hurt the very ones they swore to protect. Many are asking why. My answer is consistently the same: this world is in control of Satan. My second response is always from Pr

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.   He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3 ESV)   Practically everyone knows some or all of Psalm 23. You have heard it at most funerals, and we often reach for it in our times of trouble. While this is true, many misunderstand the shepherd's principle in our salvation and daily lives. When we look at the idea of the shepherd in biblical history, many great men like

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.” (Romans 8:1-3 ESV) The eighth chapter of Romans is probably one of the best chapters Paul wrote. The opening verse is very clear on our standing with God upon our salvation by grace through faith in Christ. D. L. Moody pointed out that wh

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,   while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” (Luke 23:44-45 ESV) At the time of the crucifixion in the sixth hour, Luke writes that the sun was darkened. What is interesting is that He used the Greek word ἐκλιπόντος (eklipontos, Strong’s 1587 [e]) which means eclipse. If you have ever seen a total eclipse of the sun, you know it is just like ni

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.…” (Ephesians 6:1-2 ESV) Paul provides us with directions for the Christian household, using a verse that has been misinterpreted by some in the Church for thousands of years. Verse 22 states,  “Wives be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”  Remember the process we need to go through to understand what the aut

Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of your brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of your wisdom. All our desire is known to you; therefore, perfect what you have begun, and what your Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek your face, turn your face to us, and show us your glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect. We pray, in Christ's name, Amen Modernized (Au

“And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” (Esther 3:5-6 ESV ) Most of us are familiar with the story of Queen Esther in the Old Testament; some of you may even be able to locate The Book of Esther in your Bib

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,” (John 5:39 ESV) Usually, the Book of Esther is seen as a book of morality. For women, it is about compliance and bravery. For men, it is about being wise and about having faith in God. Of course, for all of us, it is about being proud and boastful, and the troubles these can cause in one's life. However, there is more to Esther than morality; there is t

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 ESV) From the text, we know Peter is writing to those dispersed, meaning Jewish Christians, living in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. In today’s text, Peter is writing about something difficult for all of us at some time in our lives: forgiving. The old adage of “an eye for an eye” is not what Christ taug

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV) These words come from the prophet Jeremiah to Israel during their exile to Babylon. Living under Nebuchadnezzar, God told Israel to live even though captive, to build houses and have families. God also warned about false teachers, prophets, and diviners. These were always present and always led Israel away from God. Despite Israel

“Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31 ESV) What is the meaning of boldness? Well, the AI defines being bold as having the courage to take risks, face fears, and speak up without being reckless or aggressive. It involves confidence, daring, and a willingness to act despite potential dangers, and can also refer to something conspicuous, imaginative, or immodest. It also means a willingness