One behavior that God always honors is when we keep our promises, even if they hurt us. Integrity has no holiday.
1 Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord?Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill?2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,speaking the truth from sincere hearts.3 Those who refuse to gossipor harm their neighborsor speak evil of their friends.4 Those who despise flagrant sinners,and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,and keep their promises even when it hurts.5 Those who lend money without charging interest,and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.Such people will stand firm forever.
Psalms 15:1-5
An Ordinary Man's Pursuit of the Extraordinary God of the Bible. These are daily insights from reading the Bible from cover to cover yearly. It is intended to point others to the Truth, and inspire people to pursue the God of the Bible individually.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
The First Adoption…
The first adoption referenced in the Bible was Moses. His mother placed him in a basket in the Nile river at the exact location pharaoh’s daughter bathed. She knew that pharaoh’s daughter would take him in and raise him as her own, not killing him as her father decreed. What does this show us? That killing children, infants, and the unborn is wrong. God has given us an example of what one woman did to save her baby boy. She put him up for adoption. Isn’t that the choice mothers should make when they do not think they can raise a child due to their circumstances? Being Pro-choice is accepted as you have a right to kill your unborn child. That’s not really a choice, it’s a dead-end decision. A choice would be keeping and raising your child, or put him/her up for adoption. That’s a choice. Women back in Moses’ time didn’t even consider killing their unborn children, this is why Moses was put into the basket and floated down the Nile. It wasn’t a dead-end decision. God is the God of the living. So when did things change?
1 About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.” Exodus 2:1-10
1 About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.” Exodus 2:1-10
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Playing God, Without His Credentials…
What makes Pharaoh’s command to kill baby boys in the time of Moses evil? The simple answer is selfishness. What makes the Egyptian midwives refusal to honor his demand of killing the babies righteous? They feared God. Proof of what they did was right, going against their leader’s decree, was God rewarding them with their own children. Does any of this seem familiar? Seems a lot like modern day America, doesn’t it? Pro-choice legislation being opposed by pro-life opposition. Just because it’s legal doesn’t justify it being right. Just because the leader of our country believes it’s okay to murder a baby in the womb a day before it’s born, doesn’t make it right. The Egyptians reason for murdering these baby boys was to prevent a fear of them rebellion due to their harsh treatment of the Israelites (still unjustified). But here in America the reason is because a woman has a right to murder her own child if she doesn’t want it? We live in a sick society. And sadly those that believe it are just as guilty as those that allow it and do it. God loves children. A baby is the only thing God can use to make men and women. Think about that for a second and let it sink in. Murder is always a selfish act. It’s playing God, without His credentials.
8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.”11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. 13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. 14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” Exodus 1:8-22
8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.”11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. 13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. 14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” Exodus 1:8-22
Monday, April 13, 2026
See The Signs He Has Already Given Us….
Do you ever think God gets tired of us asking for signs? He gives us signs every single day. Instead, Maybe we should start asking for the ability to see the signs He has already given us.
1 One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that He show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove His authority.2 He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; 3 red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! 4 Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away. Matthew 16:1-4
1 One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that He show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove His authority.2 He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; 3 red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! 4 Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away. Matthew 16:1-4
Sunday, April 12, 2026
From A Worldly Point Of View…
We as always need to be careful of how we see things. It’s easy to look at things from a worldly point of view. Peter gives us the ultimate example (right after declaring Jesus as the Messiah), and gets reprimanded for it. If he viewed things from a worldly view all the while walking with Jesus, don’t you think it’s also possible that we can do the same? That’s why Jesus told us to always stay connected to Him (apart from Me you can do nothing - John 15). Seeing life through God’s eyes is paramount in the life of a believer, it’s what spiritual sight is all about. Make it your priority to stay connect to the Vine.
21 From then on Jesus began to tell His disciples plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and that He would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day He would be raised from the dead.22 But Peter took Him aside and began to reprimand Him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to You!”23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from Me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to Me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?27 For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” Matthew 16:21-28
21 From then on Jesus began to tell His disciples plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and that He would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day He would be raised from the dead.22 But Peter took Him aside and began to reprimand Him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to You!”23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from Me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to Me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?27 For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” Matthew 16:21-28
Saturday, April 11, 2026
What You Allow Into Your Heart….
Why is guarding our heart so important?
The heart is the center of our thinking and reason. It is where our WILL starts, our emotions are birthed, and it’s the bank of our memories and experiences. It affects our words, our outlook, and our behavior. When we fill it with things that contradict truth, the behavior that follows mimics the input. Garbage in, garbage out. If we focus on things that the Bible calls “above the law” we reap the fruits it produces: peace, patience, kindness, etc... We use filters for our air conditioning units, gas and oil filters in our cars, filters for our coffee, and filters for our pools. There are even filters put on cigarettes (for whatever reason I’m still trying to figure out). We use firewalls for our internet usage to keep out malware, viruses, and many other detrimental outside predators to protect our information. But what do we do to protect and guard our hearts? The Bible says “Above all else”. Don’t you think we should listen to God’s most important command? Look around, the evidence is clear of what society becomes when we don’t guard our hearts. Start today. Ask God to protect you from the evil one. And start filtering what you allow into your heart, it will pay big dividends in your life. We reap what we sow.
20 My child, pay attention to what I say.Listen carefully to my words.21 Don’t lose sight of them.Let them penetrate deep into your heart,22 for they bring life to those who find them,and healing to their whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else,for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:20-23
20 My child, pay attention to what I say.Listen carefully to my words.21 Don’t lose sight of them.Let them penetrate deep into your heart,22 for they bring life to those who find them,and healing to their whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else,for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:20-23
Friday, April 10, 2026
Helpless And Hopeless….
David knew God, he knew the truth about God. He knew the truth about his own nature. To think over 3,000 years ago David wrote, “only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God’”. People are still saying it today. Times may change but people don’t. David then goes on to explain why people say this, they have corrupt hearts. We all have corrupt hearts. It is not until we repent, and accept God’s terms of reconciliation, that we desire to seek God, serve Him, and begin to understand our sinful nature. Without God’s invitation, we are helpless and hopeless. The true nature of man, the flesh, fights against God. Until we come to this realization, pursuing God is impossible.
1 Only fools say in their hearts,“There is no God.”They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;not one of them does good! 2 The Lord looks down from heavenon the entire human race;He looks to see if anyone is truly wise,if anyone seeks God.3 But no, all have turned away;all have become corrupt.No one does good,not a single one! 4 Will those who do evil never learn?They eat up my people like breadand wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.5 Terror will grip them,for God is with those who obey Him.6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,but the Lord will protect His people. 7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?When the Lord restores His people,Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice. Psalms 14:1-7
1 Only fools say in their hearts,“There is no God.”They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;not one of them does good! 2 The Lord looks down from heavenon the entire human race;He looks to see if anyone is truly wise,if anyone seeks God.3 But no, all have turned away;all have become corrupt.No one does good,not a single one! 4 Will those who do evil never learn?They eat up my people like breadand wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.5 Terror will grip them,for God is with those who obey Him.6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,but the Lord will protect His people. 7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?When the Lord restores His people,Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice. Psalms 14:1-7
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