Author: Norm

SCRIPTURE: Judges 4 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?’ So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. [Judges 4:14]. In this passage we see God working in the midst of human circumstances. We…

SCRIPTURE: Judges 3 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. [Judges 3:9] When the people move away from God, they experience the misery of His absence; when they move towards God, they experience the blessing of His presence….

SCRIPTURE: Judges 2 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. [Judges 2:10-11] Two points catch my attention: first, that the people disobey…

SCRIPTURE: Judges 1 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: If the Lord is asking us to do something, He will provide the necessary resources to do it. The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots. [Judges 1:19] In this opening…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 16 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: We need to be a blessing to other believers beyond our own circle, and not just huddle together with those who are close to us! In this reading we get a glimpse of how the churches can mutually bless and support each other as they serve the Lord in their respective areas:…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Jesus is the guarantee that the good we do in this life will bear fruit in the next life! All good things must come to an end. What a depressing thought. Why bother seeking anything good, it’s only going to end soon. This is what life is like, when death has the last…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 14 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Our gatherings as Jesus-followers ought to be edifying, inclusive and orderly. When the Corinthians met together, their focus was on having powerful, charismatic gatherings. Paul urges them to focus rather on having loving, edifying gatherings. Its great if you have a powerful personal encounter with God, but that is something you can…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 13 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. [1 Corinthians 12:11] Unknown to us, invisible to our eyes, the Spirit works in the church and the world, spreading out God’s gifts, working out God’s purposes, custom designing God’s church. Nothing…