There are two passages assigned for today! SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 2 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: ‘How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.’ The king asked, ‘Well, how can I help you?’ With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, ‘If…
Author: Norm
grant me success
SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 1 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: ‘O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honouring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favourable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.’ In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer. [Nehemiah 1:11] As followers…
surrender prayer
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 4 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7] As a Jesus follower,…
no Jesus vs. know Jesus
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 3 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. [Philippians 3:8] What Paul claims here is the discovery of all those who choose to follow Jesus – that Jesus is the key to God, to life, to meaning and purpose. The infinite value of knowing…
just like Jesus?
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 2 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared…
my only comfort
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 1 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honour to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for…
marital faithfulness
SCRIPTURE: Ezra 10 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: They were trembling both because of the seriousness of the matter and because it was raining. Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them: “You have committed a terrible sin. By marrying pagan women, you have increased Israel’s guilt. So now confess your sin to the Lord, the God of your…
taking sin seriously
SCRIPTURE: Ezra 9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Your servants the prophets warned us when they said, ‘The land you are entering to possess is totally defiled by the detestable practices of the people living there. From one end to the other, the land is filled with corruption. Don’t let your daughters marry their sons! Don’t take their daughters as…
intense fear and faith
SCRIPTURE: Ezra 8 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. [Ezra 8:21] Ezra had boasted to the king that God would…
the power of God’s favour
SCRIPTURE: Ezra 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his…