The Gift

Read: Revelation 16:1–21 In the movie A Christmas Story, Ralphie is consumed with his desire for an official Red Ryder BB Gun, but everyone keeps telling him, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” On Christmas morning, Ralphie is quite unhappy with the pink bunny pj’s from his aunt—but is extremely happy that his father gave him the gun. God gave us the …

A Royal Crossroads

Read Haggai 1:1 through 2:23 Have you ever felt like you were running hard but getting nowhere? Zerubbabel probably felt that way. He was governor in Jerusalem over the first wave of returnees from the Babylonian captivity. A rush of excitement had initiated the rebuilding of the temple, but opposition, economics, and fatigue had caused a halt to the construction. …

Who Is Worthy?

Read Revelation 5:1 through 9:21 Several times each year, a well-known multistate lottery game features a jackpot worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Invariably, people scramble into convenience stores to purchase their chance at a lifetime of leisure with money to burn. When someone finally hits the jackpot, they are showered with money they didn’t earn. They did nothing to …

Grace and Truth

Read 2 John 1:1–13, 3 John 1:1–14, Jude 1:1–25 Be merciful to those who doubt (Jude 1:22). The Bible is full of people who heard the truth but hesitated to believe it. Moses, Gideon, Nicodemus, Thomas—all glimpsed God and still found themselves beset with an all-too human weakness: doubt. Thankfully, God has demonstrated how to show mercy to doubters. He dealt …

Every Word Fulfilled

Read Ezekiel 12:1 through 14:23 As Elaine held her new baby girl, she wondered what kind of life this child would have. Would she be a mom too? And would she be a doctor, a missionary, a teacher, or some other fine professional? Most importantly, Elaine realized the incredible responsibility she had to model Christ in front of her daughter …

Go and Tell

Read Ezekiel 1:1 through 3:66 There are many lost and hurting people out in the world today. It is our job as Christians to share the good news of forgiveness with them. We cannot and should not force it on anyone, but endeavor to share it in love. It is not our job to save people. Only God can do …

Prayer is the Key

Read Jeremiah 33:1 through 35:19 This is what the Lord says . . . “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:2,3). The Lord offered to field Jeremiah’s questions and then promised to provide Jeremiah with insight no human could hope to attain on his own. Imagine a heavily …

Perfect Timing

Read John 7:1 through 11:53 In the center ring was a massive steel cage, a perfect sphere. The ringmaster cried for the attention of the crowd, and introduced the riders of six motorcycles that moved across the floor and into the belly of the sphere. At the ringmaster’s final yell, the cyclists launched themselves into orbit within the ball, first zooming …

It’s Not Fair!

Read Jeremiah 12:1 through 14:22 You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? (Jeremiah 12:1). Life can seem so unfair. A good person gets sick and dies young, while someone wicked …

The Trust Factor

Read Nahum 1:1 through 3:19 The feeling of trust is lacking among many today. Parents abandon their children. Many marriages end in divorce. Workers cheat their bosses, and bosses lie to their employees. It is no wonder that trust is often difficult. The world around us teaches us we have to look out for ourselves, because no one else can be …