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Published 12/13/19 Read 2 Corinthians 12:10 "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Reflect What was Paul given to keep him from becoming proud? (See 12:7). How did Paul react, and how did God respond? At what point will you give up? When will you stop trying? The answer to those questions depends a lot on what it is you're trying to do. But it also depends on why y

Published 12/12/19 Read Psalm 23:1-3 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Reflect What other benefits does God provide in these verses? How does the image of God in these verses contrast with other popular images of God? You're in your car. Suddenly, your pulse is racing, your breath is coming in gasps--you feel lik

Published 12/11/19 Read Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Reflect What problems in your life are you trying to solve on your own? What has God told you about that through this lesson? Have you ever experienced the freedom that comes from giving your difficul

Published 12/10/19 Read Psalm 19:7-9 "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether." Reflect What words does David use to describe the law, decrees and commandments of God? What benefits doe

Published 12/9/19 Read Acts 9:3-4 "Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'" Reflect Read the rest of Saul's story in Acts 9, and then think about these questions: What were the reactions to Saul's "conversion"? How did God provide for Saul after his roadside experience? Did anyone ever accept Saul? There are two m

Published 12/6/19 Read Psalm 4:6-7 "There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!' You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Reflect As you read through Psalm 4, think about the following questions: What does God provide in this Psalm? What are some modern ways people might offer "wrong" sacrifices to God? I remember watching a home movie a missionary brought back from India. Am

Published 12/5/19 Read Mark 2:4-5 "And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' " Reflect Who objected to the healing of the crippled man? What was the reason? In addition to healing him, what else did Jesus do for the man? I've lost my car keys on...well..

Published 12/4/19 Read Jeremiah 33:9 "And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it." Reflect Read all of Jeremiah 33, and then consider these questions: Who is God specifically talking to? Why does He promise these things? What is the intended result? According to these verses,

Published 12/3/19 Read Hebrews 11:16 "But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." Reflect Read through Hebrews 11 and think about these questions: How is faith defined in this chapter? What does hope have to do with it? What stories told in this chapter have you heard before? Does this chapter shed any additional light on why those men and women did what they d

Published 12/2/19 Read Romans 6:14 "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Reflect How would your life be different if you truly believed, every moment, that you are free from the clutches of Satan; that you are God's child and heir to His Kingdom? Would you ever have to worry about finances? Would you ever have to worry that you could accidentally fall out of God's love? Would you ever have to seek comfort and acceptance from

Published 11/29/19 Read Luke 9:49-50 "John answered, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.' But Jesus said to him, 'Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.' " Reflect What did Jesus mean when He said, "the one who is not against you is for you"? As a Christian today, you've probably never encountered this exact situation. You've never tried to stop someone not affiliated

Published 11/28/19 Read Luke 10:5-8 "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you." Reflect Why is it sometimes easier to serve than to be served? Have

Published 11/27/19 Read Proverbs 3:5-8 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." Reflect What does it mean to trust in the Lord with all your heart? Where are some places where your understanding and God's will conflict? For a det

Published 11/26/19 Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Reflect Why is this kind of love the key to real relationship? Why is it sometimes hard to live? For a lot of people, a key moment in

Published 11/25/19 Read Psalm 90:12-14 "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Reflect What does Moses mean by "a heart of wisdom"? Why is wisdom important? I've never tried this myself, but I've heard of people who write their own obituaries. Not because they're dying, but because they're reevalu

Published Read Isaiah 58:9-12 "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bone

Published 11/21/19 Read James 3:2 "For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." Reflect What have you been saying lately? Has your speech been filled with sarcasm and cynicism or with positive and encouraging statements? The Bible has a lot to say about the way we talk. It's not too surprising either, because all of us at one time or another have been hurt by the words of another p

Published 11/20/19 Read Romans 5:6-9 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." Reflect What has Jesus done for us? Why is this

Published 11/19/19 Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." Reflect First Corinthians 13 is probably one of the mos

Published 11/18/19 Read Hebrews 11:32-34 "And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets--who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight." Reflect What is faith? Is it the confident assurance t

Published 11/15/19 Read Ecclesiastes 5:10 "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity." Reflect Do you ever find yourself thinking more money would solve your problems? What does Solomon warn us about living only for wealth? Why do some people "look with sorrow on the past"? Is this ever you? There are two reasons people work: to get by, and to get ahead. People in the first group approach work grudgingly.

Published 11/14/19 Read Proverbs 1:1-6 "The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth-- Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles." R

Published 11/13/19 Read Judges 11:30-31 "And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, 'If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.'" Reflect What parts of your daily life do find it easy to worry about? Do you ever find yourself making little bargains with God for these things? Have you ever been in a tight

Published 11/12/19 Read Luke 14:26-27 "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, more than your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me." (NLT) Reflect Do you think it's too much for Jesus to demand this amount of love? Is following Jesus something you can do just on weekends? Who's the real judge as to