Proverbs 15:33 Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we empty our hearts of self, God will fill them with His love. If we desire close communion with Christ, we should remember the word of the Lord: “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”1 Stoop if you want to climb to heaven. Is it not said of Jesus, “He who descended is the one who also ascended”?2 So must you. You must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven willRead More →

Micah 6:6-8 There’s a simple message from God that is repeated over and over throughout Scripture—He delights far more in our efforts to know Him than in any gift we might offer Him. God created us with a deep desire to be known, so it shouldn’t be difficult for us to understand that seeking Him expresses our love better than words ever could. We begin to take advantage of our great privilege to personally know God when we receive His free gift of new life through Jesus Christ. From that moment on, we are filled with His Holy Spirit. Jesus, our Mediator, spanned the gapRead More →

  Read: Jeremiah 1:4-9 | Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 1–3; Luke 8:26-56 Before you were born I set you apart. Jeremiah 1:5 Hope That Holds Monday May 29th, 2023 James Banks I know Daddy’s coming home because he sent me flowers.” Those were my seven-year-old sister’s words to our mother when Dad was missing in action during wartime. Before Dad left for his mission, he preordered flowers for my sister’s birthday, and they arrived while he was missing. But she was right: Dad did come home—after a harrowing combat situation. And decades later she still keeps the vase that held the flowers asRead More →

Read: Matthew 1:18-25 | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 40–41; 2 Peter 3 You are to give him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:21 According to a New York Times article, children in many African countries are often named after a famous visitor, special event, or circumstance that was meaningful to the parents. When doctors told the parents of one child that they could not cure the infant’s illness and only God knew if he would live, the parents named their child Godknows. Another man said he was named Enough, because his mother had 13 children and he was the last one! There’s a reason forRead More →

Psalms 150 Most of us have some idea what being in love feels like. When we’re apart, we constantly think about the object of our affection and look forward to spending time together. We often relate stories and describe attributes so everyone knows how wonderful this special person is. In a word, we praise our loved one. First Samuel 13:14 describes King David as a man after God’s own heart. One way he sought to honor his beloved Lord was to offer Him praise. The book of Psalms records David’s worship in words, with sentiments such as “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, myRead More →

by Charles R. Swindoll Scriptures: John 4:13–14 “Give Me a drink.” Jesus said that. He was thirsty after walking on a very long journey during the heat of the day. Around noon, He came to a well in a town named Sychar. Jacob’s well was located in that ancient place. Tired and hot, Jesus sat down by that well. Soon, a woman came to that same well. Seeing that she was drawing water, He asked her if she would give Him a drink. This happened in an area known as Samaria—a region where Jews seldom went. She was shocked that He would even speak toRead More →

1 John 1:9 At times people are bound by guilt long after the feeling should have been resolved. For some, this is appropriate because they refuse to give up the sin that brought it on. Others suffer the weight of false guilt because they harbor shame that doesn’t belong to them. Whatever the root cause of your self-condemnation, the battle plan remains the same. Victory over guilt begins with understanding that the Savior took our shame to the cross and paid our penalty. Without Jesus, this would have been impossible because there is no way that we could pay for our own sin. But weRead More →

Read: Genesis 29:14-30 | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 22–23; 1 Peter 1 Hope in the Lord and keep his way. Psalm 37:34 Perhaps you’ve seen the video of the little boy who learns he’s getting another sister. In the middle of his meltdown he laments, “It’s always girls, girls, girls, girls!” The story gives an amusing glimpse into human expectations, but there’s nothing funny about disappointment. It saturates our world. One story from the Bible seems especially steeped in disappointment. Jacob agreed to work 7 years for the right to marry his boss’s daughter Rachel. But after fulfilling his contract, Jacob got a weddingRead More →

by Charles R. Swindoll Scriptures: Joshua 14:12 Yesterday, I introduced you to Caleb, one of my all-time favorite Bible characters. Talk about a guy who stayed fit! What makes his story so exciting is that the man—at 85 years old—was still at it. He was ready for a brand-new challenge. And what was that? Please take the time to read Caleb’s brief biography for yourself in Joshua 14:6–14. When you do, you will find that he was asking permission to take on the “hill country.” In other words, he was ready to scale the mountainous region. And guess what was up there? Not only fortifiedRead More →