Proverbs 1:1-4:27 Our culture is focused on the accumulation of knowledge, but what about the acquisition of wisdom? People accumulate multiple degrees, but this pursuit rarely leads to greater skill in living. Solomon asked for wisdom above all else, and God provided it. He then was to walk in this personal wisdom and communicate it to others. Over the next week we will sit at Solomon’s feet and ...  Read More

1 Kings 4:1-34; Psalm 72, 127 As Americans we are raised with a deep sense of individualism. We grow up with the ethos that we can do anything we put our mind to do. Though there may be positives to this mentality, on some levels it is deeply unbiblical. From the beginning to the end, the Bible speaks of a deep need for community in our lives. We are to live deeply connected to others, not as isol...  Read More

2 Chronicles 8:1-18; 1 Kings 9:15-10:13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12; 1 Kings 10:14-29; 2 Chronicles 9:13-28, 1:14-17 God's heart is for all people, for all nations to come and worship Him. If you have had the opportunity to travel, every person you have encountered has value, dignity, and worth, because they are made in the image of God. God created them so they might have a relationship with him. The Qu...  Read More

1 Kings 8:54-66; 2 Chronicles 7:1-10; 1 Kings 9:1-9; 2 Chronicles 7:11-22; 1 Kings 9:10-14 Most of the psalms deal with praise. Praise is a planned or immediate response to the greatness and beauty of an object. As we see the response of Solomon and Israel to the temple, their immediate response is praise. Solomon praises God for the rest he has given his people, his faithfulness, and his presence...  Read More

1 Kings 8:1-11; 2 Chronicles 5:1-14; 1 Kings 8:12-21; 2 Chronicles 6:1-11; 1 Kings 8:22-53; 2 Chronicles 6:12-42 Recently, I heard a radio commercial that spoke of a plague which has struck relationships in America. It has crippled intimacy, love, and a feeling of connectedness. This plague is the inability to listen. According to the advertisement, our inability to listen is destroying our most i...  Read More

1 Kings 7:1-51; 2 Chronicles 3:15-4:22 There are moments in our lives when a huge shift happens. This change may come when we move, take a new job, get married, have kids, retire, etc. The construction of the temple and its furnishings is one of the most dramatic pivots in the history of Israel. Prior to the Exodus, people could worship God without a priest anywhere and at any time. With the const...  Read More

1 Kings 3:16-28; 1 Kings 5:1-18; 2 Chronicles 2:1-18; 1 Kings 6:1-13; 2 Chronicles 3:1-14; 1 Kings 6:14-38 The first thing we do each morning says a lot about our priorities. Do we reach for our phone first? Do we grab a newspaper or a cup of coffee? In the same way, what a politician or king does at the beginning of their reign speaks about their passions, interests, and agenda. We see the key pr...  Read More

Psalm 83; 1 Chronicles 29:23-25; 2 Chronicles 1:1; 1 Kings 2:13-3:4; 2 Chronicles 1:2-6; 1 Kings 3:5-15; 2 Chronicles 1:7-13 Life is like a rollercoaster. Our days are filled with highs and lows. We have great victories that are followed by crushing defeats. In the Psalms, David freely expresses the highs and lows of his emotional condition to God. In Psalm 83, David pleads for God not to keep sil...  Read More

Psalm 79-82 Young children think that a dinner of ice cream and brownies would be the greatest meal ever, not realizing the stomachache that would follow. Many of our psalms today speak to a similar mentality in the heart of every human. We are all prone to what feels good in the moment without any understanding of wisdom, eternity, or truth. God desires to lead us to freedom, while we are prone t...  Read More

Psalm 75-78 There are times when our emotions are not in line with what we know to be true. We know God loves us, but we do not feel like he does. We know that God is present, but we do not sense his nearness. Psalm 77 describes this situation in the life of Asaph, or possibly his reflection on this in the life of his friend Jeduthun (who oversaw music for God's house like Heman). The psalm reflec...  Read More

Psalm 50, 73-74 Over the next few days, we will work our way through the psalms of Asaph. Asaph is the assistant to Heman, who was head of music for the house of the Lord. So, in our terms, Heman is the worship leader and the singers or musicians on the stage would be Asaph. One of the themes Asaph focuses on is God as judge. Asaph looks around at his world and notices the financial prosperity of ...  Read More

Psalm 144-145, 88-89 It may be easy to trust God after things have worked out─when a challenge is over, or when God shows up in a big way─but what about when we are still waiting? Do you find yourself easily praising and trusting God when you are waiting for an issue to be resolved or a prayer to be answered? This is the situation of Psalm 143. David calls out to God for mercy, relief from enemies...  Read More