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Published 4/7/20 Read Psalm 22:1-2 (NLT) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Reflect Why is it important to keep praying even when we don't sense God in our lives? In what ways can our emotions deceive us? What can help us to be patient? In Psalm 22, David felt as if he had gotten a raw deal from God, and he wanted so

Published 4/6/20 Read 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked." Reflect What keeps you from praying boldly? Do you believe that God cares abou

Published 4/3/20 Text in Context: Read John 14:15-31 Reflect : How are we to show love for God? Why do you think Jesus repeated this four times? How did Jesus set this example? What's the difference between the peace that Jesus gives compared to the peace the world offers? Respond: What's your first response to trials and problems? What does this reveal about your trust? How can you show faith in Jesus' promise? Prayer: Father, thank you for promising to provide me peace.

Published 4/2/20 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 like yo

Published 4/1/20 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 difficultie

Published 3/31/20 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 di

Published 3/30/20 Read Hebrews 1:1-4 "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, h

Published 3/27/20 By Nat Crawford Read Psalm 18:1-3 I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies." Reflect What does it mean that God is our rock? King David knew who he could count on when he couldn't count on his family, his king, or any other earthly thing.

Published 3/26/20 Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 " So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in

Published 3/25/20 Read Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." Reflect What is faith? Is it the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen? Is it the evidence of things we cannot yet see? The writer of Hebre

Published 3/24/20 Read Luke 21:29-33 "And he told them a parable: 'Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.'" Reflect How can I overcome the

Published 3/23/20 Read John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Reflect What kind of peace does Jesus give us? This verse says it's not the kind the world gives. How is Christ's peace different? Jamie and her husband love having their three adult sons home for Easter. "Two of our boys live in the same state as we do, but our middle son lives on the East Co

Published 3/20/20 By Nat Crawford Read Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Reflect How can we release anxiety and experience peace? In 2009, we welcomed our second son into this world. He was a healthy, beautiful baby until July 4, 2009. That was

Published 3/19/20 Read Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Reflect Who, or what, do you run to when the going gets tough? Most people can recall exactly where they were when they heard that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. Even though it was newsworthy, the story really caught the nation's attention when the second plane hit. All of a sudden, we were thrown into a cr

Published 3/18/20 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 detail

Published 3/17/20 Read Matthew 6:25-27 "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" (NIV) Reflect Is Jesus Christ the fo

Read Isaiah 43:1–5 “Now the Lord who created you … says, Don’t be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are...

Published 3/13/20 Read Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Reflect How do we run with endurance ? Dr. Henri

Published 3/12/20 Read John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. " Reflect What is meant by "the Word became flesh"? I'll never forget what a friend once asked, "Have you ever read the Bible all the way through?" I couldn't answer yes . Then she went on to say, "I'm a Christ-follower, yet I haven't made the Bible a daily part of my life ... and that's pathetic. What i

Published 3/11/20 Read Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' " Reflect Who was Jesus talking about in these vers

Published 3/10/20 Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." Reflect How do we become a new creation in Christ? Consid

Published 3/9/20 Read Genesis 2:18 "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.' " Reflect Why is it not good to be alone? Describe how relationship is at the foundation of God's nature. God designed us to bond relationally with Himself. As author Doug Banister points out, "All of us are on a lifelong quest to know Him more intimately. We must learn how to bond with Him if we are to become the people He has calle

Published 3/6/20 Read Psalm 63:1-4 "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands." Reflect What draws you closer to God ? The basics of the Christian fa

Published 3/5/20 Read Matthew 4:4 But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Reflect In what ways do we hear Jesus through the Bible? In order to hear Jesus and have a two-way connection with Him, we need to slow down and engage the Bible. This means receiving God's Word in our mind and our heart . It means savoring and reflecting on His story. It means responding to what He has to say to our