In Exodus 33, the Lord says to Moses that He will not be going with the people, as He was angry with them for turning to idols while Moses was on the mountaintop. The people’s response is mourning. This should also be our response when we distance ourselves from the Lord and realize that He... Continue Reading →

The story of the Good Samaritan seemed so radical when it was given, but the reality is that it was Jesus’ teaching right out of the OT. In the parable, the priest and the Levite both saw the man and walked by, leaving their brother to die. For them, there would have been a concern... Continue Reading →

Isn’t it interesting that when we read the beginning of Exodus, we see that one of the people God used in a mighty way didn’t want to be used...  If Moses had his way, we never would have heard of him! Much of Exodus 4-6 is spent with Moses trying to explain to God why... Continue Reading →

The story of Joseph is a story of perseverance, but also of faithfulness and commitment. God gave Joseph a big dream (Genesis 37). As one who his father loved more than his brothers, when Joseph shares his dreams with his family, his brothers hated him even more. Because of this he was sold into slavery... Continue Reading →

How many times do we worry about what is to come, even when we are following the Lord’s will?  Maybe we are concerned because we don’t think we have what we need, or may it has to do with concerns over our past, but ultimately, these are faith issues... Many great men of faith had... Continue Reading →

What a beautiful picture is painted in Hebrews 1 and Colossians 1.  Both point to the supremacy of Christ, and through them both His love of justice and His call to reconciliation.   “But to the son:  Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of... Continue Reading →

As I was with the Lord today, reading Gen. 28-30, I was caught up on the following passage: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” Gen 28:15 —CSB Spurgeon has this to say about these words: “I have tried to plumb the depths of these words that I might explain... Continue Reading →

How often is it that we make a rash decision or statement without thinking through the consequences?  Throughout the OT we see people jumping to decisions without inquiring of the Lord or acting in haste because of the situation we find ourselves in. In today’s Bible reading, Esau was famished and sells his birthright (Gen.25)... Continue Reading →

This past Sunday at ESCC we spoke about our call to bring our gifts to Jesus.  And in the process was a challenge to work towards putting God first in our finances.  In today’s Scripture reading (for those who started on Sunday), we find in Gen. 4 that Cain brought an unacceptable sacrifice to the... Continue Reading →

In Luke 14:25-35, You call us to put You before everything.  Everything is to be a far second to You (Your point in saying that we must hate everything dear to us in order to follow You).  You also tell us to count the cost.  For us this year, we are looking at the following... Continue Reading →