Luke 2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. Years ago, while pastoring my first church, I knew a family that left a child behind. They did some shopping at Walmart. Pretty sure […]
Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.I recall my dad’s story concerning him and my grandpa using a crosscut saw.This was […]
Mark 10:43-44 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. The absolute greatest honor any child of God can experience is being a servant! We are never more like Jesus than […]
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. For so many in this world there is One Thing keeping […]
Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. The word minister in our text simply means… to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve! Great […]
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. In the prior verses we read… count it all joy when you fall onto divers temptations… how is that possible? When we realize that God is developing us even in the midst of the trialsof life, we […]
1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. The scripture teaches us that God opens doors that no man can shut, and that our Lord closes doors that no man can open. The Apostle Paul understood this truth. When I look back on my life, […]
Mark 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. Notice in our text there are two very different responses to the actions and teachings of Jesus. While some are astonished at His doctrine, others […]
Mark 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;17…My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have […]
Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. There’s a little joke I heard years ago… What two days of the week begin with the letter T… today, and tomorrow!Someone wisely said… Yesterday is a canceled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is all […]
Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. In the early church there were men and women who would rather die than to succumb to the whims of men. Some actually did die, think of Stephen, while others were beaten and tortured for their […]
1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. The Christian life is about freedom!Jesus told us… ” If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Our text today may seem odd in a […]
Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Have you ever heard someone say… ” For God’s sake, do this or that, or stop this or that?” Sometimes this phrase is used out of desperation and is actually using God’s name in vain. David uses […]
Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. David was faithful with the sheep he had the responsibility to care for. Daniel was faithful to pray. A decree was passed that a petition should […]
Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. Smaller things can sometimes be the key to big blessings!It was […]
Exodus 5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. Listen to Pharaoh’s question… Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice? The ultimate form of pride is on full display. I’m reminded […]
1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Black ice can present a very hazardous condition. The main reason it is so dangerous is because it’s usually too late before you discover it. When you experience black ice while driving a car it’s too late to hit the […]
Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.From the foundation of the world our Lord understood his mission. He knew that He would be born in a sinless manner, He would […]
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. In the days of Jesus many were blind to who He was, as well as what He was able to do. Even though […]
Amos 3:8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Charles Haddon Spurgeon said… “Scripture is like a lion. Whoever heard of defending a lion?” The Word of God need not be defended, but it must be proclaimed in order to accomplish it’s purpose in the […]
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Notice that our Lord never instructed us to keep ourselves in perfect peace, but rather to trust in Him, for He’s the only one who can do such a thing! In the book of Jude […]
Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Seeking the Lord will help us to sow right. We must remember the law of the harvest… we reap what we sow, we reap […]
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. About once or twice a year I have the opportunity to go fishing with my son. He has a real nice boat, and some real nice equipment to fish with. Every once in […]
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. Then… Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, I don’t know about you, but I love bread with a meal. We did Italian for […]
1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. As we begin […]
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. In life, we have a choice, focus on the temporal, or focus on the eternal. Have you […]
Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Can you imagine a time and a place where there is NO MORE SORROW? That is exactly what […]
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. There are two kinds of sorrow in the world… sorrow of those who are Bible believers, and sorrow of those who are not. The believer does […]
Isaiah 50:6-7 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I […]
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. When Jesus first appeared to His disciples behind closed doors Thomas was not present. When the disciples informed Thomas that Jesus was alive he said… “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger […]
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, […]
Matthew 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. In life, there […]
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. From the very beginning, it was evidenced that the Son of God’s tenure on the earth would be much different than most. In Christmas […]
Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Can you imagine for a moment being […]
Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. […]
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. The tongue is a little member that has the potential to be used in a big way for God and good. At the same time it can be like a small match that ignites a […]
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: If someone were to ask you… Why do you go to church? … Why do you read […]
1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;Let’s think of some examples of Bible characters who faced hardship with great faith. Joseph first comes to mind. He was hated by his brethren, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and even […]
Proverbs 23:22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Hearken… Listen up! I well remember a time as a teenager that I truly believed my dad just needed to get with it! I knew so much, my old dad knew so little. Then something happened… I […]
Hebrews 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.Egypt in the Bible is a type of the world. No doubt there are riches to be had in this world. What Moses discovered is there are riches that are out of […]
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.Why forgive? Because God said so! If in fact you are a child of God, then you have experienced God’s mercy in forgiveness. We all violated God’s law, thereby we are guilty of the […]
Haggai 2:19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.The seed of God’s word is perfect! Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the […]
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Pastor Rick Vannoy Dec 31 1959- ? There’s the day our birth, then there’s the day of our death. That is to be […]
Psalm 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. When David kept silent, his sin was eating at him on the inside. My dad and I were contractors years ago. Several times in our work we were called upon to inspect a dwelling to find out why […]
Genesis 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Actually, in a sense we can hide. We can hide from man but we can’t hide from God! Adam and Eve sinned and it cost them dearly. They were expelled from […]
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Today, it may seem that God has forgotten Israel. Not so! God has a […]
Psalm 26:1 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.Perhaps you remember a fun activity called “Slip n Slide”Placed on a hill with water sprinkling on the plastic, slide on your belly or back all the way to the bottom. […]
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. This same passage is repeated in Proverbs 16:25. I don’t hurt people, I don’t cheat people, I’m a good person… surely that will gain me favor with God. I go to church, I give […]
Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Oh how you and I that are saved should praise God for our good Shepherd. We have someone to lead us and to feed us. Someone to walk […]
Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,In Psalm 23 David says… The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Our verse in Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the great shepherd of […]
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Let’s examine this verse that we might have genuine confidence in our Lord… First, are you confident that by faith you are his child? Many will never […]
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Truly, no one ever cared for you like Jesus! With the Christmas season approaching, we stop a moment to acknowledge that there are many who feel forgotten. The enemy tries to isolate us, that he might devour us.Peter wants us to […]