Nathan Martin

Make God Happy!

We are tempted to think that God takes pleasure in us when we are strong or accomplish great things for Him. But He takes greater pleasure when we simply fear Him and trust Him in the face of whatever…

Psalm 147:10 (NLT), Psalm 147:11 (NLT)

Matter of the Heart

God knows each heart, not just the outward show. Solomon prayed that God would reward the heart. This is the only way people will really fear God-they'll know it's Him because their heart is dealt with.…

2 Chronicles 6:28 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 6:29 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 6:30 (NLT), 2 Chronicles 6:31 (NLT)

Chemistry

Solomon requested a master craftsman from King Hiram who was multi-talented. But this new member of the team also had to be able to work with Solomon's own people. Chemistry is an incredibly important…

Sin's Longlasting Effects

While the curse of sin is broken and God does not charge the penalty of sin to the next generation, there still remains a residual effect of unrestrained sin. Just look at the examples of alcoholism,…

Exodus 34:7 (NLT)

Timetable

Jesus told His disciples that Passover was near and it was time for him to be crucified. At the same time the leaders were plotting how to capture Jesus and kill Him, but NOT during the Passover celebration,…

Matthew 26:1 (NLT), Matthew 26:2 (NLT), Matthew 26:3 (NLT), Matthew 26:4 (NLT), Matthew 26:5 (NLT)

Divorce

These verses have long been used to express God's hatred of divorce, and many divorcees have ended up feeling rejected by God. But these verses are more a cry against adultery by the man, who, selfishly…

Malachi 2:14 (NLT), Malachi 2:15 (NLT), Malachi 2:16 (NLT)

Favoritism

This was spoken to the priests as a rebuke. NEVER show favoritism when ministering. It doesn't matter what they can do for you, minister to everyone equally as unto the Lord Himself.

Malachi 2:9 (NLT)

Graciousness

Even though Joseph didn't go on to divorce Mary, his good heart was demonstrated in how he planned to handle the difficult situation. He planned to do it quietly. Even though he was probably devestated,…

Matthew 1:19 (NLT)

Who Did It?

"But you thought your fame and beauty were your own." (NLT) This is a danger for anyone used by the Lord, that they will come to think of their success as a product of their own doing, instead of God's…

Ezekiel 16:15 (NLT)

Hurt God?

"They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols." NLT It's hard to think that God can be "hurt" by us, His creation. And yet here we clearly see…

Ezekiel 6:9 (NLT)

Leader???

NLT "...and all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to idols..." These men might say that THEY had not disobeyed God by burning incense to idols, but they were not spiritual leaders in…

Jeremiah 44:15 (NLT)

Balance of Power

"For the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us." NLT In America we have three branches of government: Judicial, Legislative and Executive. In this verse, God…

Isaiah 33:22 (NLT)

Invincible

When Abigail approached David, trying to prevent him from destroying her foolish husband, she spoke of God's calling on his life and of God's protection. She said, "Even when you are chased by those who…

1 Samuel 25:29 (NLT)

Responsibility of Leadership

Aaron's two sons were killed when they burned "strange fire" before the Lord, fire that He did not command in a way that He did not command. God dealt with them severely for disobeying Him, or taking…

Leviticus 10:3 (NLT)

Attention to Detail

Note the precision and attention to detail in making the priestly garments for Aaron. Bezalel "made gold thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold and cutting it into fine threads. With great skill…

Exodus 39:3 (NLT)

Prosperity is a test

"Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow…

Exodus 16:4 (NLT)

God meets us where we are

God knew the Israelites had been slaves for hundreds of years and as a result were not a fighting people. He knew that if they faced a difficult foe right away that they would be so overcome with fear,…

Exodus 13:17 (NLT)

Purpose ... Faith

"But I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt." (Ex 7:3 NLT) God does not act capriciously, rather every act has a purpose. This is…

Exodus 7:3 (NLT)

What God can use

Moses fled Egypt when Pharaoh found out he had killed an Egyptian. Then he ended up in Midian, where God wanted him. God can use everything, even our failures and fears, to get us where He wants us!

Exodus 2:14 (NLT), Exodus 2:15 (NLT)

Provision

When Moses' mother put her son in the basket and left the results to God, that was an act of faith. The result was that God returned her baby to her, allowed her to raise him, and even get paid royally…

Exodus 2:9 (NLT), Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

Fear God or Man?

"But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the kings orders..." (Ex 1:17 NLT) Fearing and obeying God will ALWAYS be the right motive in our responses to human government. Peter said,…

Exodus 1:17 (NLT), Acts 5:29 (NLT)

God causes ALL things to work together...

In reading through this chapter you see an intense level of sibling rivalry between Leah and Rachel. This sibling rivalry may have been going on all their lives. Leah was born first but Rachel was the…

Genesis 30:8 (NLT)

God has a plan

In this passage we read that Abraham had other sons, after Sarah died, by Keturah. But he sent these sons to the east. Is it possible that they left with a remnant of Abrahamic faith and became the ancestors…

Genesis 25:6 (NLT)

Contrasting Abraham & Lot

In Genesis 19:12 the angels compel Lot to gather his family in preparation for fleeing the city that is about to be destroyed. The angels specifically mention sons-in-law, sons and daughters. Later in…

Genesis 18:19 (NLT), Genesis 19:12 (NLT)

Fear of the Unknown

Abram's journey to Egypt because of the famine in Canaan caused a good bit of concern about their uncertain future. That fear of the unknown caused him to suspect the worst and led him to make choices…

Genesis 12:11 (NLT), Genesis 12:12 (NLT), Genesis 12:13 (NLT)