Now Yahweh's word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.' But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. Jonah...

1st Corinthians 15:54-55:But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" When we experience a loss of a loved one, we can often go through trying times, questioning a lot of things in our own lives....

Revelation 12:11-They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. When I was a child, I went with friends and parents to an outdoor fun land. The place was touted as a total adventure. The whole underlying theme of the place was built on trust, yet there it was masked as fun and adventure for all of us to...

Ezekiel 47:9- Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Jeremiah 2:13- My people have committed two sins; They have forsaken me, the spring of Living Water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. If...

Romans 11:27-32: And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gift's and his call are irrevocable. In estate planning, the irrevocable trust is one of the most effective ways to pass along wealth, property, rights and whatever...

The donkey saw Yahweh's angel, and she lay down under Balaam. Balaam's anger burned, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?' Balaam said to the donkey, 'Because you have mocked me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would have killed you.' The donkey said...

For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. Ecclesiastes 2:26 WEBIn dog racing, they have a lure called a mechanical rabbit that runs along a rail. At the start of the race, the dogs line up and then chase this rabbit around the...

Day 20 Love is Jesus Christ While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. –Romans 5:6   The previous day and dare lead to no other conclusion that this. Thankfully, it’s a conclusion you can live with—today, tomorrow, and forever.   Jesus has come “to seek and to save” you (Luke 19:10). Everything you’ve failed at and haven’t...

Day 19 Love is Impossible Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. –I John 4:7   The Love Dare starts with a secret.  And though it’s been an unspoken element throughout each day, you’ve likely grown more and more suspicious of it all the time.  Now that you’re this far, it’s a secret you’re discovering...

Day 18 Love Seeks to Understand How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. – Proverbs 3:13   We enjoy discovering as much as we can about the things we truly care about.  If it’s our favorite football team, we’ll read any article that helps us keep up with how they’re doing.  If it’s cooking, we’ll tune to those channels...

Day 17 Love Promotes Intimacy He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. – Proverbs 17:9 NIV   You can be close to a good friend you’ve known since childhood or college days.  You can be close to a sibling, your parents, or a cousin who’s about your same age.  But nothing rivals the closeness that’s experienced...

Day 16 Love Intercedes Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. – 3 John 2   You cannot change your spouse.  As much as you may want to, you cannot play God and reach into their heart and mold them into what you want them to be.  But that’s what most couples spend a large part of their time trying to do...

Day 15 Love is Honorable Live with your wives in an understanding way … and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life.  – 1 Peter 3:7   There are certain words in our language that have powerful meanings.  Whenever these words are used, an air of respect is associated with them.  These words never lose their timeless quality, class, and dignity.  One...

Day 14 Love Takes Delight Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life. – Ecclesiastes 9:9 HCSB   One of the most important things you should learn on your Love Dare journey is that you should not just follow your heart.  You should lead it.  You don’t let your feelings and emotions do the driving.  You put them in the back seat and...

Day 13 Love Fights Fair If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. – Mark 3:25   Like it or not, conflict in marriage is simply inevitable.  When you tied the knot as bride and groom, you joined not only your hopes and dreams but also your hurts, fears, imperfections, and emotional baggage.  From the moment you unpacked from your honeymoon,...

Day 12 Love Lets the Other Win Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests others.  – Philippians 2:4    If you were asked to name three areas where you and your spouse disagree, you’d likely be able to do it without thinking very hard. You might even be able to produce a top ten list if given a few more minutes.  And...

Day 11 Love Cherishes Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. – Ephesians 5:28    Consider these two scenarios.   A man’s older car begins having serious trouble, so he takes it to a mechanic.  After an assessment is made, he is told it will need a complete overhaul, which would tax his limited budget.  Because of the expensive...

1 John 5:15- And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we has what we ask of him. John 11:40-42- So they took away the stone, then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. We are all in Jesus as we believe and have received...

John 6:63: The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing, the words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life.Romans 8:26: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans and that words cannot express. Running and cycling is tremendously demanding on the body. I had worked a...

Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say? Luke 6:46 WEBDad always warned us about playing with fire. One day my brother, who was only about three or four years old, got a hold of a pack of matches. He hid in the closet to play with them, sitting under the clothes that were hanging in there. It wasn't long before the closet was on fire, and then the entire house. By the...

For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. Luke 6:43 WEBWe find it humorous when we get cut off in traffic by a rude driver and they have a Christian fish symbol on their bumper. At other times, we see...

Jeremiah 40:18-I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.Matthew 11:28-come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest If you have ever been betrayed in the world, trust is a tough concept. Those betrayals really hurt and they can leave scars for years. We have all heard that we must trust God, but for...

I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.' Revelation 19:6 WEBI have a great wife, and we have been...

Day 10 Love is Unconditional God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us.  – Romans 5:8   If someone were to ask you, “Why do you love your wife?” or “Why do you love your husband?” – what would you say? Most men would mention their wife’s beauty, her sense of humor, her kindness, her inner strength.  They...

Day 9 Love Makes Good Impressions Greet one another with a kiss of love.  – 1 Peter 5:14   You’ve covered some serious ground so far in this journey.  Learning to demonstrate aspects of love patience, kindness, and encouragement are not always easy but are certainly crucial to a healthy relationship.  So dealing with the way you greet your spouse each day...

Day 8 Love is Not Jealous Love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire. – Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV Jealousy is one of the strongest drives known to man.  It comes from the root word for zeal and means “to burn with an intense fire.”  Scripture pointedly says, “Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can...

Day 7 Love Believes the Best [Love] believes all things, hopes all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:7 In the deep and private corridors of your heart, there is a room.  It’s called the Appreciation Room.  It’s where your thoughts go when you encounter positive and encouraging things about your spouse.  And every so often, you enjoy visiting this special place. On...

Day 6 Love is Not Irritable He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.  -Proverbs 16:32 Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive.  How easily do you get irritated and offended?  Some people have the motto, “Never pass up an opportunity to get upset with your spouse.”  When something goes...

Day 5 Love is Not Rude He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him. —Proverbs 27:14 Nothing irritates others as quickly as being rude. Rudeness is unnecessarily saying or doing things that are unpleasant for another person to be around. To be rude is to act unbecoming, embarrassing, or irritating. In marriage, this could be a foul mouth,...

Day 4 Love is Thoughtful How precious also are Your thoughts to me. . . . How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. —Psalm 139:17–18 Love thinks. It’s not a mindless feeling that rides on waves of emotion and falls asleep mentally. It keeps busy in thought, knowing that loving thoughts precede loving actions. When you first fell in...