Sometimes we can try to make up for our shortcoming by pretending. Or get ourselves our of a tight spot by faking it. We can try to pretend we are something that we are not, but the guise of our disguises will eventually be found out.

Bible Reading: 1 Sam 21-25

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 21:13, "So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard."

Word of the day: Disguised. It is the Hebrew word: שָׁנָא (shaw-naw').

This word means: to change, alter. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says it is used to describe a change in character or way or life, to be different.

God's people are called to be set apart, not to fit in. We are the salt and light to the world. Even when we suffer as the world does, we are called to be different, trusting in God. There can be an extinction of distinction when we do not stand firmly in our faith as representatives of Christ to this world.

Bible Reading: Exodus 9-12

Verse of the day: Exodus 9:4, "But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die."

Word of the day: Distinction. It is the Hebrew word: פָּלָה (paw-law').

This word means: to be distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished, set apart.

People are looking for good news today. The bad news that pours into our minds every day can leave us feeling a bit jaded. But there is no greater news than the Gospel. No other gospel can save but the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's the Gospel truth.

Bible Reading: 1 Cor. 15-16

Verse of the day: 1 Corinthians 15:2, "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain."

Word of the day: Gospel. It is the Greek word: εὐαγγέλιον (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on).

This word means: A proclamation of the grace of God manifest and pledged in Christ. The Greek English Lexicon says it means, "good news", details relating to the life and ministry of Jesus, good news of Jesus.

Who are you against in this life? We all have enemies in this life. It might be in our own family. It might be in our own church. And it might be in our own mind. We need to be careful about being against anyone who bears the name of Christ. For we are ultimately against Christ when we are against His people.

Bible Reading: Mark 9-10

Verse of the day: Mark 9:40, "Anyone who is not against us is for us."

Word of the day: Against. It is the Greek word: κατά (kat-ah').

This word means: according to the Greek English lexicon, "down upon", against, in a hostile sense, an accusation.

The good ol' days can deceive us. They might not have been as good as we recalled. But they can also become a place of idolatry when we long for them more than God's presence in the present. The past does not light our way. God's word does.

Bible Reading: Job 29-30

Verse of the day: Job 29:3, "When he lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness"

Word of the day: Light. It is the Hebrew word: נִיר (neer).

When we are shaken to the core, our faithfulness to God will either shine or wane. Do we trust God in the fires of this life? Cultivating faithfulness begins with our belief system and impacts our ability to trust in God at all times.

Bible Reading: Psalms 37-40

Verse of the day: Psalm 37:3, "Trust in the LORD and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness."

Word of the day: Faithfulness. It is the Hebrew word: אֱמוּנָה (em-oo-naw').

This word means: firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness.

We don't like tests, do we? Especially ones that require suffering which we think is unnecessary. But if we are willing to admit it, tests reveal something in us that needs to be healed. How we pass the test depends on how we continue to trust God in the midst.

Bible Reading: Jer. 19-24

Verse of the day: Jeremiah 20:12, "O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause."

Word of the day: Test. It is the Hebrew word: בָּחַן (baw-khan').

This word means: to examine, prove, "to put to the test, tempt", examining to determine integrity..

The name of God is more than a name. It speaks of His character, His works, and His relationship with us. There is no other name like the name of our God.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 16–20

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 17:45, "David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

Word of the day: Name. It is the Hebrew word: שֵׁם(shame).

It is hard for us to grasp that God is Almighty. We want to believe it, but we look around and see where things are not going our way and wonder why God does not do anything about it. But this is because we see power differently than God does. God does nothing outside of His perfect will.

Bible Reading: Exodus 5–8

Verse of the day: Exodus 6:3, "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—'God Almighty'—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them."

Word of the day: Almighty. It is the Hebrew word: שַׁדַּי shad-dah'-ee

Love is in the air. Everywhere. But the expression of that love is often not love at all. Sometimes our perspective of love is skewed toward self and temporary. We love if we are first loved. We love if we feel like it. But the definition of love that God intends lasts forever.

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13–14

Verse of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud." Word of the day: Love. It is the Greek word: ἀγάπη (ag-ah'-pay).