Then God said to him in the dream, "Indeed, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also held you back from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her . Genesis 20:6 In Genesis 20, Abraham moves his household from the region around Mamre south toward the border of the land of Canaan. Scripture does not tell us the reason for this move. He settles his people in Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur. Gerar was south of Gaza, near the coast o

Enoch walked with God; Genesis 5:21b Three men are recorded to have walked with God: Enoch, Noah, and Moses. What does it mean to have walked with God? When Cathy and I were in our thirties and had all five Children under ten, we didn't have much free time or money. But, we made one thing a priority in our lives. We walked together almost every day. We would walk up and down the road between two cul-de-sacs. The kids would ride their bikes or play in the front yard. When we w

I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins . Isaiah 43:25 If you are like me, you remember things you have done that you are not proud of. You may have lost your temper, stolen something as a teenager, cheated on a test, lied to get out of trouble, or committed countless sins. We might not have forgotten, but if you belong to Christ, God the Father has forgotten them. Paul wrote to the Romans, "Therefore there is

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures , 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Today, we gather as the Bride of Christ to celebrate His victory over death. This Sunday is glorious, and because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, we can cry out, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Je

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? 1 Corinthians 15:55 You can't run from it, you can't hide, you can’t make a deal with death, it will find you. It will come for all of us. Christian and non-Christian. Rich or poor, young or old, no one is immune from the power of death. However, there is a gap as wide as the deepest ocean between what happens to those who belong to Christ and those who have rejected Him. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, drilled t

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law . Galatians 5:22-23 Throughout history, there have been people who counterfeit the original and people who impersonate others. Some people will pose as veterans for benefits and favors only veterans deserve. It is called stolen valor and is a crime only if the person tries to financially benefit from saying they are a ve

Oh, fear Yahweh, you His saints; For there is no want to those who fear Him . Psalm 34:9 At first, it seems uncharacteristic of God that He would command his followers to fear Him. We must understand what fearing God means. It does not mean being afraid of Him. All believers are called to fear Him, but we have no need to be afraid of Him. In fact, if you are afraid of God, you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior. A non-believer needs to be afraid of God, very afraid. Jesus wa

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord . 1 Corinthians 15:58 All of us have regrets in this life. You might have regretted relationships you have had,  purchases you have made, jobs you have settled for, or decisions that have affected your health. But, there is one regret that a Christian will never have: living for Christ. A dear friend of mine, John Riley, and I m

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth . Colossians 3:2 Let's face the truth. It is not easy to stay focused sometimes when it comes to living for Christ. We can easily be distracted by things of this world. However, as children of the King, we must stay focused on what matters. When I was hired by the Richmond Bureau of Police in 1978, I was 21 years of age and had never shot a pistol in my life. The academy was in the basement of the Mosque (