Today’s Walk in the Word

I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom.  —1 Corinthians 2:1 William Boyd Carpenter (1841–1918), a Church of England cleric and Queen Victoria’s favorite preacher, was asked if he was nervous when preaching to the Queen. He said he never considered that he was singularly addressing Her Majesty. “Glancing around the Chapel Royal I […]

From everlasting to everlasting you are God.                                     —Psalm 90:2 Four times in Ezekiel 14, God homes in on Noah, Daniel, and Job as worthy of his praise. It seems like a strange pairing: Noah and Job had […]

You are not under law, but under grace.                          —Romans 6:14 Modern-day advertising gurus didn’t invent the “What’s in it for me?” strategy. For all his country-boy reputation, John the Baptist, in introducing Jesus to his hearers, said, “From the fullness of his grace […]

Stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.                                 —Job 21:16 Happiness doesn’t always come from indulgence; sometimes, it comes from abstinence—not always from what we do, but sometimes from what we don’t do. “Blessed is the man who does […]

Then they will know that I am the Lord.                         —Ezekiel 12:16 “Then they will know that I am the Lord.” This sentence appears sixty-two times in Ezekiel. Sometimes it is a declaration of judgment; at other times, it is a proclamation of mercy. […]

Each of us has gone his own way.                    —Isaiah 53:6 The apocryphal book Wisdom of Solomon alleges that God adapted manna to suit the taste of each Israelite (16:20–21)—an unlikely claim since they quickly became disgusted with manna (Nm 11:6). However, it is true that God […]

[Their] weakness was turned to strength.                       —Hebrews 11:34 Jesus’ disciples were in a fierce storm. When he came toward them—walking on water—they were terrified, thinking it was a ghost. “Take courage!” Jesus said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mt 14:27). One day he […]

I will show you my faith by what I do.                           —James 2:18 We all have preferences in the ways we learn. For instance, I prefer reading over watching a film or sitting through a lecture. But sometimes, reading computer-function instructions leaves me […]

I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer.      —Job 30:20 Does the interval between your prayer and God’s answer sometimes seem too long? Why doesn’t he answer? Why doesn’t he act? He does—when the time is right. Until then, we must wait. We sometimes spend time and energy fretting […]

[We are] being transformed into his likeness.                             —2 Corinthians 3:8 When Moses descended Sinai with the Ten Commandments, his face was radiant (Ex 34:29–33). Paul tells us that Moses “would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from […]