Dr. Fred Alexander, my college roommate, and lifelong friend, chose a career in higher education. It was a close call, because early on he felt the tug of a different calling. As a young Navy Reservist, Fred blew the top off pilot aptitude tests. The U.S. Navy pulled out all the stops to convince him …
We know and rely on the love God has for us. —1 John 4:16 Have you ever watched parents at a Little League game? Their eyes are focused on one thing—their kid. They love that child. He drops …
Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. —Luke 2:44 Many who have found Jesus have later lost him. Don’t say, “It could never happen to me.” It can happen; it does happen; it even happened to Mary. No one loved Jesus as Mary loved …
You sent me aid again and again. —Philippians 4:16 Her two young sons had a history of mischief. She—a German immigrant—noted that things were way too quiet. “Up to no good,” she thought, and called out to them: “Hans, vot you doingg?” “Notting.” “Fritz, vot you doingg?” “I’m …
She has been a great help to many people, including me. —Romans 16:2 In her book Medieval People, Eileen Power describes a Genoese sea captain sitting on a pier near his ship, reading Marco Polo’s Travels. The captain regretted that Marco Polo had explored the Orient before he was born, wishing he …
Prepare to meet your God. —Amos 4:12 Once upon a time, there was a duke whose court jester’s name was Wamba. The duke was very fond of Wamba—his foolish stunts made him laugh. To show his appreciation, he gifted Wamba with a world tour. “Go abroad,” he said, “and …
We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. —2 Corinthians 4:9 Despite a boatload of problems, Paul never gave up: “We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit . . . We get knocked down, but we …
I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. —Hebrews 8:12 You have sinned (Rom 3:23). So, where are your sins? Let’s ask prophets and apostles. “Isaiah, where are my sins?” “He has put all your sins behind his back” (Is 38:17). “Micah, where …
[God] does whatever pleases him. —Psalm 115:3 “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God?” (1 Cor 4:7 MSG). King David said: “[Everything] comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you” (1 Chr 29:16). God’s own words: “The world …
We spend our years as a tale that is told. —Psalm 90:9 Reading fiction is an adventure, a guessing game. For hundreds of pages, a good fiction writer will keep you wondering, “How will it end?” Sometimes it ends …
