Church Blog (Page 3)

Read: Job 8-10 Focus Verse: “If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.” (Job 9:33-35).  Devotion: The second friend, Bildad, speaks up to offer advice and makes a…

Read: Job 5-7 Focus Verse: “Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid. Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth, deliver me from the hand of the enemy, rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’? (Job 6:21-23). Now Eliphaz, Job’s friend, is of no help. For 7 days Jobs friends sat in…

Read: Job 1-4 Focus Verse: “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:20-21).   Devotion: So much happens in these first four chapters. I could write from a few different ideas, but let’s start at this angle.…

Read: Esther 6-10 Focus Verse: “Mordería the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” (Esther 10:3). Devotion: Again the prominent theme shows up of selfish vs selfless. Mordería spoke up to help the king…

Read: Esther 1-5 Focus Verse: “On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas—to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the…

Read: Nehemiah 12-13    Focus Verse: “Some time later I asked his permission and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobias a room in the courts of the house of God.” (Nehemiah 13:6b-7).  Devotion: Nehemiah, at the beginning of this book we see he asks permission from the King of Persia to return…

Read: Nehemiah 10-11 Focus Verse: “The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept. ‘We will not neglect the house of our God.’” (Nehemiah 10:39).  Devotion: After…

Read: Nehemiah 8-9 Focus Verse: “The Levites—Joshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanna and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” (Nehemiah…