PROTECTION AND SECURITY March 2, 2020 | Judges 16:1–21 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When I was a child, my father installed a deadbolt on the front door of our home. Since at the time it was the safest lock we knew, we felt very well-protected! Times have changed, though, and nowadays many homeowners set up […]
SERVING SIDE BY SIDE February 29, 2020 | Esther 9:29–10:3 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When the Church operates according to God’s design, we serve effectively to accomplish His will. Unity should be the hallmark of God’s people, but it’s not always easy. From biblical times to this present day, God has drawn a variety of […]
THURSDAY , FEBRUARY 27, 2020 “WAITING IN PRAYER” SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 40:1 EXPOSITION: Prayer is one of the most talked about topics in Christendom but the least practiced in the closet. Many people would prefer others to pray for them than spend time with God in prayer. Some people only pray when they go to […]
February 23, 2020 | Esther 8:1–8 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue A “reversal of fortune” happens in a story when a character’s circumstance changes so dramatically it becomes the exact opposite of what it had been. The book of Esther is full of these examples, and today we find a few more. For if, while we […]
FULL IDENTITY REVEALED February 21, 2020 | Esther 7:1–4 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue American comic heroes often have a “secret identity.” The true nature of the superhero is known by the reader, but it is carefully concealed from the antagonist and other characters in the story. Only on a rare and significant occasion is their […]
February 19, 2020 | Esther 6:4–9 This Month’s Issue According to a recent study, fame is now the number one goal of preteens. “Being famous” catapulted from sixteenth place all the way to first, leap-frogging over long-standing life goals such as having a family, working a good job, or living in community. The researchers connect […]
WHY DELAY? February 16, 2020 | Esther 5:5b–9a DEVOTION This Month’s Issue According to one newspaper report, Americans spend roughly 37 billion hours waiting in lines each year. Researchers added: We are far more satisfied with our “queuing experience” when we have something to do while we wait. We prefer forward movement toward our goal—rather […]
CHARACTER TRANSFORMED February 15, 2020 | Esther 5:1–5 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Don’t you love it when a character finally learns an important lesson and changes for the better? This transformation, in literature, is called the “character arc”—the way in which the main character develops and grows as a result of the story’s conflict. And […]
THE PLACE OF PROVIDENCE February 9, 2020 | Esther 2:21–23 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue God’s providence has been compared to an elaborate piece of embroidery. If you look at the underside, all you see are knots and tangles. But flipping it over reveals a beautiful and intentional design. Our earthly, limited view, means we are […]
February 1, 2020 | Esther 1:1–8 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The opening montage of The Great Gatsby movie from 1974 includes the following images: newspaper clippings from the society column, the façade of a stately mansion, silk monogrammed bedding, and a gold-plated vanity set, lying next to an opulent pocket watch and ring. Each camera […]