UNIMPRESSIVE TRADITION April 18, 2020 | Matthew 15:1–20 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue What is your favorite church tradition? Lighting a candle during the service to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit? Or maybe the meal your congregation shares every time they have communion. Some traditions, like the Lord’s Supper or baptism, were instituted by […]
SURPRISE ON THE WATER April 17, 2020 | Matthew 14:22–33 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Are you facing something that seems impossible? Maybe you are up against a physical, financial, or mental challenge. We all experience obstacles. We may not always demand a miracle, as in the case of the feeding of the multitude, but we […]
AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK April 16, 2020 | Matthew 14:1–21 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Some well-meaning people try to encourage those who are going through difficulties by saying, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Actually, the Bible never makes this promise. And the example of God’s people suggests […]
A PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR April 15, 2020 | Matthew 13:53–58 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When I first came to faith in Christ, I found it difficult to share the gospel with my father. He did not want to accept spiritual advice from someone who was so much younger. “I used to change your diapers!” he […]
DEEP WEEDS April 14, 2020 | Matthew 13:24–29, 36–42 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Many who have invited friends to visit their church have heard this excuse: “I don’t go to church because it has too many hypocrites!” We may feel defensive at that accusation. Perhaps we feel our church is different, more genuine than the […]
SPOILER ALERT April 12, 2020 | Matthew 12:38–45 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Those who review books or movies online sometimes include a spoiler alert. They want unsuspecting readers to be warned about the reveal of the key elements in the plot that might ruin the surprise. There are some people, however, who love to know […]
INEXPLICABLE REST April 11, 2020 | Matthew 11:20–30 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Some refer to the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Holy Saturday. The Scriptures are silent about what Jesus’ disciples did that day. They do not seem to have done anything worth recording. This may have been because it was the […]
IMPATIENT WITH HIS AGENDA April 10, 2020 | Matthew 11:1–19 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue I remember the first time I saw my mother cry. She told me that she had bumped her head. But I suspect there was a deeper reason. Whatever the cause, her tears disturbed me. We are not used to thinking of […]
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 […]