The Right Tools

Read 2 Timothy 1:1 through 4:22 Jonathan prepared his son Evan to properly take care of a car. He taught Evan how to maintain and repair a car by having his son work alongside him on cars. Jonathan stressed having the right tools and good technical manuals. God has given Christians a manual to help them serve Him. All Scripture …

God Is Always There

Read Isaiah 44:1 through 48:22 Sunlight was streaming through the windows of the Boeing 747. Then, without warning, the light disappeared. The plane had climbed into a dark cloud. Finally, the big plane tilted upward into the bright sunshine again. Outside the window was a beautiful sight. The sunlight was shining on the clouds beneath the plane, turning the clouds …

Don’t Get Bogged Down

Read Hebrews 11:1 through 13:25 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1). A hindrance may slow down progress, but it need not stop it. The presence of …

Worry Is Not Trust

Read Isaiah 7:1 through 12:6 America is a nation obsessed with worry. Because of broken homes, single parents, and a degenerate culture of rebellion and hate, the disease of worry has grown to epidemic proportions. American citizens spend millions of dollars every year on pills and other medicines, in an attempt to arrest this painful experience, which in essence is …

Walking or Stumbling?

Read Hosea 14:1–9 Walking along a forest path in darkness can be dangerous. Roots and rocks threaten to cause a walker to stumble. A wise man will carry a flashlight on such a journey to prevent falling and injury. Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; …

Not What They Deserve

Read Obadiah 1:1–21; Jonah 1:1–4:11 In Corrie ten Boom’s autobiography, The Hiding Place, she described the day she met the Nazi guard from Ravensbruck concentration camp who asked for her forgiveness. She wrote, “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” When the man held out his hand to …

Be Kind

Read Ephesians 4:1 through 6:24 G. K. Chesterton was a well-known Christian writer and philosopher from the last century. He debated many atheists and skeptics in public settings. Unlike some of the debates we see today, which are filled with animosity, his were conducted with kindness. One of his opponents wrote, “To hear Chesterton’s howl of joy . . . …

Keep in Step

Read Galatians 4:1 through 6:18 John walked home from his office after work as usual. It was snowing, but he kept to his regular route. Arriving home, he realized he had forgotten his five-year-old son. The boy was supposed to meet John at his office, across the street from the school. The doorbell rang, and, to his surprise, it was …

Help!

Read Psalm 143:1 through 150:6 Every language has a word people shout when they’re in trouble. A Danish fisherman being washed overboard yells, “Hjælp!” A fallen Indonesian dancer cries, “Bantuan!” A Romanian calls out, “Ajutor!” A Spaniard says, “Ayuda!” In every case, the word communicates an immediate need for assistance. When David called on God to save him from his …

Understanding God

Read Romans 9:1 through 12:21 Isn’t a seemingly sudden change of character shocking in someone we thought we knew well? It’s disconcerting when a person steps out of the box we’ve constructed for him or her to live in. But it’s dangerous when we try to fit God into a box of our own making. To properly understand God, we …