2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10; Romans 7:14-8:8; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 19:24-25God is very different from us─“there is no God like you in heaven or on earth.” Notice the attributes ascribed to him in 2 Chronicles and Psalm 18. Solomon describes God as always faithful to his promises. Even in the face of the rebellion of Israel and Judah, God remembered what he had promised and brought about the fulfillm...  Read More

2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11; Romans 7:1-13; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 19:22-23God’s desire has always been to dwell with his people. He made a garden to walk with Adam & Eve, he showed his presence through fire and cloud during the Exodus, and in 2 Chronicles 6 he dwells amongst his people in the temple. When the temple is completed, he physically reveals his presence in the form of the cloud in the same ...  Read More

2 Chronicles 1:1-3:17; Romans 6:1-23; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 19:20-21In Romans 6 Paul uses baptism to illustrate the radical change that has occurred in our lives through faith in Jesus.  Baptism is a picture of two deaths and two resurrections. It is a picture of the Savior’s death and resurrection.  But it is also a picture of our death and resurrection. We died to a life outside of Christ. We ...  Read More

1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30; Romans 5:6-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 19:18-19In a conversation with my wife recently, she discussed the fact that every person has core beliefs about themselves. We all heard certain things to be true, whether they are or not. Some of us may view ourselves as stupid, ugly, incompetent, unlovable, even though these things are not true. Others of us may believe that we are ...  Read More

1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34; Romans 4:13-5:5; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 19:17Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? You may have been asked a question like this, and found yourselves scratching your heads. We never really know the exact why behind a lot of what God allows, but Scripture does point us to several possible answers to that question.In Romans 5 Paul gives us one possible ans...  Read More

1 Chronicles 24:1-26:11; Romans 4:1-12; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 19:15-16Your eyes may have started to glaze over as you read 1 Chronicles today. It is a series of priestly names connected to serving in the tabernacle/temple. Some priests served within the sacrificial system, some served with music, and some served as gatekeepers (we will read about other positions tomorrow).The main emphasis of the...  Read More

1 Chronicles 22:1-23:32; Romans 3:9-31; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 19:13-14Romans 1-2 has been filled with mostly bad news. We have been told that God's wrath is coming upon those who neither glorify God nor give thanks to him. The all-inclusive nature of this reality is seen in that no one is righteous, no one understands, and no one seeks God (Psalm 12 echoes a similar idea). All people deserve to f...  Read More

1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30; Romans 2:25-3:8; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 19:10-12 Today we see David -- the man after God’s own heart -- in another epic failure. He orders Joab and his commanders to take a census of the troops. This doesn’t necessarily sound bad; yet, Joab knows it's wrong, and that it will bring guilt upon Israel. Moreover, David is surely aware it's a request he has no right to make. Wh...  Read More

1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17; Romans 2:1-24; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 19:8-9 Humility is an essential quality for a Christian. Our adoption into God’s family begins when we humble ourselves and acknowledge Christ as Savior and Lord. We not only become part of God’s family through humility, but this should be a standard characteristic of our lives. In 1 Chronicles 16-18 and Romans 2, we see two things ...  Read More

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 19:6-7 Worship is meant to be our whole lives but is often a concept that is relegated to an hour on Sunday mornings. Worship is meant to be the posture of our lives because of the greatness of God. All of our lives should be directed to God and lived in response to him. David crafts a song in 1 Chronicles 16 that focuses on respondi...  Read More

1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5 It is thought that Paul wrote Romans prior to the imprisonment described at the end of Acts. If this is so, we can see that God answered his prayer to see the church in Rome (1:11) in a surprising way. His prayer was answered through a forced trip to Caesar. Even before meeting the church, Paul is thankful to God for the news ...  Read More

1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 19:1-3 We wrap up the Book of Acts today with Paul's arrival in Rome. Before making it to Rome, a shipwreck led Paul to Malta where he is initially considered a murderer because a snake bit him but then considered a god when he doesn't die. This quick vacillation by the people of Malta from one extreme to the other is often true of us a...  Read More