January 1, 2021 | 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Years ago, I led skiing and backpacking trips with college students near the Canadian border. We pitched our tents in the snow and spent the short days and long nights enjoying God’s presence in a winter wonderland. As peaceful as it was, it was […]
December 31, 2020 | Romans 15:12–13 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In the midst of personal tragedy and the American Civil War, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words to a familiar Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” He wrote: “And in despair, I bowed my head ‘There is no peace on earth,’ […]
December 30, 2020 | Titus 2:11–14 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue K. Chesterton, English literary critic, mystery writer, and Christian apologist wrote a poem entitled “The House of Christmas.” It centers on the theme of home, the idea that Christmas contains the truth and purpose and meaning for which all human beings long. Chesterton believed that […]
December 29, 2020 | Acts 1:1–11 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue “Every true Christian is a citizen of two worlds,” wrote Martin Luther King Jr., “the world of time and the world of eternity. We are, paradoxically, in the world and yet not of the world… As Christians, we must never surrender our supreme loyalty to […]
December 28, 2020 | Colossians 1:15–20 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When live sports shut down earlier this year due to COVID-19, ESPN aired a documentary entitled The Last Dance. It focused on Michael Jordan who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles. The storyline declared Jordan to be the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), among […]
December 27, 2020 | Luke 2:22–35 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Our hope is in the Lord! That truth is so important, we should shout it from the rooftops. Pastor and author David Platt explained why we’re compelled to spread the gospel of Christ: “[If] Jesus did rise from the dead if Jesus alone paid the […]
December 25, 2020 | Luke 2:8–20 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevailing sense of anxiety that came with it, television actor John Krasinski asked a simple question: “Why has there never been a news show dedicated entirely to good news?” He decided to host an online video show […]
December 26, 2020 | Matthew 2:1–12 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue What about this star that made it so special? The star of Bethlehem was special because it led the magi to Mary and Joseph and Jesus. Bible scholar Colin R. Nicholl researched astronomy to make his case that this star was actually a comet. His […]
December 24, 2020 | Luke 2:17 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue On Christmas Eve, 2019, a special baby arrived at the Potter Park Zoo in Michigan. A male black rhino calf was delivered safely, which is significant because only 5,000 of these critically endangered animals remain in the wild in Africa. While we may get excited […]
December 23, 2020 | Matthew 1:18–25 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is a beloved Christmas carol, saturated with longing for God’s promised Messiah. We celebrate not only His coming as a baby at Christmas, which lies in the past, but also His Second Coming in glory, which lies in our future. […]