Most of us have personal areas that we acknowledge are bad, and other areas we simply tolerate that may not be so good when observed closely. We all have that one area we excuse, yet we accuse another severely for his flaws.

While reading through the book of Ezekiel, I am reminded of how frankly the Lord speaks to us. God is strong, yet wants to bring comfort to His people.

Do not blame anyone but yourself.
Romans 14:12 “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

For those who are not aware, these Morning Moments began as simple thoughts from my devotions that were sent to my staff. Though my deacons started getting them, then my church members, and now to readers on-line, these Morning Moments are still just thoughts from my daily Bible reading — nothing scholarly, just thoughts as I read my Bible. May these thoughts be a blessing to you.

I happened to be reading the book of Genesis during the same week that we had our annual missions conference when I noticed similarities regarding the treatment of women in heathen cultures of today and the early years in the book of Genesis.

God gave us feelings. We are flesh, and our flesh was given feelings by the Creator. Weariness, temperature, pain and comfort: all these are feelings that came from the manufacturer — there is nothing wrong with those feelings.

When David was brought into the position of leadership early in life, he was called, among other things, a man of war.

In this brief life, one faces many false hopes, disappointments, and empty dreams. In the course of following these empty feelings, real things might be forfeited.

I preached a sermon about the will of God and how we should not focus on the past or some utopian dream of "the perfect will of God." God is most concerned about our doing the will of God today, regardless of where we once were, what we have faced in the past, or even of what wrong has been done.

In our soft culture, the emphasis is on "be nice" and "live and let live" (unless, of course, you are the media and are dealing with a terrible threat like Sara Palin; then you can be ugly without limits.) These "we've gotta be nice to the world” believers have forgotten so much of what the Bible says. Remember, we have a timeless Book. Our Bible is good for all cultures, all ages, and all political landscapes.

I found myself thinking about mercy and truth. These attributes are often found together in the Bible and teach us much.

Jesus told Pilate that he had no power at all.
John 19:11 “Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”

The statement, “Self-Imposed Hell,” was in a book I was recently reading and it struck me how true it was. People do things that cause their own "Hell on earth."

Trends today tend to belittle and lessen the value of great men, whether referring to the writers of our Constitution or preachers who built amazing churches. Small minds try to build themselves by diminishing the wonder of great men of the past.

This morning, as I read, I could not help but stop and mention verses I have addressed before. These are the words of Joseph after his father’s death, and in response to the brothers fearing the wrath of the brother they sold into slavery.

Think with me about some the preachers God saw fit to record.

Our Lord taught His listeners much about the proper treatment of enemies. This basic Christian doctrine goes against our natural flesh, as well as against our own system of justice, but it is the clear teaching of God.

Peter makes an interesting statement in 1 Peter 4:15: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.”


Fulfillment and meaning in life have been the subject of countless books and lectures throughout time. One of the distinctions that set mankind apart from animals is the desire to have meaning for life.

Have you ever wondered about all those verses telling us to love one another?  Really, did you not wonder why the Lord talked so often about us loving each other?