A TRUE KING March 31, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 36 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue King T’Challa was the rightful king of the fictional nation of Wakanda. But a usurper, Killmonger, appeared to kill the good king and rule the land with vengeance, hatred, and a thirst for world dominance. The people of Wakanda were resigned […]
PASSING OVER DEATH March 30, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 35 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, Israel recovered the Law of the Lord and reestablished biblical authority throughout the kingdom. They reinstituted the Passover in such a way that it surpassed any Passover celebration in hundreds of years (v. […]
RECOVERING THE LAW March 29, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 34 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Amy Carmichael became a Christian at age 15. A few years later, she began a Sunday school for girls who worked in the mills of Belfast; it soon grew so large that a new hall was built that seated 500 people. […]
THE END OF EVIL March 28, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 33 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, consolidated much territory under his rule and laid the foundations for what would become the modern nation. But his true obsession was his fear of death and attempt to find an elixir […]
A SCARY CHALLENGE TO OUR FAITH March 27, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 32:1–23 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Why do bad things happen to good people? Rabbi Harold Kushner answered that question in his bestselling book by arguing that God is loving but not omnipotent. Prominent atheists have said this is proof there is no god […]
SUPPORTING THE PRIESTHOOD OF GOD March 26, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 31 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Even in the most affluent congregations in America, there appears to be little sacrificial giving. Statistics in 2018 report that on average believers gave 2.5 percent of their annual income to the church. As John Piper has noted, “The […]
IMPERFECT, YET STILL PASSOVER March 25, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 30 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The New Testament continually refers to Christ’s death on the cross to pay for our sin and His resurrection from the dead to offer us new life. The books of Acts through Revelation describe the ways that the church works […]
THE JOY OF CONSECRATION March 24, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 29:1–19 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When a sports team needs to rebuild after a series of losing seasons, it can be difficult for an owner to know where to begin. Hire a new coaching staff? Draft a younger roster? Hire one or two big-name stars? […]
THE REFUGEES OF JUDAH March 23, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 28 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In their book Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis, Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Issam Smeir write: “The question of refugees—and refugee resettlement, in particular—has divided the church as well. Many Christians feel torn between the […]
MIGHTY AND YOUNG March 22, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 27 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Social identity is the term used by social psychologists to describe the ways that people express who they are. These ways include making choices that align with their “in-groups” and avoiding behaviors that they associate with their “out-groups.” Social identities can […]