"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined" (Isaiah 9:2 NKJV)Before Jesus came, the world was in spiritual darkness. People were trying to find their way to God through their own efforts, but they kept stumbling. Then Jesus came as the Light of the world.I think of being at the beach, walking or joggi...  Read More

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2 NKJV)Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. This tiny, insignificant town - perhaps just a couple hundred ...  Read More

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4 NKJV)In Galatians 4:4, when it says "the fullness of time," the Amplified Bible says "when the proper time had fully come." God was not early, God was not late. He knew from eternity past when this moment would occur, and at just the right time, God sent forth his Son.At just th...  Read More

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) - "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."1 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV) - "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."In verse 3, Peter says, "if indeed you have ta...  Read More

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." - Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)When I asked Lydia to marry me, I was just 18 years old. I remember being in the jewelry store, looking at diamond rings, and I bought the best I could afford. It has continued to be precious to Lydia, because it was my best. If I had had more money, I would have boug...  Read More

Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. The word “therefore” harkens back to what Paul has previously said in chapters 1-11. He has described what Jesus did on the Cross by paying for the sins of humanity. The first 3 chapters explain how lost every person is ...  Read More

"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." - Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)The word "predestination" often confuses people, but it simply means "to see beforehand a boundary or horizon." Joel Gregory once stated: “When Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians, he wrote it in Greek. He did not writ...  Read More

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)There was a little boy at Christmas time trying to figure out how he could get a little red wagon. His friends were writing letters to Santa Claus, so he thought, "I'll do something even better. I’m going to write a letter to Jesus."He...  Read More

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." - Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)I read about a prison surrounded by barbed wire. To make it look nicer, they planted pear trees along the fence. If you're driving by, the pear trees look pretty, and you might think the prison is a nice place. But if you go inside and look out, all you see is the bar...  Read More

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." - Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)A woman was teaching her child about money. Once he figured it out, the child asked her, "Mom, if you give me a hundred dollars, I'll be good." The mother replied, "Son, why can't you just be good for nothing... like your father?"This fu...  Read More

"To the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the beloved." - Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV)What's the ultimate result of God's eternal plan of salvation? It's simple: "to the praise of the glory of His grace." When we get to heaven, we're not going to be walking around talking about how good we were or how special we were. All the praise will go right up to God.There was a man na...  Read More

"Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the beloved." - Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV)There are two great train tracks in Scripture that run parallel to one another. One is God's sovereignty, which simply means His purpose will never be thwarted by man. The oth...  Read More