Riding to the Top

Read Psalms 54:1 through 61:8   Hiking the high-altitude volcanoes of Guatemala can leave a novice hiker gasping for air at the side of the trail after just a few minutes. The locals (who are used to the conditions) know this, so they run along with the group, leading horses to ride when a hiker cannot take another step. At …

Fear Not

Read Psalms 27:1 through 33:22   The pastor was excited that his morning sermon was progressing so well. His points were flowing; his illustrations were hitting home; and the congregation was leaning in to hear every word. But then during his conclusion he asked what he intended to be a rhetorical question: “Who here wouldn’t like to be in a situation …

Wait a Moment . . . or More

Read Psalms 1:1 through 10:18   During World War II, many young men went off to war in both Europe and the Pacific, leaving behind family and loved ones to wait for their return. As days turned into months, and months turned into years, the waiting must have been a very difficult season of life for those who were left …

Following Christ

Read Proverbs 7:1 through 9:18; 1 Corinthians 7:1–20   Have you ever been given an assignment from a teacher or employer that stretched you beyond your comfort zone? It could be the task is especially difficult, or perhaps the people involved are difficult to work with. In life, some assignments affect greater outcomes than a grade, pay raise, or promotion. When …

Leaving a Mark

Read 伯  Job 1:1 through 2:13; John 21:10–25   “I told you I was ill.” That amusing epitaph marks the grave of British comedian Spike Milligan.   The gravestone of Martin Luther King Jr. features a line from his 1963 speech in Washington, DC: “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last.”   The inscription …