The Blog

Read Ephesians 1:1 through 3:21 Traveling abroad poses challenges. In addition to obtaining a passport, it would help if you learned the language of the people. Failure to possess a thorough understanding of the culture and customs of a country may hinder effective communication. One word or a mispronounced syllable could transform an intended meaning into something entirely different. Prior …

Read Proverbs 3:1 through 4:27; 1 Corinthians 5:1–13 27 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones (Proverbs 3:7–8). To achieve good health, it may seem wise to follow the advice of “experts.” But most experts overlook the biggest problem—a lack of relationship …

Read Romans 13:1 through 16:27 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die; we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:7-8). Throughout church history, whenever people gathered together to worship …

Read Psalms 106:1 through 109:31 Ryan slipped downstairs at midnight, trying not to awaken his wife or their three children. The weary young father needed a little time with Jesus. Overwhelmed by life, he felt like an all-around failure. Ryan prayed, but, when he sensed no immediate reply, he muttered, “I must be failing You too.” Desperate for an escape …

Read Psalms 79:1 through 86:17 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name (Psalm 86:11). In this climax to his prayer for guidance, David turns to the inward person, where the motivations for his actions originate. His desire to form right habits is clear: David …

Read Psalms 45:1 through 47:9 Tillie, a little brown-and-white dog is terrified of thunder. A series of storms rattled the windowpanes. Sunday through Saturday, it was the same every day. After a week of this, Tillie expected thunder every time it rained. The following Monday a light shower pattered gently against the windowpanes. Trembling, Tillie huddled close to her master, …

Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-5:20; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 Whether he was Solomon or some other poor soul, the world-weary writer of Ecclesiastes does not seem to be a cheery fellow. He seems like a guy who would make a gloomy day gloomier. The writer of Ecclesiastes was not necessarily a bore. His book simply reflects the extent of hope one had on …

Read Psalm 11:1 through 18:50 Many of the Psalms are full of praise to God. We sometimes visualize David as peacefully strumming a harp as he quietly watches a flock of sheep grazing on a grassy slope. Psalm 13 presents a different picture. David apparently had doubts, troubling thoughts, and enemies. Things did not always go well for him. In …

Read 1 Corinthians 1:1 through 5:13 Members of a writer’s group sat at their normal places. As usual, a debate erupted. One participant had read his new story to the group. They all loved it, but each person wanted a different opening. They felt the beginning was dull. They wanted drama, conflict, action. So, the group discussed various openings to …

Read 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 on William Shakespeare’s monument …