Today’s Walk in the Word

We continually remember [you].            —1 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul had fond thoughts of the Thessalonians, saying he remembered, “your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope” (1 Thes 1:3). Calvin called possession of these three qualities “a brief definition of true Christianity.” Each […]

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.     —Psalm 139:1 Cheryl had been married to Bobby Love for forty years when the FBI arrested him. Bobby’s real name was Walter Miller. He had been incognito for nearly a half-century after escaping from a North Carolina prison. Cheryl knew nothing about his […]

The Spirit himself intercedes for us. —Romans 8:26 I first learned Romans 8:26 from the American Standard version: “we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us . . .” The New International Version—my translation of choice—has it: “We do not know what we ought to pray […]

It is by grace you have been saved.               —Ephesians 2:8 Do you ever wonder if you’re good enough to go to heaven? You aren’t. That’s why you must depend on God’s righteousness, not yours. “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed” (Rom 1:17). Not a […]

We have not stopped praying for you.                      —Colossians 1:9 In Colossians 1:11, Paul prayed that the Colossians would possess three qualities: Endurance, which no circumstance could defeat. Patience, which no person could defeat. Joy, which neither circumstance nor person could defeat. Endurance pertains to circumstances. […]

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?                                    —Romans 8:35 There are at least five areas of detachment that interrupt human relationships. Distance detachment—an airport goodbye, where a tearful beauty clings to her deployed soldier sweetheart. Death […]

Be devoted to one another.           —Romans 12:10 In Charles Dickens’ 1850 novel, David Copperfield, Copperfield says to his friend James Steerforth at bedtime, “Good-bye, my dear Steerforth! I shall be gone before you wake in the morning.” Putting a hand on each of Copperfield’s shoulders, Steerforth says, “Davy, if anything […]

To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse.   —Colossians 1:2 Colosse was once a thriving city at the crossroads of two high-traffic highways. But when they moved the main road to favor the more-prosperous Laodicea, Colosse began to decline—much like the small towns of our day that have been bypassed by expressways. […]

Do you love me?    —John 21:17 F.W. Boreham in The Golden Milestone writes about an old English villager who gazed at a painting of the crucifixion of Jesus in a London gallery. Face bathed in tears, he said aloud, “I love Him! I love Him!” A stranger approached, grasped the old man’s hand, and […]

[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.               —Ephesians 3:20 When we put our confidence in planning, we reap what planning can do. When we put our confidence in programs, we reap what programs can do. When we put our confidence in leadership, […]