December 15, 2020 | Matthew 13:44–46 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue A French family found an unexpected treasure in 2018. It was a vase, kept in a shoebox and stashed in their attic because they didn’t like it much. When examined by experts, the vase turned out to be from the 18th century Qing dynasty in […]
December 14, 2020 | Psalm 42 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Though the funeral of Charles Dickens was private, the grand doors of Westminster Abbey opened afterward, allowing thousands to pay their respects to the famed novelist. People placed flowers into the grave, along with written tributes on scraps of paper or cloth. Because of his […]
December 13, 2020 | John 3:22–31 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Your church may celebrate the season using a traditional Advent wreath embedded with five candles. The wreath is often made of evergreens, which symbolize eternal life. Four of the candles are arranged in a circle, one lit for each Sunday of Advent. The fifth in […]
December 12, 2020 | Luke 15:1–7 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue What does it mean when we say, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1)? Phillip Keller offers an answer to this question in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. “This thought alone should stir my spirit, quicken my own sense of awareness, and […]
December 11, 2020 | 1 Corinthians 13 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue “Love Divine, all loves excelling,” begins Charles Wesley’s famous hymn. “Joy of heaven to earth come down / Fix in us thy humble dwelling / All thy faithful mercies crown./ Jesus, thou art all compassion / Pure, unbounded love thou art; / Visit us […]
December 10, 2020 | 1 John 3:11–24 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue During a lockdown in Vietnam to combat the COVID-19 virus, some people had difficulty obtaining enough food. In response, a Ho Chi Minh City businessman set up free “rice ATMs” to help. Anyone who needed it could withdraw (at no cost) one day’s worth […]
December 9, 2020 | John 15:9–17 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue We are living between two Advents: Christ’s birth and His return. How should that affect the way we live? A.W. Tozer answered: “In the midst of our lives, and between the two great mountain peaks of God’s acts in the world, we look back and […]
December 8, 2020 | John 14:23–31 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Do you believe that being a Christian means denying yourself? While this is a basic biblical truth about discipleship, a recent survey revealed that only 36 percent of churchgoers “strongly agreed” with it. Nineteen percent actually “disagreed.” What we may choose to forget is that […]
December 7, 2020 | John 13:1-35 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” celebrates the sacrificial love of its main character, George Bailey. As a young man, George gave up his dreams of success and travel, to stay and help his father and his community. When he almost lost everything, […]
December 6, 2020 | John 3:1-21 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In China, some parents follow their freshman children to university. They’re allowed to camp nearby for a month in order to help them adjust to life away from home by, for example, cooking their meals or washing their laundry. Tianjin University offers “tents of love” […]