Today’s Walk in the Word

[We] are justified freely by his grace. —Romans 3:24 Reflecting on history from the beginning to the present, I could understand an enraged, punishment-inflicting God. But the grace of God is beyond my comprehension. By God’s grace, David, the adulterer and murderer, becomes Israel’s greatest king and psalmist. By God’s grace, Simon, the betrayer of […]

You knew that you had better and lasting possessions.      —Hebrews 10:34 When Chuck’s business went south, he moaned, “I’ve lost everything.” His friend said, “I’m sorry that you’ve lost your family.” “I haven’t lost my family.” “I’m sorry that you’ve lost your health.” “I haven’t lost my health.” Bob had a foul mouth […]

[Jesus] has freed us from our sins by his blood.    —Revelation 1:5 Three texts strongly influenced John Nelson. The first filled him with fear, the second with hope, the third with joy. The text that frightened him was Revelation 20:12–15: “The dead were judged according to what they had done . . . If […]

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.                                  —Proverbs 11:3 One of Norman Rockwell’s fabled illustrations pictured a genial butcher weighing a turkey for an elegant elderly lady. The butcher had his […]

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.                                  —Romans 5:8 “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” […]

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. —Revelation 14:13 I have presided at the funerals of people who were unknown outside their family, friends, and church. But in those circles, they were well known for their love and commitment. Their exemplary lives made my eulogy a less agonizing assignment. At first glance, the […]

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.               —1 Corinthians 9:25 Self-control. Self-discipline. Ugh! Who wants to think about that? You do if you want to win—because you can’t win without it. No athlete consistently wins without it. No musician achieves excellence without it. No weight-loss […]

Encourage one another and build each other up.  —1 Thessalonians 5:11 I recently read of a small town where everyone went walking on Sunday afternoons. They called it “going marveling.” They looked for unusual rocks, shells, flowers, four-leaf clovers—marvelous things. What a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon—going marveling. I went marveling myself Sunday. […]

In quietness and trust is your strength.                             —Isaiah 30:15 Desert Storm fighter pilot Jeff Patton felt like he was flying his F-15 in a bottle of ink. He was sure he was in a climbing right turn, but his instruments indicated […]

Your very lives are a letter [from Christ] that anyone can read by just looking at you.                      —2 Corinthians 3:3 There are talented people with high-level media expertise in most of our churches today. We use their proficiency to transmit the message. With print, radio, […]