“Buy truth and do not sell it…” Proverbs 23:23a ESV               Say that you are itching for the shiny sports car of your dreams.  So, you visit the local dealership of your favorite automobile brand.  You briefly peruse the vehicles outside and then make your way into the glass-enclosed showroom, it calling you to come and see what treasures lay inside.  And it is there you behold the eye candy of the best and the flashiest.  In the center of that showroom, surrounded by s

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 16:25                 What do you think of liars?  I imagine your answer is very similar to mine.  The words of a liar cannot be trusted.  Their intent to deceive runs so deep that you must question every motive and plan offered from their lips.  After having ample time dealing with the liar, you feel

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10 NIV               There is a starting point for everything. Seqouia trees start as a tiny seed the size of a flake of oatmeal that will, after 500-700 years of growth, tower 250 feet over their surroundings.  The blue whale starts as a calf born at around 3,000 pounds, to then over the next 10 years, grow to approximately 280,000 pounds.  And yes, even the most

“Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity…every good track.” Proverbs 2:9 LSB               The ground was soft after the abundant rains had come in the night.  As a result, the soil was malleable, easily pressed and formed by weight and pressure placed upon it.  And as the 22 wagons in the train passed along its surface, they did just that.  The first wagon wheels pressed deep into the muck, their scant 2 ½ inch tread leaving clear deep marks of their pr

“Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love…Make me know the way I should go…Teach me to do Your will…Let Your good Spirit lead me” Psalm 143:8a, 8b, 10a, 10b ESV There is a right way and there is a wrong way.  There is a good way and there is a bad way.  And yes, there is a way to grow closer to God and a way to grow distant from God.  And believe it or not, in a world that preaches an aloof, indifferent, distant God, God Himself tells us very clearly how we can hear

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me.”  Psalm 139:1 “Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24               The adages run deep and abound prolific. Socrates advised to “know thyself, for it is the beginning of wisdom” with him hinting at the idea that you can somehow truly achieve this.  In Shakespeare’s Hamlet he wrote, “to thine own self be true”

“Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me. Instead, I am content and at peace. As a weaned child lies quietly in its mother's arms, so my heart is quiet within me.” Psalm 131:1-2 GNT               So the above Words say in the Holy Bible through the Holy Spirit-inspired David in Psalm 131 verses 1 and 2.  But I have a curious question for you concerning the above Words dear re

“…to give thanks to the name of the Lord.” Psalm 122:4b ESV               Mankind’s dealing with the idea of God is curious indeed.  And never has this perplexing conundrum held more mental and spiritual acuity for me than after serving for many years upon foreign mission fields.  All humans are born with an innate desire to find God.  Yet when they do encounter the one true God and dislike His ways and laws, they will create a god of their liking.  It is a truth, unless huma

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 ESV The path was narrow, perilous, and most frighteningly, bathed in pure darkness.  It was etched into the side of the mountain, a jagged scar upon its sheer, stony face.  The mountaineer that dared to trespass upon it felt the weight and gravity of his every step.  Each footfall carried consequences beyond what he would like to consider, yet step by step, he proceeded down the precarious path.  In a few

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways!” Psalm 119:1-3 ESV               How can you find something that is lost?  To further complicate that question, how can you find something that is lost, if you yourself are lost?  I imagine here a worn, rough, parrot-accompanied pirate that is combing the Caribbean for a certain

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle” Psalm 104:14 NKJV               There are many constants in this world.  Things that, just as the sun rises and sets each day, will occur with tremendous rhythm and regularity.  And one of those is the green grass growing.  And what beauty and elegance lies in the simplicity of grass.  Merely look upon the beauty of an endless rolling field, the grass gently swaying in a breeze that caresses it into a melodic and hypnotic dance.  O

“The Lord reigns…” Psalm 97:1a ESV               It is perhaps the most uttered word when attempting to discern and understand the ways of God.  Oh, how many times must this single-word interrogative question pass the lips of humans each day as they attempt to understand why God does what He does.  Why?               At the root core of the human condition lies a sin nature that desires to go its own way.  Yet how can you truly blaze your own life-trail with such limited know

“Teach me your ways O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” Psalm 86:11 ESV               All of us, throughout our years, have been taught and thus learned much.  In our primary years we learned to read and write.  Skills that, if used well, catapulted us into future realms of  learning.  In our junior years we learned more abstract skills such as algebra, physics, geometry, and philosophy, the mind being opened to process and learn in new a

“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name ; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake ! Psalm 79:9 NKJV (italics added)               The dead-heat photo finish, the tie, the draw.  Whether it be horse racing, soccer, or boxing respectively, they are all sports contests that can end with no clear winner found.  And how unsatisfactory that is.  Just the other day I was watching the Dallas Cowboys play and was excited to see the

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.  In God, whose Word I praise . This I know, that God is for me.  In God whose Word I praise ,...

“Clap your hands all peoples, shout to God with loud songs of joy! Sing praises to God, sing praises!  Sing praises to our King, sing...

“ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.   The law of his God is in his heart ; his steps do not slip.”...

“…and after the fire, a light silent sound.” 1 Kings 19:12b NAB               If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear...

“And now my soul is poured out within me, days of affliction have taken hold of me.” Job 30:16 ESV “The churning inside me never stops;...

““I cry out, “help!” but no one answers me.”” Job 19:7a NLT               From the time we inhale our first gulp of this planet’s...