Enjoy This Day
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. —Psalm 118:24 Today is the day to which all of your yesterdays have pointed since the day of your birth—and the day from which all of your tomorrows will proceed …
Going without Knowing
He went without knowing where he was going. —Hebrews 11:8 God told Abraham, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” “So Abraham left” (Gn 12:1, 4)—without a …
The New You
You have been made right with God. —1 Corinthians 6:11 Ray Stedman came to his pulpit and read the text for the day. “Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers—none of …
Your Life Has Been Changed
Give thanks to the Lord . . . for the amazing things he has done for [you]. —Psalm 107:15 More than a million people posted tributes to Apple founder Steve Jobs following his death, praising him for changing their lives and expressing their sense of …
Put Yourself in the Picture
Why are you so frightened? —Mark 4:40 Rembrandt’s seascape, Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, pictures Jesus’ panic-stricken disciples struggling against a violent storm while Jesus sleeps. In the biblical story, they wake him and ask, “Don’t you care that we’re drowning?” Jesus stills the …
A Spoonful of Honey
How sweet are your words to my taste. —Psalm 119:103 Bombarded with negative news, I think we need a dose of Mary Poppins—a bit of this delightful fictional nanny’s levity and positivity. Here are a few words from the 1964 …
It’s Not Too Late to Change
Let God transform you into a new person. —Romans 12:2 Do others see you the same way you see yourself? If your personality traits—as seen by others—were described in single words, what would those words be? Compassionate or Cold? Positive or …
A Chosen Instrument
This man is my chosen instrument. —Acts 9:15 Saul was in town. The Lord gave Ananias his address and told him to go see him. Ananias didn’t want to do that—knowing that Saul had savaged many saints in Jerusalem …
Gifts and Givers
How can they preach unless they are sent? —Romans 10:15 When Paul and company beached their boat at Malta, they enjoyed the hospitality of Publius. Paul healed Publius’s ill father—and many other sick islanders. Paul had the gift of healing, yet had his lingering “thorn in the flesh.” He healed others but could not …
The Always-Dependable Presence
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. —Psalm 34:15 “The Old Man of the Mountain” was a forty-foot tall, twenty-five-foot wide, granite face, sculpted by nature on Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire. The face collapsed and tumbled to the …