AN UNWELCOME PREDICTION April 20, 2020 | Matthew 16:13–28 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in event of success.” According to legend, prior to his arctic expedition Ernest Shackleton posted this ad. If Jesus had published an […]
A PECULIAR MISSION April 8, 2020 | Matthew 10:1–20 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Billy Graham was famous for his large evangelistic meetings. He followed in the steps of other evangelists, such as George Whitefield and D. L. Moody. Graham was a pioneer in evangelism by radio and television. His aim was to invite all people […]
UNEXPECTED GUESTS April 2, 2020 | Matthew 2 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Even though I grew up in an unchurched home, our family had a small nativity scene that we put on display each Christmas. I was fascinated by the story of Christ’s birth and especially intrigued by the Magi. I spent hours under our […]
A SURPRISING ARRIVAL April 1, 2020 | Matthew 1 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Surprises can be paralyzing . . . or at least for 1/20th of a second. That’s what Tania Luna, a researcher who studies how surprise affects the brain, says. She says surprises can freeze our attention and intensify our emotions. She will […]
THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED March 28, 2020 | Luke 11:1–13 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Have you heard the term “arrow prayer” or “javelin prayer”? These are short, perhaps urgent prayers that you can pray throughout the day. A longer prayer time or praying with a friend might not be possible at any given moment, […]
VICTORY OVER THESE GATES March 27, 2020 | Matthew 16:13–20 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Open Doors USA compiles an annual World Watch List of “the 50 countries where it’s most dangerous to follow Jesus.” In 2019, the top five nations on the list were North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan. One of every nine […]
THE NARROW DOOR OF SALVATION March 20, 2020 | Luke 13:22–30 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue This Month’s Issue According to research by the Barna Group, people who don’t talk about faith are motivated by either “avoidance or ambivalence.” When asked why religious talk makes them change the subject, participants explained: (1) “Religious conversations always seem […]
GOD’S LAW ON THE DOORFRAMES March 19, 2020 | Deuteronomy 6:1–12 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue As an enslaved 13-year-old, future abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass trusted in Christ for salvation. One biographer observed: “Frederick always hungered for knowledge, but after his conversion he had an insatiable desire to read and understand the Bible.” At that time, […]
BLOOD ON THE DOORFRAMES March 18, 2020 | Exodus 12:1–28 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Inspired by a family friend whose blood donation saved his life when he was a baby, Marco Perez decided to do the same. An Air Force veteran and postal worker in Texas, he donated blood every two weeks (the maximum possible). […]