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We offer the Lord our abilities and resources to use as He deems best, but is He able to use our inabilities? The answer is yes. Give to God your weakness, your faltering skills, your lack of financial resources, your stammering tongue. Lay them at His feet. It's not our strength but His strength that is made perfect in weakness. God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. —Jerry Proctor

Jacob’s spiritual journey was coming full circle. What began favorably at Bethel (Gen. 28) was soon sidetracked when he married and amassed his riches. His steps took him even lower at Shechem (Gen. 34), even after the Lord directed him back to Bethel (Gen. 31), and worked marvelously at Peniel (Gen. 32). Now he was returning to his spiritual roots and rising from his pitiful condition to the place where he had first found the Lord. But it required a clean break from the vestiges of his old life and the strange gods he served. It is the first revival in the Bible—and the pattern for all those wanting to come back to Him. —Mark Kolchin

Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Our postmodern society is quite satisfied with philosophies that fantasize truth, but do not pursue it. Reason and sensory information have their place, but these alone can not affirm absolute truth. Yet, we can know truth. The Lord Jesus said He is Truth (John 14:6) and that knowing Him (the truth) would set men free from the bondage of sin (John 8:32). Man can only approach God in accordance with divinely revealed truth (John 4:23). Manufactured religiosity only offends God. Holding to truth enables us to honour God. Know the truth, believer, and sell it not! —Warren Henderson

Five times in these two verses and seven times more in the chapter we find “you”. God wants us to glory in the fact that He loves us and deals with us always as individuals. Thus it is intensely personal. Salvation is offered to the world (John 3:16) but I must make it mine. His personal interest in me is a wonderful, blessed, comforting thought.—Vernon Markle

Ezekiel saw this valley full of dry bones and it seemed impossible that they could ever live again. But the Lord began to work. The bones came together, and a mighty wind blew in the valley, and they stood up and were an exceedingly great army. This scene could be applied to the condition of men outside of Christ—dead and dry. But the same power that swept through the valley that Ezekiel saw, the power of the Spirit, is able to impart new life. Let’s pray for the stirring wind of the Spirit to blow amongst us, that we might see souls quickened—born again from above. —W. H. Burnett

Charles H. Spurgeon once told the story of a class of boys who were having a Bible lesson on Daniel. One boy was asked to read some verses aloud, and when he came to Daniel 6:3, which reads "because an excellent spirit was in him,” by mistake the boy read “because an excellent spine was in him.” While it was undoubtedly poor reading, it was nonetheless excellent theology, for Daniel was a man of real backbone. And this is precisely what is needed in the Church today. —W. Ross Rainey

Ten lepers asked Jesus to heal them. He told them to see the priest as an act of faith that they believed Him. On their way all were healed. One turned back, fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, and gave Him thanks. Jesus asked, “Where are the nine?” Nine were blessed but only one returned to thank the one Who blessed him—and he was a Samaritan! The others were interested in the blessings but not the Blesser. Do you know the Blesser of your blessings? Have you paused to thank Him? —K. C. Ung

To say that Jesus was anathema (accursed) was to accuse Him of being a blasphemer and an impostor. It meant that He was under the curse of God and bringing down the judgement of God on Himself. Thus the battle lines of opposing spiritual forces were drawn. It was either anathema or Lord! The Lordship of Jesus is a fundamental doctrine of apostolic teaching. It marks the beginning of a believer's life. Our confession that He is Lord gives proof of salvation (Rom. 10:9) and should manifest itself in our actions. —Drew Craig

This was a time of great difficulty for the nation. People did not know which way to turn. They were disappointed and fearful, and probably tearful as well. The message from the Lord, however, was, “This thing is from Me.” Dear child of God, today may be one of your darkest days, but do remember that God is in overall control and though He may be allowing something hurtful or debilitating in your life, He may be all the while whispering to you in a still small voice, “Do not fear—this thing is from Me.” If that be so, in the end all will be well. Trust Him. —Roy Hill

Nathanael posed an intriguing question. The answer was that every good thing came out of Nazareth in the person of our Lord. When the Saviour went into public ministry, Nazareth lost the best carpenter it ever had. No doubt furniture in the homes and farm implements in the field were made with the blessed hands of Christ. Yet a few years later nails and wood would be used again to place those hands on a cross. Such was His love for you and me. —John M. Clegg