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"Who will you compare Me to, or who is My equal?" asks the Holy One. - Isaiah 40:25 Worship may be defined as the valuation of something above everything else. The ancient Hebrew word for worship even carries the idea of "heaviness," implying that if I worship someone or something, it carries more weight in my decisions and/or life choices. With that in mind, we can understand that how we live our lives communicates to this world whether or not we truly worship God. It is pos

How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. - Matthew 7:14 The way of mankind is the way of destruction. It has been so since Adam willfully chose his own desires over his Creator's. These self-destructive tendencies can often be brutal and even barbaric. At other times, they may be more subtle and civilized, but no less devastating. This is the "broad" way. Because it is narrow, if mankind does not seek the way of life, he will

A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. - Isaiah 40:3 I once lived in West Africa. Generally speaking, it rained about four months out of every year, and the other eight months were, as we used to say, "dry as a bone." Do you live in a dry place? Not physically, but spiritually? And if so, why? Maybe it is due to the circumstances of your life. Or maybe your spiritual disciplines aren

Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34 Back in 2006, at the end their last regular season game, Jeff Garcia (who was the aging quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles) was interviewed by a sideline reporter. Because Garcia's career had basically come to an end (before an injury to the starting QB had given him the unexpected opportunity of leading his team), the reporter asked

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,” for he thought: There will be peace and security during my lifetime. – Isaiah 39:8 Hezekiah, king of Judah, became very sick and asked for God's healing. Once healed, he entertained visitors from the kingdom of Babylon and pridefully revealed to them all the treasures of his palace. Afterward, Isaiah, the prophet of God, informed Hezekiah that his error in judgment would result in the Babylon

For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. - Matthew 6:32 Those of us with distinctly "civilized" sensibilities usually consider idolaters to be utterly pagan, uncivilized barbarians who chant, sacrifice animals, and dance around huge fires in the middle of the night. Yet, are we not as idolatrous as they when we make the "things of this world" the focus of our life's existence? Anything a person may actively pu

Now, Yahweh our God, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Yahweh -- You alone. - Isaiah 37:20 Why should God save us? Hezekiah, king of Judah, faced an overwhelming enemy in the Assyrians. Outnumbered and outmatched, it was inevitable that the advancing horde would capture Jerusalem, and both sides knew it. However, rather than respond to their mocking threats, Hezekiah took his need of deliverance to the only One who could s

When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. - Matthew 6:7-8 Of all the spiritual disciplines, for me prayer is the most difficult to maintain. I have tried just about everything: prayer lists, prayer-walking, prayer-guides, you get the picture. I wonder if there is some secret to a vibrant prayer life? Is there a key to the

Don't listen to Hezekiah. For the king of Assyria says, "Make peace with me and surrender to me...." - Isaiah 36:16 The Rabshakeh was the cupbearer and spokesman for the wicked king of Assyria. As his army amassed itself outside the walls of Jerusalem, the Rabshakeh attempted to convince the Judean army to lay down its arms and surrender. He promised each man that surrendered three things: his own grape vine, fig tree, and cistern full of water, until, of course, the mo

You have heard that it was said.... Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. - Matthew 5:27, 48 In His mountainside sermon, Jesus repeated one particular phrase six times. The phrase was, "You have heard that it was said...." The Jewish religious leaders had taken the Law of God and modified it in unacceptable ways. To reveal their error, Jesus took six examples of their modifications and then revealed the inadequacy of each change when compared to the i

Suppose you say to me, "We trust in the Lord our God." Isn’t He the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You are to worship at this altar?" - Isaiah 36:7 The vitriolic diatribe that often persists in today's news cycle over the decisions that Christian business owners often make concerning biblical family values remind me of a story, and a principle. It is the natural tendency of unbelievers to misunderstand the true believer'

In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16 Light shines the brightest in the darkest room, and God has called each of us to individually be on mission, to shine His light, for Him. We do not have a choice in the matter. We must each find our unique place in the array of lights illuminating the path to Christ. In order for our personal light to shine the brightest, it must o

The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. - Isaiah 32:17 I have sometimes thought that the Bible, when translated into another language besides English, gave a better understanding of the text than my English version. For example, the verse above (in French) reads, "Justice will give birth to peace, it will bring tranquility and security forever." Wouldn't you agree that this seems to more properly bring out t

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” - Matthew 4:19 What is the key to obedience to Jesus Christ? How can a person know that they are doing everything the Lord desires? Jesus never told His disciples to fish. He commanded them to follow, because He knew that if they followed Him, then they would soon be "fishing." The key to obedience to Christ is not "doing," but it is "remaining." If a person remains in fellowship with the Lord, then t

They carry out a plan, but not Mine, they make an alliance, but against My will, piling sin on top of sin. - Isaiah 30:1 Why does it seem so difficult to seek God's will before our own? Why do we act as if we have no idea of God's purposes and design when His Word is (for most of us) at our fingertips? I am not aware of your personal circumstances, but I can speak from my own experience. If I have ignored God's plan and desire, it is usually for one of two reasons (ruli

The sower sows the word. - Matthew 4:14 The Parable of the Sower is one of the most recognizable illustrations in all of Scripture. Many theologians and preachers have offered their take on what each "seed" represents. Here's my shot. 1) The seed that Satan steals represents one who never was truly converted. 2) The seed on rocky soil represents the believer whose expression of faith could not survive under the pressure of persecution. 3) The seed that was choked by tho

The Lord said: Because these people approach me with their mouths to honor me with lip-service -- yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship [consists of] man-made rules learned [by rote] .... - Isaiah 29:13 Speaking prophetically, Isaiah recorded God's words to God's people. The accusation and charge against them was hypocrisy. They were honoring God with their mouths, their words gave the impression that they were living in obedience, but their hearts were nowh

Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." - Matthew 4:5-6 One of the greatest tools of deception utilized by Satan in the life of a Christ-follower is a half-truth. Of course, this should come as no s

When its limbs are dry, they are broken off; Women come and light a fire with them, For they are not a people of discernment, therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them. And their Creator will not be gracious to them. - Isaiah 27:11 Someone once said that ignorance is bliss. But is it? Ignorance may allow a person to act as if everything is going well when, in fact, the opposite is true. Too often, it seems, we are like the proverbial ostrich who sticks his he

Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene. - Matthew 2:23 I possess a distinctly Southern U.S. accent and though I lived a couple of years in Francophone Africa and many years in the northeastern part of our nation, it has not dissipated, much. In Africa, In Africa, my "version" of the French language was somewhere between Pepe le Pew and Foghorn Leghorn. The drawl is just hard to