May 19, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue What does it mean when the Bible says we are to long for Christ’s return? The fifth president of Moody Bible Institute, William Culbertson, once preached: “If you say you love the appearing of Christ and are indifferent to the claims of Christ and are […]
May 18, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 5:16–22 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In 2020, many of us struggled to maintain a positive attitude. As week after week and month after month passed with no end to the pandemic in sight, it was easy for even the most ardent optimist to get discouraged. In today’s reading, the apostle […]
May 17, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 5:12–15 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue A well-known quote from the gangster movie The Untouchables expresses a strong spirit of retaliation or revenge: “You wanna know how to get [gangster Al] Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his […]
May 16, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 5:7–11 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The belt of truth. The helmet of salvation. The shield of faith. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells us to put on the “full armor of God” in order to prepare for spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10–17). We put on the breastplate of righteousness […]
May 15, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue An elementary school teacher told her class to be ready because in the coming week there would be a fire alarm. She taught them what they should do when the bell rang. They would need to follow directions and act promptly. But, of course, she […]
May 14, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The “Day of the Lord” is portrayed in Scripture as a day of fear and trembling, justice and judgment. On that day, God will come as a Mighty Warrior and conquer the nations (Joel 2:1–11; Zeph. 1:14–16). The Day of the Lord is a recurring […]
This Month’s Issue African American poet James Weldon Johnson depicted Death as God’s servant in his poem “Go Down Death: A Funeral Sermon.” In the poem, a woman was dying, and God summoned Death to liberate her soul and bring her to heaven to be in His presence. The pastoral voice in the poem admonishes […]
May 12, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue While many people associate success with accumulating wealth or prestige, one woman had a different type of dream. After years of being unhappy in her high-pressure, prestigious government job, she sold her suburban home and moved to the country. Her ambition? To open a […]
May 10, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Following Jesus should impact every area of our life. It changes the way we work and how we spend our money. It shapes the way we treat our neighbors and the way we address conflict in our own homes and marriages. But in this […]
May 9, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When I was a child, pastoral prayers were a main feature of our church worship service. When the prayer began, I knew to settle in for a long one. Over the years, it seems that pastoral prayers have diminished in length and prominence or […]