2 Kings 15 – I know, I know, it may seem for some this lineage of the kings just never ends. It’s easy to gloss over and…
The Renovation Blog
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2 Kings 14 – Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the lineage of king after king through this book. Yes, it’s tough to push through and…
2 Kings 13 – “Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer…” 2 Kings 13:5 It’s an obscure statement of a nameless individual whom God rose up from…
2 Kings 12 – Throughout the reigns of the kings we read of something called the high places. In fact, these are mentioned 117 times…
2 Kings 11 – This is a great obscure story! For 6 years the mother of Ahaziah reigned. This self-proclaimed Queen Athaliah was the daughter…
2 Kings 10 – It’s a bloodbath. Jehu takes the mission of eradicating the false worship of Baal and the lineage of Ahab from the land…
2 Kings 9 – Elijah had prophesied years before that Ahab, his family and dynasty would be destroyed. This prophecy was about to be fulfilled…
2 Kings 8 – When it comes to things and ways of God, there are no coincidences. Ever. The opening story of chapter 8 is a throwback…
2 Kings 7 – “Hear the word of the Lord…” Elisha proclaimed boldly that within a 24 hour time frame God would bring a miracle. Even…
2 Kings 6 – Consider who in your life is deeply spiritual. Think about possibly even an encounter with someone who simply saw beyond the…
2 Kings 5 – Aram had been a neighbor to Israel for centuries but rarely was on friendly terms. Under David’s rule they payed tribute to Israel…
2 Kings 4 – 4 amazing miracles. Money provided for a widow. Raising a dead boy to life. Purifying poisonous food. Providing food for 100…
2 Kings 3 – Israel and Judah had some of the best land. The neighboring Moabites envied such ground and often would attack both nations…
2 Kings 2 – It is a story of amazing commitment and determination in a relationship. Elijah was about to be taken to heaven and his…
2 Kings 1 – As the retelling of the kings and their rule continue, we open to a strange story. Ahab was dead. Moab rebelled against the…
1 Kings 22 – Spiritual wisdom and discernment are needed on all decisions we make and carry through with. This story in 1 Kings 22 could…
1 Kings 21 – Her name is synonymous with the most evil woman in all of Scripture. In fact, her name is mentioned in Revelation as an…
1 Kings 20 – So far there have been two evil kings and two good kings. The southern kingdom, Judah, still wavers between righteous and…
1 Kings 19 – “Elijah failed in the very point at which he was strongest, and that is where most men fail. In Scripture, it is the…
1 Kings 18 – “The troubler of Israel” or as he was called by Ahab came out of hiding after 3 years. The land had seen no…
1 Kings 17 – It would be 41 years of spiritual darkness coming from the Throne Room of Israel. With Ahab reigning, the only light that would…
1 Kings 16 – He would reign for 41 years. 41 years of sheer evil would be doled out to the people of Israel as they themselves…
1 Kings 15 – The next two chapters tell of the legacies of several kings who rose and led both Israel and Judah. For the most part…
1 Kings 14 – It’s the tale of 2 kings who flagrantly walked away from God and His commands. Consider how as the nation was already split…
1 Kings 13 – It is the strangest of stories. A nameless prophet is sent to speak against the false worship King Jeroboam has established…
1 Kings 12 – The split of the nation unfolds that would last for centuries. Solomon had died. Rehoboam his son succeeded him and it was…
1 Kings 11 – For all the wisdom Solomon had, his heart led him in foolishness. It’s really quite astounding when you consider what we’ve read so…
1 Kings 10 – It’s a written showcase of Solomon’s success. From the Queen of Sheba visiting and declaring for herself the grandeur of his…
1 Kings 9 – 24 years had passed since Solomon took the throne. He had finished the construction of the temple as well as his palace. On…
1 Kings 8 – It was the moment the Israelites had longed for – the completion of the Temple. For hundreds of years they had worshiped…
1 Kings 7 – It took 7 years for Solomon to build the temple. He spent 13 years building his own house. His home had cedars from…
1 Kings 6 – With detailed instructions, the construction of the Temple it is finally underway and completed in 7 years. There’s a fascinating…
1 Kings 5 – Sometimes God says “No”. Or maybe a better phrase is, “Not yet.” David desired greatly to build a temple for God. His heart…
1 Kings 4 – Have you ever worked for or been part of a committee that was not well organized? More than likely yes and you know…
1 Kings 3 – “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will…
1 Kings 2 – Solomon has been anointed king. David has brought his son before him with instruction of being a godly leader but also…
1 Kings 1 – The Golden Age of Israel was coming to an end. The author of the book of 1 Kings is unknown although thought…
Genesis 50 – Joseph was a man who had such a tumultuous life. I am overwhelmed with the great sorrow he endured throughout the years…
Genesis 49 – One by one Jacob spoke to each son of what their future would hold. This blessing was common but these words would turn…
Genesis 48 – He crossed his arms and laid both hands upon the boy’s head. Joseph thought he was mistaken in doing such a strange thing…
Genesis 47 – Isaac and his clan have found safety and provision in Egypt through the hand of Joseph. It’s such an ironic twist to how things…
Genesis 46 – Although there were fears of going to Egypt, God reassured Jacob/Israel He was in this move. Through a dream, God put all his…
Genesis 45 – 20 years of sorrow, heartache, loneliness came tumbling out. Joseph had been through the ringer as he was rejected, kidnapped…
Genesis 44 – As soon as the morning dawned, the brothers were sent on their way. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had had his chalice placed…
Genesis 43 – The famine still raging, the family of Jacob was coming down to the last bit of grain they had received from the incognito…
Genesis 42 – Some 20 years had passed since Joseph laid eyes on his brothers. The last he had seen them was under the barbaric attack…
Genesis 41 – From pit to the palace, it took 13 years for the strategic plan of God to happen. To many looking upon Joseph in that…
Genesis 40 – Joseph’s character is in full view. Here’s a man in prison for something he didn’t do; betrayed by family; living in a foreign land…
Genesis 39 – It went from bad to worse. Simply consider all Joseph has gone through. Favored by his father, his brothers physically attack…
Genesis 38 – The story of Judah and Tamar peel back the cultural life in ancient times. By no means is it a good story on the moral front…
Genesis 37 – Here begins one of the most amazing and remarkable stories of the Old Testament. The life of Joseph and all that came against…
Genesis 36 – After the passing of their father Isaac, Esau and Jacob separated. What follows is the lineage of Esau known as the Edomites…
Genesis 35 – “Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you…
Genesis 34 – It’s a terrible incident. The rape of Jacob’s daughter Dinah and slaughter of the men of the town by the hands of his 2 sons Levi…
Genesis 33 – From the very womb the 2 boys struggled. Their wrestling within their mother tumbled out into their lives. From their difference…
Genesis 32 – The last time Jacob saw Esau he vowed to kill him. Although 20 years had passed, going back to face his brother brought…
Genesis 31 – It was the last straw. Crooked Laban had made hardship after hardship for Jacob. He had labored 20 years and his wages…
Genesis 30 – It was an insane competition. Almost like a poker game, the 2 wives of Jacob negotiated who would sleep with him and upped…
Genesis 29 – God is forging Jacob’s character. Arriving in the land of his relatives, he not only finds them but falls in love. The convoluted…
Genesis 28 – It was a significant dream. It was a moment for Jacob that would set his course. It’s not hard to imagine the emotional difficulty…
Genesis 27 – It’s a house of deception. In his old age, Isaac decides it’s time to give his blessing to his eldest son, Esau. Mind you, in the…
Genesis 26 – “Now there was a famine in the land… The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of…
Genesis 25 – Genesis 25 reveals the death of Abraham, the barrenness of Rebekah, finally getting pregnant, carrying twins who would be…
Genesis 24 – The story of Isaac and Rebekah is truly remarkable and beautiful. God placed within Abraham that this only son of his must…
Genesis 23 – “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you.” Genesis 23:4 This world is not our home. We’re simply passing through on this…
Genesis 22 – Trust the Promiser, not the promise. This statement made by David Guzik speaks so boldly and truly goes to the core of this…
Genesis 21 – God is faithful. After repeated promises of the impossible from God to Abraham; after visits from angels; after a visit from God…
Genesis 20 – Abraham lies. God protects. Pulling up his stakes, Abraham took his entire clan and journeyed further south. Settling in Gerar it…
Genesis 19 – The slippery slope of compromise led Lot into an unraveling of a storyline that would place him in the infamous story of the
Genesis 18 – 2 stories, 1 overarching Truth: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”(Genesis 18:14) Story One has 3 visitors coming to visit…
Genesis 17 – “Abram was becoming a great man of faith, but you dont make a great man of faith overnight. It takes years of Gods work…
Genesis 16 – “God helps those who help themselves” – a statement nowhere found in scripture. Good old Benjamin Franklin made this…
Genesis 15 – Abraham’s doubts were legit. He had reason to fear retaliation from the people he had just overrun with his army of men in the rescue of…
Genesis 14 – In Abraham’s time most cities had their own kings. They ruled as they wanted and often would come against another town or…
Genesis 13 – Abraham’s nephew Lot was a character. While a young man his father died. Although he had strong role models of his grandfather…
Genesis 12 – It was a call to travel. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s…
Genesis 11 – The Tower of Babel came about in man’s thinking as a rebellion to the one and true God. It was part of Nimrod’s Kingdom…
Genesis 10 – The lineage of Noah shows what happened and became of his sons and their descendants. What is interesting is these would…
Genesis 9 – The life of Noah is statement of being committed in obedience to the long term project of which God calls His people…
Genesis 8 – The storms of life blow in sometimes most unexpectedly. Sometimes the storms come by our own doing. And there are other…
Genesis 7 – Noah did everything he was asked to do. His obedience led to his deliverance. What began with a few raindrops…
Genesis 6 – Let’s stop and consider, Noah had no idea of what God was about to do. He was simply given instructions, mind you – crazy…
Genesis 5 – Chapter 5 of Genesis records the genealogy of Adam. The first of many recorded they are scattered throughout the old and even…
Genesis 4 – Confrontation is never easy especially when we’re on the receiving end. Usually, it’s due to an area we’ve overreacted or acted…
Genesis 3 – In the cool of the day, late afternoon, the Lord was walking in the garden. I’ve always looked upon this as a normal thing for Adam and Eve…
Genesis 2 – “You breathe in me and I’m alive with the power of your holiness. You breathe in me and You revive, feelings in my soul that I…
Genesis 1 – There is a sense of awe and wonder of the entire creation of the world. The details here are gripping as we read God meticulously working…
James 4 – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain…
James 3 – “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” What a load of bunk. Since when has this ever been true?…
James 2 – Salvation arrives by the amazing and most abundant grace given through Jesus. All of our faults, all of our struggles, and all of our sins do…
James 1 – Talk is cheap. Inundated with promises everywhere we look from commercials to presidential candidates it’s easy to make or hear…
John 21 – Peter had denied his friend and Lord. He had acted in his flesh and in fear. He had disappointed Jesus. Yet, Jesus met Peter…
John 20 – The miracle of the empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus brought shock and skepticism. John records that miraculous morning…
John 19 – “It is finished.” –John 19:30 It happened. The betrayal, the arrest, the denial, the disciples scattering like sheep had all taken place…
John 18 – Here stood 2 kingdoms in conflict. Pilate’s Kingdom was based upon his physical presence and ruling jurisdiction of Judea…
John 17 – There’s a beautiful prayer Jesus prayed that last night of His earthly life. It was a prayer for his disciples. He prayed over them…
John 16 – “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but…
John 15 – We can’t do it on our own. Oh, we’ve tried countless times. We attempt to make things work in our own strength. We go down…
John 14 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”John 14:6 Of the…