We have now read the first five books of the Old Testament, and the first book of the New Testament. As Jesus commissioned His disciples even so Moses passed the…
When God deals with His children He doesn’t forget discipline. When we break His law, that law will break us. Obedience keeps us in the place of blessing. This is…
Joshua 1:8 captures what the book of Joshua is all about. Let me encourage you to memorize it: “Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth. …
Former president of America, Richard Nixon, wrote in his book, Six Crises: “The most difficult time of a crisis is preparing for it. The easiest time is during the crisis. …
There are important lessons to learn from Joshua, chapters 7-10: Israel’s battles with the people of Ai, the peace treaty they signed with the Gibeonites and the battle they fought…
In our last visit we looked at the book of Joshua, chapter 14, and began a biographical study of the life of Caleb, using the material found in this chapter. …
If you’re in leadership as a Christian you are called upon to be a servant leader. What does that mean? Well, look at Joshua 19:49-51. Prior to this you read…
Two times in the closing chapters of Joshua he declares, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (21:45). And…
As I was reading Joshua chapter 24 I came across an impact statement. Joshua challenges the children of Israel to choose for themselves whom they were going to serve. Then…
Are you a listener, participating in reading through the Bible in two years? If you are, we’re now ready to start the Book of Judges. To “read it through in…
In our last visit I introduced some thoughts on the Book of Judges. This is a book that emphasizes that if we are not careful we will pollute our possessions…
The book of Joshua closes with Joshua declaring, “Me and my household will serve the Lord.” Judges 2:10 reads, “After (Joshua’s) generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation…
No matter how bad things get in society God always finds a man or woman who’s ready to stand in the gap. The book of Judges illustrates this. When Israel’s…
In the cases we’ve studied in the book of Judges it’s apparent: parents had a lot to do with how their children turned out. It’s obvious that a significant life…
In the final chapters of Judges you find a convoluted story, as sordid as any you’ll find. Let’s do an inductive study of these chapters. Start by identifying what is…
In our last visit we started an inductive study of chapters 17-21 of the book of Judges. It’s a convoluted and sordid account of the destructive power of sin. Now…
Continuing to read about the times when Judges ruled in Israel we come to the book of Ruth. If you’ve been reading a couple of chapters each day this year…
In our last study we surveyed what the book of Ruth was about. One designation – Kinsman-Redeemer – is mentioned a number of times. Understanding what a Kinsman-Redeemer is will…
Andrew Murray wrote, “Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds you abased and empty, His glory and Power flow in” Jesus said,…
Samuel was born as a direct result of desperate prayers by his mother, Hannah. Once weaned from his mother, she took him to Jerusalem and gave him to the service…
Often the meaning of a verse or portion of the Bible revolves around the meaning of one key word. I call that an “Insight word.” Take the word “Ichabod” in…
Samuel had reason to get discouraged from time to time. In 1 Samuel 8:3 it says, “His sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain…
Saul was a king who drifted further and further away from God. Samuel was God’s servant who had anointed Saul and now tried helping him stay on the straight and…
In our last visit we saw the tragic moment when Saul crossed the line of no return. Even though he confessed his sin, the clock could not be turned back. …
Today I want us to reflect on an impact statement that introduces us to David. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. …
You don’t need to promote yourself when you are a man or woman after God’s own heart. We saw in our last visit that God selected David because of what…
We’ve seen in our reading of 1 Samuel some interesting things about David. Let’s continue our study of his life. In a biographical study collect information about the person you’re…
I’ve encouraged you on this program beginning this year to set a goal of reading through the Bible during the next two years. To do this you need to read…
In the opening chapters of 2 Samuel we see David being established as the king of Israel. In chapter 5:13 it says “After he left Hebron, David took more concubines…
David’s life is best understood by considering his interaction and relationships with other people. In 2 Samuel 12 Nathan the prophet reappears. He had a tough assignment to confront David…
Absalom brought more heartache to David than any other of his sons. He was a brash, scheming young man, who deceived his father, fled for his life, and ultimately usurped…
Whenever we celebrate the accomplishments of great people we should always take a second look. It’s been said, “Behind every great man is a woman.” In David’s case it could…
2 Samuel ends with a fascinating account of David’s humanness and humility. He asked Joab to number the fighting men of Israel, resorting to the tendency all of us struggle…
In 2 Samuel 24 it says that God stayed the plague that struck Israel, at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David then followed the advice of Gad the…
We’ve looked at the life of David found in 1 and 2 Samuel. In our studies we’ve highlighted some major events, relationships and outcomes in his life. Now let’s correlate…
Misused privilege is the greatest of tragedies. This impact thought developed in my mind and heart as I read the book of 1 Kings. If you’re reading through the Bible…
One of the most powerful impact statements I’ve found is in 1 Kings 1. Unfortunately it hit me after my children were already adults. David was on his deathbed. Adonijah…
Read carefully the charge David gave his son Solomon recorded in 1 Kings 2. Take charge, but be sure you do so in a way that’s consistent with God’s Word. …
One of the most inspiring prayers in the Bible is recorded in 1 Kings 8. When Solomon finished building the temple and had the ark placed in the Most Holy…
Solomon was very wise and wealthy. He stood alone, peerless, in his day. But he had a flaw as seen in 1 Kings 11: Solomon loved many foreign women. The…
Elijah was a man of God with a dynamic ministry. He raised a woman’s son from death among other miracles. The most dramatic event surrounded his challenging the priests of…
Who, What, Why, Where, When and How. Answering these 6 questions helps to understand a portion of the Bible like 2 Kings 5. Naaman and Elisha are the main…
Leadership can either make or break a project. 2 Kings 12 describes a project Joash the king initiated to repair the temple. He established how monies were to be collected…
Hezekiah was a great king of Judah. Let’s do a study of 2 Kings 18-20, dealing with his life. Reflecting on this material I gave the section the title: Doing…
In our last visit we identified a title, key verses and significant truth for 2 Kings 18-20. We also considered some cross-references and questions arising from what is said. Then…
If you find the world around you in a hopeless, sinful state, with the judgment of God hanging over everything, what should you do? Josiah became king of Judah at…
Today I would like to introduce you to the book of 1 Chronicles. This is about where you should be if you’ve been reading through the Bible in two years. …
When you start reading 1 Chronicles you might be discouraged by all the genealogical listing of names. But as I read the lists I was surprised to find my nickname,…
David was a fortunate man. God gifted him uniquely, used him mightily and gave him men and munitions to accomplish victories necessary to gain the throne and become established as…
Prayer always plays an important role in God’s economy. In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, Jabez was declared more honorable than his brothers. Why? Because he prayed for God’s blessing. He prayed…
We must always beware of impulsive actions in our walk with God, especially in our worship of God. I was reminded again of this in reading 1 Chronicles 13 &…
In our last visit we noted in 1 Chronicles 13 that David and the people neglected an important element in their attempt to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. …
We’ve been doing an inductive Bible study of 1 Chronicles 13 & 15, where the events related to David bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem are described. We started…
In the midst of David’s triumphs, described in 1Chronicles, you find a truth we should always remember. 1st Chronicles 21:1 says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to…
David wanted to build a temple for God, but God said his son would build it. David responded well to this. In fact, we can learn much about humbly trusting…
We’ve been doing a focus and amplify study of 1st Chronicles 22-29. We identified the focus as: Helping Others Succeed. This was amplified by seeing how David prepared resources, materials…
Today we begin looking at 2nd Chronicles in our project of reading through the Bible in the next two years. If you haven’t been reading with us, why not start…
What would you request if God approached you and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you”? Solomon’s answer in 2nd Chronicles 1:10 was, “Give me wisdom and…
In 2nd Chronicles 6 you find Solomon’s prayer offered at the dedication of the magnificent temple he built for God. There is much to be learned from what he said…
In our last visit we were studying the prayer of Solomon found in 2nd Chronicles 6. We asked, what does this prayer have to say about God and about humans? …
We’ve been studying Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple he built for God. In 1 Chronicles 5:13 and 7:3 you find the statement, “God is good; his love…
Today I’d like to do a focus and amplify study of 2 Chronicles 12:1-8. When I read these verses a number of times, I determined the focus was that God…
In our last visit we looked at II Chronicles 12:1-8. We were doing a focus and amplify study of this portion. The focus I determined and shared with you is…
Have you ever seen the bumper sticker, “If you don’t sense God’s presence, guess who moved?” It captures a truth found in II Chronicles 15, beginning in verse 1: “The…
In 2 Chronicles 20 you’ll find some exciting things to help us live as God wants us to live when facing difficulties. 2 Chronicles 20 describes a problem Jehoshaphat the…
In our last visit, we studied 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, had a problem. A godless nation was conquering all the cities around Jerusalem and promised to…
There’s a fascinating story in 2 Chronicles 25. It’s about the life of king Amaziah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly, it…
One of the tragedies mentioned repeatedly in 2 Chronicles is kings who lived good lives, but didn’t finish well. To illustrate, consider Asa, beginning at chapter 14, Jehoshaphat, beginning at…
If you’ve been listening to this program for some time I trust you’ve been encouraged to participate in the adventure of reading through the Word of God in two years. …
In our last visit we introduced the Book of Ezra. The way to success for the Jewish people who returned to Jerusalem from captivity was to be separated wholly unto…
In our last visit, we were studying Ezra 8:21-23. After spreading out the information in these verses, we structured it into an outline. Ezra’s testimony was point one. He affirmed…
In our last visit we began a study on the topic of prayer. We collected the information we could find on prayer in the Book of Nehemiah, and then correlated…
How does revival start? If you read extensively about revival, you’d find many diverse conditions prompt people to cry out to God until He answers. In Nehemiah 8-10, you have…
Have you ever celebrated an accomplishment, or been a part of a group celebrating an accomplishment? If you think this necessarily would be self-serving, think again. We’ve been studying the…
Nehemiah 13 presents a discouraging picture for anyone in leadership. I’ve always looked at Nehemiah as a great example of successful leadership. To see how fast the people compromised themselves…
I hope you’re continuing to read through the Bible along with others. I’ve benefitted from my reading of God’s Word and preparing these programs. If you’ve benefitted from it I…
As I read the book of Esther I came away with the strong sense that the focus of the book was on making wise decisions. Knowing that it’s important to…