Read: Matthew 5:1–16 You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14 Not long ago I went to a seamstress to have some clothing altered. As I entered her shop I was encouraged by what I saw on the walls. One sign read, “We can mend your clothes but only...

Read: 2 Corinthians 12:6–10 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 A number of years ago I wrote an essay about my collection of canes, staffs, and walking sticks and mused that I might someday...

Read: Ezekiel 18:25–32 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Ezekiel 18:31 When my son acquired a small robot, he had fun programming it to perform simple tasks. He could make it move forward, stop, and then retrace its...

Read: Numbers 33:1–15, 36–37 At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. Numbers 33:2 Numbers 33 is a chapter in the Bible we might pass by without reflection. It appears to be nothing more than a long list of places tracing Israel’s pilgrimage from Rameses in Egypt...

Read: Jeremiah 1:1–10 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you. Jeremiah 1:8 When I served as an intern for a Christian magazine, I wrote a story about a person who had become a Christian. In a dramatic change, he said goodbye to his former life and...

Read: Matthew 25:31–40 Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40 Several years ago when the Southern California economy took a downturn, Pastor Bob Johnson saw not only difficulty but also opportunity. So he scheduled a meeting...

Read: Lamentations 3:21–26 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! Psalm 63:3 nlt On a recent airline flight the landing was a little rough, jostling us left and right down the runway. Some of the passengers were visibly nervous, but the tension broke when two...

Read: John 14:15-21 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18 I grew up in the rebellious 1960s and turned my back on religion. I had attended church all my life but didn’t come to faith until my early twenties after a terrible accident....

Read: Psalm 136:1–9 And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:12 Desert Solitaire is Edward Abbey’s personal history of his summers as a park ranger in what is now called Arches National Park in Utah. The book is worth reading if only for Abbey’s bright language and vivid descriptions...

Read: Joel 2:12–17 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate. Joel 2:13 In many cultures, loud weeping, wailing, and the tearing of clothing are accepted ways of lamenting personal sorrow or a great national calamity. For the people...

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 Joie started the children’s program with prayer, then sang with the kids. Six-year-old Emmanuel squirmed in his seat when she prayed again after introducing Aaron, the teacher. Then Aaron began and ended his talk with prayer....

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1–12 We . . . urge you . . . to do this more and more. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 My son loves to read. If he reads more books than what is required at school, he receives an award certificate. That bit of encouragement motivates him to...