“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3 NLT). Faith must be tested. It must pass through life’s furnace, so that impurities may rise to the top and be removed. This testing not only purifies, it verifies, proving faith genuine. Only the Lord can do this. As
“A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.” (Acts 8:1 NLT). After Stephen was stoned to death in Jerusalem for preaching the risen Christ, a “great wave of persecution” broke out against the
“However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands” (Acts 7:48 NLT). Stephen reminded the Jewish rulers that even though God allowed Solomon to build Him a Temple, He had no need for a man-made dwelling. Sinful man always prefers his man-made religion with his man-made gods and man-made temples. Didn’t the
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted” (Psalms 127:1 NLT). This psalm of Solomon is apt for today’s One Year Bible reading as the Old Testament reading is about the building of the Temple. Yet although God had given Solomon such amazing wisdom, he failed to apply it to
“It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on” (Proverbs 16:26 NLT). A wise observation by King Solomon: Hunger motivates work. In other words, hunger can act as an incentive for one to labor for himself. Self-employment is hard, but often the most rewarding, for both the stomach and
“The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41 NLT). Peter and some of the apostles were imprisoned by the high priest for continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. That night, an angel set them free from the prison
“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 NLT). Something extraordinary happens to ordinary people when they spend
‘But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene get up and walk!”‘ (Acts 3:6 NLT). Peter and John encountered a cripple asking for money on their way to afternoon prayers at the Temple. While many worshipers
‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD”’ (Psalm 122:1 NLT). This is one of David’s fifteen “Psalms of Ascent,” written to be sung while climbing up to the Temple Mount. It begins by expressing David’s gladness at the invitation to go up to the house
“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1-2 NLT). Psalm 121 is one of the fifteen “Psalms of Ascent,” so named because they were written to be sung by pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem to worship at the