God assures us in Jeremiah 29:11-13 that He is thinking about us, and His thoughts are to give us peace and hope; in other words, He wants us to be safe, well, happy, and to have His favor. His thoughts toward us are not for evil; that is He does not want to afflict us […]
Lamentations, though not identifying the writer, is widely attributed to Jeremiah. The people of God had declined morally in spite of prophetic warnings as recorded in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles; this decline led to their being defeated and carried into captivity. On behalf of the nation the prophet sees himself in their seemingly […]
In 1 John 2:25, 28 God has made a promise, this could be translated as “an announcement with the special sense of promise”. This promise is to all those who receive Jesus as both Savior and Lord, and it is the promise of eternal life. Verse 28 gives us three words that guarantee who will […]
Looking again at the promise of joy we find a classical verse in Nehemiah 8:10, where the returnees from captivity assemble in the open square and Ezra the priest reads extensively from the law of God with a group of Levites meticulously explaining the meaning. This apparently produced sorrow for breaking the law, and repentance, […]
This world is filled with terror, anxiety, uncertainties, and disasters; if our eyes are focused on these, they can become overwhelming. Do you remember the story of Peter walking on the water? When his eyes focused on the surroundings, instead of on Jesus, he began to sink, Matthew 14:30. God has promised to be with […]
An inheritance is something of value that is received from an ancestor, predecessor, or friend; usually by virtue of relationship with them, rather than being earned. Perhaps Paul had family inheritance in mind when writing in 1 Corinthians 12:14, “the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.” […]
Have you ever gotten to a place where the load is so heavy, the burden so great, and the battle so intense and long that you feel you don’t even know how to pray? Take courage, the Bible says “the Spirit also helps our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for […]