Steve’s Books
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Meditations on 1 John 2:1-2, with Notes
Chapter 2 (NIV–the verses in this chapter were taken from this version. Each chapter will be from a different version to avoid copyright issues.) The NKJV and NIV link the following two verses to the preceding verses in chapter 1. … Continue reading
Meditations on 1 John 1:1-4, with Notes
I thought I would change up my morning times by looking up the notes for passages I’ll meditate on in advance, all taken from my various study Bibles and commentaries. I am adding the notes to the meditation, first followed … Continue reading
Wednesday Words for Warriors
Moses gave many stirring words to encourage the people of Israel to take the territory the Lord had given them in Canaan. I had marked many of them in my Bible over the years. Since I write devotionals, I thought … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 7: John 11:1-44
In this sign, the raising of Lazarus from the dead is presented simply in two verses, John 11:43-44. But all the preceding verses in the chapter reveal great spiritual depths contained in this brief passage. Jesus raises the dead. In … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 6: John 9:1-41
The Lord healed a blind man on the Sabbath to reveal the spiritual blindness of others that we might believe in Him. The sign began with the philosophical question posed by the disciples when they saw a man born blind. … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 5: John 6:21-71
John chose to highlight particular signs or miracles to help us believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and find life in His name and no other. One of the miracles is the event of the multiplication of … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 4: John 5:1-15
John’s gospel has a stated purpose: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). In this fourth sign, Jesus reaches … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 3: John 4:46-54
This is Jesus’ second sign He did in Galilee (John 4:54), though He had performed other miracles (John 2:23) after the first sign performed in Cana of Galilee. This second sign was that of a boy who was close to … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 2: John 2:12-22
Jesus disrupted the Jews’ lucrative commerce system in the outer court of the temple, which had been disturbing the worship of the godly non-Jews there (John 2:15-16). For this action, the Jews asked for a sign, for verification from God … Continue reading
The Seven Signs, part 1: John 2:3-12
This is the first article of a series focusing on the seven signs in the Gospel of John. It’s not often that a book states a purpose, but John’s gospel does: “these [accounts of miracles] are written that you may … Continue reading
Four Protective Practices
In his brief letter, positioned just before the last book of the Bible, Jude writes a lot about apostates (those who fall away from the Lord Jesus) in the past (vv. 4-11) and in the present (vv. 12-16). Jude writes … Continue reading
Immanuel + Jesus
In the Old Testament through Isaiah the prophet, the Lord had given a sign to king Ahaz, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23, referencing Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel means … Continue reading
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The Two Laws: Decoding Paul’s Mysterious Gap in Romans 7 (part 1 of 2)
Many of us at one time or another have scratched our heads over the two verses in Rom. 7:24–25, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our … Continue reading
The Faith of Hebrews 11 for Today
When we consider the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11–Abel and his excellent sacrifice, Enoch who walked with God, Noah who built the ark, Abraham who left for the unknown, elderly Sarah who received strength to bear a … Continue reading
My Recent Observations in the Book of Revelation
In our Bible college class, we were to read Revelation over the course of a week and write up our observations. Here is what I came up with, using the two main headings I was to fill in.
The Way Back
There may come a time when we look at our lives and realize that God was no longer at work. We no longer enjoy the freedom, peace, and power we had with Him. In the same way in Israel’s history, … Continue reading
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The Lord Makes Himself Known
Our God wants to make Himself known to the world. He had this desire from the very beginning in the garden of Eden when He created the first couple. He made them in His image (Genesis 2:26–27). He wanted them … Continue reading
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The Fall of Adam and Eve
When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and ate the fruit of the wrong tree, the Lord spelled out the consequences for each of them in Genesis 3:16-19. These curses were not because God was angry or vindictive. It was … Continue reading
A Light to the World
At the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, a house of prayer, Solomon prayed that when a foreigner “comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven” and answer their prayers that they “may know Your name and fear You” (1 … Continue reading
When I Sin
. My pain and loss echoes His own pain over our broken love relationship, for my sin separated me from God. I confess to hurting Him. . I confess that it was my fault and my sin alone that understandably drove … Continue reading
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The More Excellent Love
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” 1 Cor. 13:1 If I don’t love the person when I speak to them, such … Continue reading
Gaining What Matters
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it” (Mark 8:35). Jesus has a cool way with words. In this … Continue reading
Hallowed be Your Name
God’s names throughout the Scriptures reveal His character and what He stands for. The more we hallow, or respect, His name, the more we will be delivered and be like Him. And how does that happen? It happens when the … Continue reading
The Sin of Spiritual Pride
We who are involved in the work of the Lord can fall into the terrible sin of pride. This was not a problem limited to the Pharisees. It is not a religious problem but a human being problem, because hypocrisy … Continue reading
The Light of the World
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) The Word of God contains words inspired by God … Continue reading
A Missing Ingredient in the Christmas Story
Many words have been inked about the Son of God becoming a human being in the Christmas story. However, I seldom read of one aspect of the story, one important reason that’s left unmentioned, of why Jesus had to be … Continue reading
There’s a song in the air!
Some of the most enduring hymns contain a treasure-trove of scripture framing the whole. So it is with There’s a Song in the Air. It was written by Josiah G. Holland in the 1800s. There’s a song in the air! … Continue reading
1 Samuel 15 Meditation
1 Samuel 15:1 “Because you have been anointed king, listen to the words of the Lord.” We have been elevated to a higher position than any of the prophets and kings in the OT. How much more should we listen? Jesus … Continue reading
1 Samuel 14 Meditation
1 Samuel 14:7 “So his armorbearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.’ Jonathan, King Saul’s son, had an armor-bearer. He was about to see if his … Continue reading
1 Samuel 12 Meditation
1 Samuel 12:17 “Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of … Continue reading
