I bring you good news of great joy. —Luke 2:10 What if your Bible ended with Malachi—if you turned the last page of the Old Testament and there was nothing more? There would be no Luke 2:10–11. “I bring you good news of …
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. —Ephesians 4:30 Someone reading these words is grieving over a son or daughter who has broken their heart. A desire to make our parents proud of us and a determination to avoid disappointing them incentivize honorable behavior. Ken …
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. —Proverbs 4:7 In Paul’s list of nine Spirit-given gifts, the first two are wisdom and knowledge (1 Cor 12:8). Sometimes the two coexist, but not always. All of us have …
This, then, is how you should pray. —Matthew 6:9 Do you ever get your prayers upside down? I do. I sometimes put the things that should be last first and the things that should be first last. Here’s what I mean. My prayers usually …
We know that . . . we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven. —2 Corinthians 5:1 In the early days of our country, letters between parties in the U.S. normally took three months for delivery; foreign correspondence commonly required six months. So, the result of an election, congressional vote, or foreign …
We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. —1 Timothy 6:7 Satan doesn’t encounter much resistance in enticing us to focus on money—even conning us into using it as our standard of judgment. “What’s he worth?” doesn’t require translation. We …
I have learned to be content. —Philippians 4:11 When I’m out for exercise, I sometimes encounter a stretch of road where cars line both sides of the street for a block or so. I know what’s up—the trail is going to end at a yard sale where someone is getting rid …
[They] forget that they have been cleansed from their past sins. —2 Peter 1:9 In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Greatheart describes Forgetful Green as “the most dangerous place in all these parts. For if at any time the pilgrims meet with any brunt, it is when they forget what favours …
The body is not made up of one part but of many. —1 Corinthians 12:14 At her birthday celebration, Carole turned the tables on her guests: instead of getting gifts, she gave gifts. To each person, Carole gave one piece of a jigsaw puzzle and a note. The puzzle piece was a reminder that …
Judge nothing before the appointed time. —1 Corinthians 4:5 C.S. Lewis said there will be three surprises in heaven: who’s there, who’s not there, and that you’re there. Jesus’ terse, “Do not judge” (Mt 7:1), finds a strong “Amen” in Paul’s charge to the Corinthians. …
