Impaired Judgment
Impaired Judgment June 19, 2018 Read: Matthew 7:1–6 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 12–13; Acts 4:23–37 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 7:1 I’ve been quick to judge anyone I saw walking in the street while staring at a phone. How could they be so oblivious to the cars about to hit them? I’ve told myself. Don’t they care about their own safety? But one day, while crossing the entrance to an alleyway, I was…
Verse of the Day – Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Blessing in the Mess
Blessing in the Mess June 18, 2018 Read: Genesis 28:10–22 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 10–11; Acts 4:1–22 He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 I got myself into this mess, so I’d better get myself out, I sometimes find myself thinking. Although I believe in a God of grace, I’m still prone to act as if His help is available only when I…
Verse of the Day – Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Our Safe Place
Our Safe Place June 17, 2018 Read: Psalm 91 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 7–9; Acts 3 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2 My very first job was at a fast-food restaurant. One Saturday evening, a guy kept hanging around, asking when I got out of work. It made me feel uneasy. As the hour grew later, he ordered fries, then a drink, so…
Verse of the Day – Psalm 68.5
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
As Advertised
As Advertised June 16, 2018 Read: John 16:25–33 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 4–6; Acts 2:22–47 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 During a vacation, my husband and I signed up for a leisurely rafting tour down Georgia’s Chattahoochee River. Dressed in sandals, a sundress, and a wide brimmed hat, I groaned when we discovered—contrary to the advertisement—that the trip included light rapids. Thankfully, we rode with a…
Verse of the Day – Romans 11:33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
“Lovable!”
“Lovable!” June 15, 2018 Read: Jeremiah 31:1–6 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1–3; Acts 2:1–21 I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 “Lovable!” That exclamation came from my daughter as she got ready one morning. I didn’t know what she meant. Then she tapped her shirt, a hand-me-down from a cousin. Across the front was that word: “Lovable.” I gave her a big hug, and she smiled with pure…
Verse of the Day – Jeremiah 32:17
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee
Quieting the Critic
Quieting the Critic June 14, 2018 Read: Nehemiah 4:1–6 | Bible in a Year: Ezra 9–10; Acts 1 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Nehemiah 4:4 I work with a team to put on an annual community event. We spend eleven months plotting many details to ensure the event’s success. We choose the date and venue. We set ticket prices. We select everything from food vendors to sound technicians. As…
Verse of the Day – James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.