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 …