James 1:4, 12 “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything … Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who...

Amos 1:1 “The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel” (NIV). Observation: Amos is a book of prophetic doom and judgment to be brought against both Israel and Judah. Both nations were experiencing a season of prosperity. In their...

2 Peter 3:3 “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires” (NIV). Observation: Peter said in verse 1 that his purpose in writing was to stimulate the reader to wholesome thinking. He wanted...

1 Peter 3:3–4 “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment. … Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (NIV). Observation: These verses are excerpted from a longer...

James 4:5 “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?” (NIV). Observation: In verse 4, James referred to an “adulterous” people, a people whose hearts and minds have become wedded to the world’s rewards...

Hebrews 9:8 “The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most High Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was standing” (NIV). Observation: The first tabernacle, built at God’s direction under Moses’ leadership, had been...

Hosea 13:5–6 “I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat. When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they became satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” (NIV). Observation: God had miraculously delivered Israel from Egypt’s bondage,...

Song of Songs 4:9–10 “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes … How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!” (NIV). Observation: The very title of the...

Psalm 94:14 “For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance” (NIV). Observation: Psalm 94 is a plea from the oppressed of Israel to be rescued from their afflictions. There are some who take advantage of the weak; it is to God that the...

Psalm 94:18 “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me” (NIV). Observation: This Psalm embodies a plea from Israel’s oppressed for deliverance and protection. There are taskmasters who take pleasure in wrongdoing; the appeal of the weak is...