Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Revelation 14:1-20; Psalm 142:1-7; Proverbs 30:21-23 God chooses to do his will through sinful people like us. He created Adam and Eve to work in his garden and he has chosen to accomplish his purposes through people ever since. Whether through priests, prophets, kings, or ordinary people, God almost always chooses to work through his creation. So, it is up to us to make oursel...  Read More

Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Revelation 13:1-18; Psalm 141:1-10; Proverbs 30:18-20 What do you spend time focusing on? Do you fixate on past mistakes and things you wish you did differently? Do you focus on the present and everything you need to accomplish today? Or do you focus on the future and what is to come? What we spend time on will inevitably shape our hearts and our lives.Zechariah is writing to a...  Read More

Zechariah 1:1-21; Revelation 12:1-17; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 30:17 Those who oppose God in Scripture and the world can often seem intimidating. We may often feel like there is nothing we can do to stand against the wickedness and cultural currents of the world, but with God, we can always overcome.The dragon of Revelation 12 is one of the most impressive figures in the Bible. He is enormous and ...  Read More

Haggai 1:1-2:23; Revelation 11:1-19; Psalm 139:1-24; Proverbs 30:15-16 One of the most amazing doctrines in Scripture is that God is present with his people. Psalm 139:8 says, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” How amazing to know that God is present with us through all circumstances of life.Like all theological truths, this should impact the...  Read More

Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Revelation 10:1-11; Psalm 138:1-8; Proverbs 30:11-14 Often, we relegate sin to only really bad things. We consider murderers and thieves to be heinous sinners but small missteps to be easily rationalized. Is that the way that God views sin?Continuing the judgments of the prophets, Zephaniah proclaims judgment upon Judah and the surrounding nations but notice why they are under ...  Read More

Habakkuk 1:1-3:19; Revelation 9:1-21; Psalm 137:1-9; Proverbs 30:10 Do you think that it is a sign of spiritual immaturity if you have questions for God or doubts that creep into your mind? What if you struggle to make sense of God’s character and the circumstances of your life? Is that a sign of spiritual weakness?When we read the book of Habakkuk, we encounter a prophet who is struggling to make...  Read More

Nahum 1:1-3:19; Revelation 8:1-13; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 30:7-9 How quickly the powerful fall. Super Bowl winners quickly become last-place teams, powerful CEOs are sent packing, and impressive nations collapse. We need to understand that our success is based not on our accomplishments but on the grace and power of God.Nahum is writing roughly 140 years after Jonah. Nineveh repented of their si...  Read More

Micah 5:1-7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 30:5-6 If we have eyes to see, we can always see God at work. He is always doing something in us and around us, so we must pay attention. Even, maybe especially, during hardship, difficulty, and pain, God is at work.Micah describes the judgment God will bring against Israel and the surrounding nations but amid the judgment comes a powerfu...  Read More

Micah 1:1-4:13; Revelation 6:1-17; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 30:1-4 People can often be superstitious. They watch their favorite sports team wearing the same shirt and sitting in the same chair as they did the week before, thinking that will provide victory. In Romania, many people will walk into a church on Sunday mornings and immediately walk out but believe that God will now bless them. These str...  Read More

Jonah 1:1-4-11; Revelation 5:1-14; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27 In our culture, people struggle with the idea of God’s justice. They can’t understand how a loving God could send people to hell or make moral statements throughout the Bible. People at all times and in all places have always struggled to embrace the picture of God in Scripture, but often for very different reasons.Jonah struggles...  Read More

Obadiah 1:1-21; Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 29:24-25 There is a song in the Disney film “Newsies” where a teen actor proclaims that he is “the king of New York.” He got his picture in the newspaper and feels like he can do anything. Nothing is impossible for the king. Similar attitudes of believing we are the ultimate authority over our lives are inherent in our broken hearts. Wher...  Read More

Amos 7:1-9:15; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 29:23 You can communicate with the God of the universe! If that doesn’t amaze you, I don’t know what will. The God who made the world and made you wants to talk to you!A large portion of the Bible is God communicating with his people. The letters to the churches in Revelation begin with, “These are the words of…” God wants to talk to his pe...  Read More