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

1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14; Acts 27:21-44; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 18:23-24 I Chronicles makes clear that the Babylonian captivity is a result of the Israelites “unfaithfulness.” Further into the passage, we read specifically about Saul’s unfaithfulness. “He did not keep the word of the LORD…[nor] inquire of the LORD.” This is the crux of it. When things become murky, what do we do?In our humanity, we a...  Read More

1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40; Acts 27:1-20; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 18:22 Having a house full of kids, we are continually telling them things to do, and are often met with disobedience. This most often comes in the form of pretending not to hear, but disobedience is disobedience.While Paul travels to Rome to stand before Caesar, he is told by God that disaster awaits them if their journey continues. Paul ...  Read More

1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 18:20-21 What does a successful life look like? Is it found in applause and fame from the world, or in living to please God?1 Chronicles 5 introduces us to some very successful men. We are told that they “were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families.” These would be like modern day CEOs, Wall Street tycoons, and those fea...  Read More

1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Acts 25:1-27; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 18:19 There are moments in life when we all feel lonely. We can feel lonely when we are surrounded by people or when we are all by ourselves. Loneliness may come from an emotional distance from people or a lack of physical proximity.Psalm 5 points us to an antidote for loneliness which is God’s presence. When we remember that God is alway...  Read More

1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4; Acts 24:1-27; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 18:16-18 Hope. Hope is a necessary ingredient to endure the trials of life. Without hope our hearts can easily shrivel up and die. The genealogies of 1 Chronicles may seem like a strange place to find hope but it is scattered like breadcrumbs throughout the list. The focus of the names is the line of Judah, the family of promise. Before th...  Read More

1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17; Acts 23:11-35; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 18:14-15 A young woman we know told us that one morning she had three of her four children in their van on the way to school. She was trying to make a left-hand turn out of their community, but the road was busy as usual, and she found herself growing impatient and angry. Finally, in frustration she decided just to pull out, only to find ...  Read More

2 Kings 23:31-25:30; Acts 22:17-23:10; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 18:13 It is interesting that as we celebrate the founding of America and freedom today, we read about the destruction of Judah and the end of its freedom. We read of multiple kings being imprisoned, the nation being exiled and Paul’s bondage in Acts 22-23. Despite the physical bondage of these people, true freedom is not granted by any ...  Read More

2 Kings 22:3-23:30; Acts 21:37-22:16; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 18:11-12 Be a tree. No, this is not a call to be a background character in a children’s play but the exhortation of Psalm 1. We are called to place our roots in an ever-flowing stream of water and produce lives of abundant fruit. The thing which our roots are to be connected to is Scripture. Psalm 1:2 tells us to “delight in the law of th...  Read More

2 Kings 20:1-22:2; Acts 21:18-36; Psalm 150:1-6; Proverbs 18:9-10 Often our actions have unintended consequences. We see that in 2 Kings 20 and Acts 21. Hezekiah had just been healed and when an emissary from Babylon came with a gift he was more than happy to show off the wealth of Judah. Only afterward does he find out that this distant nation would be the one that would exile the remnant of Juda...  Read More

2 Kings 18:13-19:37; Acts 21:1-17; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 18:8 Hezekiah was in distress. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had sent three officers, who through psychological warfare, threatened Hezekiah and the people of Israel within ear shot of the wall. The officers emphasized the number of nations Sennacheribhad toppled and placed doubt in the people’s minds about Yahweh’s ability to deliver ...  Read More