The battle is the Lord’s. —1 Samuel 17:27 Thumb over to 1 Samuel 17 and check out David’s view of the giant Goliath, contrasted with King Saul’s soldiers’ perception of the beast. David’s view was driven by fearless faith. He badgered the Israelite brass: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the […]
You were once darkness, but now you are light. —Ephesians 5:8 Clyde Thompson was dubbed “The Meanest Man in Texas.” He was convicted of four murders—two that put him in prison and two while behind bars. At age nineteen Clyde was sentenced to die, the youngest person ever to receive the death penalty in
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. —1 Corinthians 15:26 A head cold or sinus infection is a short-term enemy; we face it, fight it, and beat it. But fear of death is a lifelong enemy (Heb. 2:15). Death is the last foe left standing. We want to
He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame. —Proverbs 18:13 “The first duty of love is to listen,” wrote theologian Paul Tillich. Think you have nothing to give? You do. Your undivided attention. In The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck wrote, “You cannot truly listen to anyone
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Each will receive his praise from God. —1 Corinthians 4:5 Our talents and possessions are gifts of God’s grace: “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God?” (1 Cor. 4:7 MSG). Our individuality is a gift of God’s grace: “[By] the grace of
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Do not neglect your gift. —1 Timothy 4:14 We think of Changemakers as super-gifted and well-positioned—speakers, writers, singers, politicians, CEOs. But for every Changemaker in the spotlight, there are a dozen in the shadows that don’t make speeches, draw crowds, sell books, or set policies. You don’t have to have major talent to
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In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. —Psalm 33:21 Trust and thankfulness are joined at the hip. We have both, or we have neither. Trust and thankfulness are the outgrowth of our conviction that some things are unquestionably and irrevocably true. If you believe it is
A good name is more desirable than great riches. —Proverbs 22:1 Names given to Bible characters often carried a meaning that defined them . . . Eve – “to breathe” or “to live” Abraham – “father of many” Ishmael – “God will hear” Isaac – “he laughs” Jesus – “the Lord
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The bigwigs huddled in secret, hatching a plan to arrest and kill Jesus. But they had a problem: pilgrims were pouring into Jerusalem by the tens of thousands to observe Passover, and they were in a frenzy of excitement about Jesus. Jesus had to be eliminated. “‘But not during the Feast,’ they whispered, ‘or there
What is impossible with men is possible with God. —Luke 18:27 Matthew 13 records Jesus’ parable of the soils: four different kinds of soil (hard, shallow, worldly, receptive) that depict the condition of the hearts
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