Childlike Faith

Read Psalms 93:1 through 101:8 When six-year-old Logan heard his mother on the phone with Grandpa, he begged, “Please, Mommy, can I talk?” Thinking her son wanted to tell Grandpa about his fun day at vacation Bible school, she said handed him the phone. Logan asked, “Grandpa would you please give your heart to Jesus? I want you to play …

Teach the Children

Read Psalms 74:1 through 78:72 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children (Psalm 78:5). God decreed statutes. These statutes as a whole comprised the Law. Those who received the Law were to teach the children. Those children, once they grew to adulthood, were to teach the next …

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 first, …

Pressed, Not Crushed

Read 2 Corinthians 1:1 through 4:18 In 1947, a Bedouin boy threw a rock into some caves in search of his lost goat. He heard the sound of breaking pottery and found clay jars containing ancient scrolls— the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was one of the most valuable biblical archaeological finds ever made. These ancient manuscripts were treasures in earthen …

Love

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1 through 13:13 Prophecy. Healing. Miracles. How often do Christians focus on these things? Authentic spiritual gifts are life-giving and powerful. Christians should hunger for them. But spiritual gifts like prophecy and healing are to be motivated by compassion. Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way (1 Corinthians …

Don’t Be Duped

Read 1 Corinthians 6:1 through 9:27 Flee from sexual immorality. . . . Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:18–19). Sin defeats people because people lack understanding. They become engrossed in a sin, such as gossip, …

Living from an Overflow

Read Jeremiah 9:1 through 10:25; 1 Thessalonians 3:7–13 For people in the blind community, pouring liquid into a glass is particularly challenging. Overflowing the glass is a primary issue. A “Say When” is a device that slips over the top edge of the glass and makes a sound when it is full. This helps prevent overflowing. In life and ministry, …

No Problem Too Big!

Read Nehemiah 5:1 through 7:73 Have you ever faced a problem that seemed too big to handle? Perhaps you lost your job and weren’t able to get another one. Maybe you’ve faced a serious illness, such as cancer, that seemed impossible to overcome. Perhaps you’ve had to watch as loved ones walked so far away from the Lord that you …

Facing Discouragement

Read 2 Chronicles 32:1 and 33:25 Most believers have never confronted an imposing army like King Hezekiah did. Still, Christians fight major battles every day. Some deal with harassing bosses or coworkers who accuse them falsely. Others face bills or debts that strike like a flurry of arrows, tearing holes in bank accounts and draining their funds. Secular teachings take …

Lesson Learned

Read 2 Chronicles 18:1 through 20:37 It was a painful lesson. Despite starting off impressively as a young leader, Jehoshaphat allowed himself to enter a harmful alliance with Israel’s wicked King Ahab. No doubt Ahab noticed Jehoshaphat’s wealth and inevitably called on him to help in a war with Ramoth Gilead. As the battle began, Ahab disguised himself, abandoning Jehoshaphat …