SURPRISED BY HIS POWER April 6, 2020 | Matthew 8:23–34 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue What makes you fearful? Spiders? Lightning storms? The dark? Fear can stop us in our tracks and make our heart beat faster. But not all fear is bad. The Bible describes a different type of fear, one that implies an attitude […]
AMAZED BY HIS TEACHING April 5, 2020 | Matthew 7:24–29 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue A popular website allows students to rate their college professors. The evaluations rate the professor by overall quality and level of difficulty. Students can also include comments about their experience. How would Jesus have scored on such a site? According to […]
AN UNLIKELY CHOICE April 4, 2020 | Matthew 4 DEVOTIONS This month’s issue In her book Team of Rivals, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin described how Abraham Lincoln chose an unlikely group of leaders to serve as his cabinet. Instead of surrounding himself with friends, he chose opponents and competitors. “[That] was evidence of a profound […]
Friday, 3/4/20 “THE MIGHTY OUTCRY” SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 5:7-8 EXPOSITION: The above scripture reveals our Lord Jesus Christ pouring His heart out in prayer during a very critical time of His life on earth. It was very intense, personal and real. He was in great need and had to cry unto the Father. In agony, […]
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 […]
GATES OF THE NEW JERUSALEM March 31, 2020 | Revelation 21:9–27 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue After crossing the River of Death in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and Hopeful continue on to Mount Zion and the Celestial City. The King’s trumpeters welcome them with joy. Approaching the gate, the two pilgrims find “written over it, […]
NO ONE CAN SHUT IT March 30, 2020 | Revelation 3:7–13 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago made the controversial decision to remain open on Sundays. Many Christian leaders responded by boycotting the Fair, but D. L. Moody said, “Let us open so many preaching places and present the gospel so […]
DOORS FOR THE GOSPEL March 29, 2020 | 1 Corinthians 16:5–14 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Missionary Evie “Granny” Brand was 68 years old. Her mission board told her she was required to retire, but when she begged they granted her one more year in India. At the end of that year, she did retire . […]
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, […]