Zechariah 2 – Firewall – an event, person or thing that acts as a barrier or protection against something undesirable. In this second vision…
The Renovation Blog
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Zechariah 1 – The future – we consider this very vast uncharted territory from time to time with somberness. Yes, we look toward our future…
Zephaniah 3 – The opening message of doom found in Zephaniah ends with that of hope. It holds words of rescue, restoration and celebration…
Zephaniah 2 – “Before the decree takes effect…”Zephaniah 2:2 The announcement of God’s judgment echoed in the first chapter of Zephaniah…
Zephaniah 1 – The prophet Zephaniah was most unusual as he was from the lineage of royalty, specifically King Hezekiah. His name means…
Nahum 3 – The proud Nineveh is ripe for judgment here as the final chapter of Nahum speaks toward the demise and sins of this…
Nahum 2 – Nahum’s prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh begins. This chapter speaks specifically of its fall and what that will look like but…
Nahum 1 – 100 years had passed since Jonah walked the streets of Nineveh and proclaimed God’s Word of repentance. 100 years of new…
Haggai 2 – It was a dramatic moment; A dramatic change for God’s people. The sin from the people’s past had hindered them but now…
Haggai 1 – Many times we bankrupt our lives. We pursue things that are unfulfilling; invest in things that hold no return; waste and squander…
Habakkuk 3 – Questions are answered. Habakkuk’s choice and action are critical. His prayer simple: Revive us. Revive Your work in the midst of…
Habakkuk 2 – “The righteous shall live by his faith.” – Habakkuk 2:4 God answered Habakkuk and in essence it was, “I’ve heard you. I’m at work…
Habakkuk 1 – There are times we all have questions. Many of these questions go to the heart of things as we look at our world, our life even…
Micah 7 – “My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more…
Micah 6 – Standing in a courtroom are the people of Israel. God the Judge stands behind the desk. “Plead your case…” he opens up…
Micah 5 – 700 years before the birth of Christ, Micah was given one of the clearest prophecies of His coming. In fact, when he was…
Micah 4 – There is a time we long for. A time when there will be no more tears, no more wars, peace will be a constant. We long…
Micah 3 – Poverty was driving the people into an early grave. Those responsible for this were none other than the leadership of the nation…
Micah 2 – Premeditated sin – this is the topic here as Micah opens up with some pretty harsh statements to these who think and plot against the character…
Micah 1 – Micah was a bold speaker of God’s Word much like his contemporary Isaiah, who was around the same time as himself. His message directed mainly at…
Jonah 4 – Pity Parties – we’ve all thrown them. We feel sorry for ourselves, we become angry over something; things didn’t go our way…
Jonah 3 – We serve a God of second chances. In fact, it seems we serve a God of numerous ones! The entire calling Jonah fled from…
Jonah 2 – I’m struck with the reality God spared Jonah’s life. His rebellion against the call placed upon him we’d think God would be done…
Jonah 1 – Nineveh – on the world stage of mid 750 BC, it was a rising and dominant power. Some 500 miles east of Israel, ancient historians say…
Obadiah 1 – The shortest book of the Old Testament, Obadiah’s words go out against Edom, blood relatives of Israel from Esau…
Amos 9 – In the final chapter of Amos and from the 5th vision of Amos, destruction, and ruin for Israel is foretold. There will be nowhere to hide…
Amos 8 – I used to have a friend who said, “If you’re green – you’ll grow. If you’re ripe – you’ll rot.” This statement has stuck with me…
Amos 7 – This chapter looks like a story right out of Jeremiah’s life. The prophet Amos has 3 visions – locusts, fire, and plumb line. Representing God’s destruction…
Amos 6 – It’s an unnoticed disease that creeps upon most unexpectedly. The tentacles of self-satisfaction, self-reliance begin to grip the mind and heart ever so slowly. Once its…
Amos 5 – In a move that would be shocking to the listeners, Amos sings a song of lament, a dirge of Israel who is fallen. The irony is…
Amos 4 – “…But you didn’t notice me. You continued to ignore me.” – Amos 4:10 The Message It’s almost as though God is saying in this chapter, “What’s…
Amos 3 – In an interesting opening, God poses rhetorical questions. Stating Israel is that of chosen family to Him, He is responding like one would in such a…
Amos 2 – Chapters 1 and 2 proclaim God’s judgment proclaimed against the enemies of Israel. As the hearers of these prophecies, the people probably rejoiced that God was…
Amos 1 – Often when we think of a man of God, they come with a title. We tend to place people with the label of minister or reverend…
Joel 3 – “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”– Joel 3:14 This short book climaxes…
Joel 2 – There is a warning, a bold call to repentance and promise found in this chapter. Joel foresees and speaks of the devastation coming to the land…
Joel 1 – In this short and powerful book, the prophet Joel calls the nation to repent. Only referenced one other time in Scripture by Peter during a sermon,…
Hosea 14 – As the book of Hosea comes to a close, it is a powerful reminder of the relentless love and forgiveness God offers to all. Hosea had…
Hosea 13 – Self-sufficiency is an insidious attitude that works its way into a Believer’s heart. As we’re told that only ‘we can make something happen”, we are the…
Hosea 12 – From the womb he was contentious. Wrestling with his brother it would become a standard for his life. Jacob would be the second twin birthed but…
Hosea 11 – “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. I took them in My arms; But they did not…
Hosea 10 – Scripture has a lot to say about vines and bearing fruit. From the Old to the New Testaments, it is a sign usually of what is…
Hosea 9 – It’s like an unseen cancer that appears and grows below the surface. The disease slowly takes over without much notice as it spreads throughout so many…
Hosea 8 – “Israel has rejected the good; how long will they be incapable of innocence? For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind. Israel has forgotten…
Hosea 7 – “Israel will not recognize her failures or confess their compromised half-baked spiritual life that is marked by pride.” -The Bible Panorama When something is half-baked, it…
Hosea 6 – “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6 The definition of loyalty is a…
Hosea 5 – Sometimes there’s nothing more to say when we pray for someone so lost in their ways. Sometimes they need to be completely turned over to God…
Hosea 4 – The rest of the book of Hosea takes a turn as it deals head-on with the sins of Israel. It is a brutal and a scandalous…
Hosea 3 – It was the shady side of town, a place where priests stayed clear of, let alone any prophet worth his reputation. The loud bawdy ruckus that…
Hosea 2 – Hosea had done what was expected of him. He married Gomer, made a life together, had a family and provided for her needs. He had redeemed…
Hosea 1 – In one of the most unpredictable and outlandish commands of God, He instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute. Yes, you read that right. It was during…
Daniel 12 – “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel…
Daniel 11 – Continuing from Chapter 10 and following into this next chapter and 12, the last of the book of Daniel, the Messenger spells out with acute details…
Daniel 7 – The first 6 chapters of Daniel were historical in nature and inspiring as Daniel was one man who stood firm in times of persecution. His unwavering…
Daniel 6 – Daniel was a man of consistency. Here was a man who was in exile who never wavered in his faith or trust. The seasons changed continually…
Daniel 5 – A new king is in town. Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, has taken the throne. Historical documents differ on if he reigned 17 years or 3 but the…
Daniel 4 – Written by Nebuchadnezzar himself, this chapter is the retelling of his testimony. Daniel included the penmanship of the king in his writings because it shows the…
Daniel 3 – “…but even if He does not…” What would it be like to live with such thought in everything we do? Every way we live? How would…
Daniel 2 – It was an impossible situation. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he couldn’t remember. All he knew was when he woke up he was terrified. Calling all…
Daniel 1 – “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think of…
2 Corinthians 13 – I’m a terrible test taker. Growing up I would study for a class topic and when the exam was handed out, the timer…
2 Corinthians 12 – We do not know what Paul’s thorn was. Many have speculated from malaria to epilepsy to loss of eyesight. Whatever it was, it…
2 Corinthians 11 – Paul charges his attack against the false teachers who were swaying minds left and right within the church. Through smooth talk and engaging…
2 Corinthians 10 – The tone of Paul changes as he begins to wind down his letter. If he hasn’t been bold before, he holds nothing back…
2 Corinthians 9 – 2 people were dead. This husband and wife had sold a piece of property, laid the money at the apostle’s feet. The problem…
2 Corinthians 8 – The comparison of one to another can backfire in hopes the person being compared will hear the challenge and respond. The individual digs…
2 Corinthians 7 – 2 words. 2 words that mean nothing unless they are followed by action. “I’m sorry” all too often slips from our lips when…
2 Corinthians 6 – King Hezekiah was one of the good rulers of Israel. Working in tandem with the prophet Isaiah he reformed the land and cleaned…
2 Corinthians 5 – “For the love of Christ controls us.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14 Everything Paul did, all he endured, the relationships he sought and maintained,…
2 Corinthians 4 – It’s easy to say, “Pick yourself up,” “Stop focusing on the negative,” “This too will pass”. These statements flow so easily from our…
2 Corinthians 3 – “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ,…
2 Corinthians 2 – “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6 As Paul Harvey famously states, “And…
2 Corinthians 1 – Between the first letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth and this one much had happened. His first letter gave advice in…
1 Corinthians 16 – “But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia; and perhaps I will stay with…
1 Corinthians 15 – Truly, Paul writes of some of the deepest foundations and hopes of Christ and belief. Jesus died for our sins, He rose again,…
1 Corinthians 14 – Several years ago, then superstar Adele performed at an award show. People were anticipating such a terrific performance as she never…
1 Corinthians 13 – “People of little religion are always noisy; he who has not the love of God and man filling his heart is like an…
1 Corinthians 12 – “Now about spiritual gifts…” Paul begins. He has laid out many tangible things and issues for the church to consider and turns things…
1 Corinthians 11 – “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 What a challenge. Follow my example in how I…
1 Corinthians 10 – “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” –George Santayana The Life of Reason 1905 Paul brings a history 101…
1 Corinthians 9 – You peel back more of the underlying issues of the Corinthian Believers and Paul’s defense here and realize he had his hands full….
1 Corinthians 8 – “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” – 1 Corinthians 8:9 Knowledge…
1 Corinthians 7 – Paul writes about sex and marriage and purity is tied in here as well. This passage may seem a bit odd at first…
1 Corinthians 6 – “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord…
1 Corinthians 5 – It is by far some of the toughest statements Paul makes to the church. He’s not only calling these out for allowing something…
1 Corinthians 4 – “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:1…
1 Corinthians 3 – There’s a strange division among the church of Corinth. Paul hits it head on. Some are followers of Paul, looking to him as…
1 Corinthians 2 – When we think of Paul consider the fact he was a brilliant scholar and teacher. He had been trained in the Scriptures, learned…
1 Corinthians 1 – Corinth was a major cosmopolitan hub in Achaia. A seaport and major trade center, it buzzed with people coming and going and life…
Psalm 150 – Psalm 150 – As Psalm 150 brings this beautiful book to a close there is no real teaching, no explanation even in the writings. It is simply a call…
Psalm 149 – Psalm 149 – Psalms 149:1 NASB Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones…
Psalm 148 – Psalm 148 – We probably don’t think much of the greatness of all of creation giving praise and worship to our God. From the very heights to the depths,…
Psalm 147 – Psalm 147 – It begins and ends with “Praise the Lord!” In 20 verses we read of the overarching protection and preservation of His people…
Psalm 146 – Psalm 146 – James Boice writes: “In the earlier psalms, we have studied the writers’ griefs, shames, sins, doubts, and fears. We have…
Psalm 145 – Psalm 145 – Crossroads. Sometimes as we approach these on our journey we struggle. Many a time coming to such a place has left our footprints behind of burdens…
Psalm 144 – Psalm 144 – Spiritual warfare is part of our daily lives. As Believers in Jesus, when we made our allegiance to Him, the enemy put a bounty on our…
Psalm 143 – Psalm 143 – David went seemingly from one crisis to another. Crisis brings out all kinds of reactions from us. We can knee-jerk with our words or actions. We…