Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3We live some of the most comfortable lives in history. We live in nice homes with beautiful landscaping and have more food than we could ever hope to eat. Living with such ease can cause us to miss our desperate need for God. We can feel comfortable and content in what we have seemingly achieved for ourselves rather than having a de...  Read More

Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2Hebrews has been continually teaching us about the surpassing greatness of Jesus. Yet the author is concerned that we might intellectually assent to Jesus’ greatness without it making a difference in our lives. We can know something is great but not trust it. It is not hearing the message that makes the difference but faith. Verse...  Read More

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28One of the themes of Ezekiel is God removing his presence from wicked Jerusalem. God loves Judah but due to his holiness, he must remove himself from the sinful nation. This happens in Ezekiel 7-9 as God's glory moves from above the cherubim in the holy of holies to the edge of the temple. Then in chapter 11, God will move east of the...  Read More

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27I continually tell my kids that they are not responsible for the actions of others but only for their own choices. They can't control what others do but they can always choose to do what is right. The same is true for us. We are called to follow Christ no matter what the world around us is doing.Ezekiel shares that the outcome of th...  Read More

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26Imagine this, flying objects and wheels with eyes! Ezekiel are you crazy? No, anything but that. The book of Ezekiel is visionary literature containing symbolic reality. Meanings are communicated through symbols. As we explore the meaning of all this, let’s keep in mind the theme of Ezekiel—the holiness of God and the depth of Isra...  Read More

Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23 As a kid, I would scour the Where's Waldo books for hours trying to find Waldo, his friends, and all the various objects in the checklist in the back of the book. If I wasn't systematic or super careful, I would easily miss what I was looking for. The author of Hebrews has a similar challenge for us. He wants us to "pay more car...  Read More

Lamentations 3:1-66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22 Irma hit Naples in 2017! “Oh my,” I whispered as we turned into our association and surveyed the destroyed homes and scattered debris lying about us. In a minuscule way I could empathize with Jeremiah’s feelings as he surveyed the dead bodies, flattened temple, and crumbled walls that left Jerusalem in shambles after the Babylo...  Read More

Lamentations 1:1-2:22; Philemon 1:1-25; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 26:20 When I was in college my grandfather passed away and for years afterward, every time I called my grandmother she would cry. In my youthful naivety, I thought that there must be something wrong with her. Surely, she should feel better by now, I thought. Yet I failed to understand the place of lament in life. The book of Lamentati...  Read More

Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Titus 3:1-15; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 26:18-19 Teachers must teach the same lessons over and over again. Students are prone to forget what they have been taught and the same is true for us. We consistently need to be taught the truths of God so that we might apply them to our lives.The fall of Jerusalem is described twice by Jeremiah. First, it was detailed in chapter 39 and ...  Read More

Jeremiah 51:1-53; Titus 2:1-15; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 26:17 Our lives are to make God look good. Titus 2:10 tells us that we are to “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” Think about the ways we generally make things look attractive. If you want to make your home look beautiful you might slap some new paint on it, tidy up, or even purchase some new furniture. If you want to make you...  Read More

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46; Titus 1:1-16; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 26:13-16 How are we to respond to the reality of judgment? Jeremiah has moved from judgment largely directed at the remnant of Judah to all of the surrounding nations. No one will escape God’s judgment, so everyone must be prepared for it. Jeremiah’s exhortation to the nations is to “seek the Lord” and make God their “true pasture.” Sin...  Read More

Jeremiah 48:1-49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 26:9-12 The Major Prophets can be difficult to work through, they are filled with endless warnings and judgments. This theme of God’s judgment is not isolated to the prophets but is seen throughout the Bible. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:1 that Jesus “will judge the living and the dead.” Further, Psalm 96:13 says that God “will judge th...  Read More