Category: DEVOTIONALS

  • AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS

    Reflections on Amos I lay awake, staring into darkness, mentally replaying a conversation from earlier that day. My friend had misunderstood me and then condemned me for it. I felt deeply wronged. I also felt a toxic mixture of anger, self-pity and self-righteousness creeping through my veins. It is often much easier to pray, “Forgive…

  • MORNING & EVENING

    Christian! If thou art in a night of trial, think of the morrow; cheer up thy heart with the thought of the coming of thy Lord. Be patient, for Be patient! The Husbandman waits until he reaps his harvest. Be patient; for you know who has said, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is…

  • THE BIBLE IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD

    Connect The TestamentsRuth 1:1-23; 1 Timothy 1:1-11; Psalm 73:1-10 In our developed world, we don’t consider famines very often. If there were a famine in our lands, we could navigate through it because of our importing infrastructure. This isn’t the case for the developing world: famines mean walking miles to find food and water, and…

  • KINGDOM HERE, KINGDOM COME

    Reflections on Joel The book of Joel reminds us that the Day of the Lord is coming—a time when “everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:32) and God will restore his people. But sometimes that day seems far away. When I was 13 my mom had a seizure…

  • MORNING & EVENING

    The Lord Jesus gives special revelations of himself to his people. Even if Scripture did not declare this, there are many of the children of God who could testify the truth of it from their own experience. They have had manifestations of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in a peculiar manner, such as no…

  • BEING GOOD AT WHAT MATTERS

    Connect The TestamentsJudges 20:1-21:25; Philippians 4:21-23; Psalm 7:1-20 Though prayer is important, it’s an area of our faith lives that we often neglect. But people of great faith in the Bible relied on prayer—and not just for difficult situations. From general direction to specific details, they turned everything over to prayer. God spoke to them…

  • THE GRACE SCANDAL

    Reflections on Hosea I’m learning that grace is not like glory. Grace applies in all moments, all postures. It doesn’t wait for anything. Where there is darkness, there can also be grace. Though glory may require acknowledgment, grace can stand quietly in the shadows. The book of Hosea portrays a wonderful picture of grace: “Then…

  • MORNING & EVENING

    It is well there is One who is ever the same, and who is ever with us. It is well there is one stable rock amidst the billows of the sea of life. O my soul, set not thine affections upon rusting, moth-eaten, decaying treasures, but set thine heart upon him who abides for ever…

  • OLD, WISE, AND DESPERATELY IN NEED OF GOD

    Connect The TestamentJudges 18:1-19:30; Philippians 4:10-20; Psalm 71:1-24 Sometimes we expect that we’ll naturally grow in faith as we grow older. We tend to see elderly people as those who have been molded and shaped by life—rock-solid in their faith and untapped sources of wisdom. That, or we speed around them in the grocery aisle,…

  • MEETING GOD

    Reflections on Daniel As we know from the book of Daniel, God watches over his people. We can take comfort in the fact that his wisdom far exceeds our own (Dan 2:20–22). But in the midst of difficult circumstances, it can be challenging to remember that God is always near. April 11 came and went.…