Post Archive by Year

Read  Micah 6:1 through 7:20 Debbie sat weeping in the Christian counselor’s office. Finally, she broke down and told the therapist the truth. Her heart had been burdened with guilt ever since having an abortion ten years earlier. She had asked God to forgive her perhaps a thousand times. But Debbie just couldn’t bring herself to believe that He actually …

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 …

Read  Isaiah 40:1 through 43:28 Isaiah was facing a discouraged, weak, and powerless nation, which felt completely out of control. He knew they had brought it on themselves, as they had failed to pray and seek the Lord. But he also knew Jehovah was compassionate, longing to help His chosen people. So he reminded this hurting, depressed nation, which hardly …

Read  Hebrews 8:1 through 10:18 For all the physical conditioning required for an athlete to excel in competition, mental preparation is just as vital. A weightlifter stares hard at the hundreds of pounds he or she is about to lift off the floor, envisioning it hoisted in the air. A diver stands poised on the high board, mentally reviewing every …

Read  Isaiah 1:1 through 5:30 Everyone has played charades. One player acts out a word or phrase silently, and the other players attempt to guess the term. This can be a fun game—as long as we don’t play it with God. Many people put on a show for God, going through the motions with no intent of living genuinely for …

Read Colossians 1:1 through 3:4 Sometimes when we read the New Testament or the history of the Early Church, we do so with idealistic filters. We imagine the early Christians as almost sinless dynamos of faith who risked everything in order to follow the Lord. But Christians then, like Christians today, were sinners redeemed by God’s grace. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs …

Read  Song of Solomon 1:1 through 8:14 Most people have at least one “lost-as-a-child” story. I have two. I was gazing at a huge wall of linens mother was buying. Suddenly a cold dread struck me as I realized that she, and the shopping cart holding my younger sister, had vanished. The solitude, the fear one feels when one is …

Read  Proverbs 21:1 through 24:34 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). In the midst of life’s struggles have you ever asked yourself, “How much should I do, and what should I wait for God to do?” God expects us to trust Him. There is no success in the …

Read  Proverbs 10:1 through 14:35 Twelve-year-old John lived in an abusive home and often had behavior problems in school. Many teachers told him he would probably end up in prison—except for the woman who taught math. Being a strong Christian, she knew the influence of words. She took him aside, placed an arm over his shoulder and said, “John, God …

Read  Romans 14:1 through 15:13 Denise hurt for all the boys, including her own, every time their soccer coach shouted at them. Confrontation wasn’t her style, yet she couldn’t stand by as they crumpled in discouragement. One violent outburst had the younger team members in tears. Denise knew it was time to speak up. Saying a silent prayer, Denise approached …