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; …

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 …

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 . . . …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …