Read: Psalm 86:1–13 I call to you, because you answer me. Psalm 86:7 Cade Pope, a 12-year-old boy from Oklahoma, mailed out 32 handwritten letters—one to each executive in charge of a National Football League (NFL) team in the US. Cade wrote, “My family and I love football. We play...

Read: 1 John 3:16–17 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 I love birds, which is why I bought six caged birds and carried them home to our daughter Alice, who began to care for them daily. Then one of...

Read: Luke 5:27–32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32 The much-prayed-for film night at the church youth club had finally arrived. Posters had been displayed all around the village and pizzas were warming in the oven. Steve, the youth pastor, hoped that...

Read: 1 Samuel 25:1–12 His name means Fool, and folly goes with him! 1 Samuel 25:25 The following warnings have been found on consumer products: “Remove child before folding.” (baby stroller) God steps in to forgive us, instruct us, and give us His wisdom. “Does not supply oxygen.” (dust mask)...

Read: Luke 6:27–36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36 On the last day of the US Civil War, officer Joshua Chamberlain was in command of the Union army. His soldiers lined up on both sides of the road that the Confederate army had to march down...

Read: Colossians 2:20–3:4 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 A wilderness excursion can seem daunting, but for outdoor enthusiasts this only adds to the appeal. Because hikers need more water than they can carry, they purchase bottles with built-in filters so...

Read: Mark 3:13–19 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach. Mark 3:14 When we come across a list of names in the Bible, we might be tempted to skip over it. But we can find treasures there, such as...

Read: John 4:7–15 The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14 Because it is so difficult in parts of the world to find clean drinking water, an organization called Water Is Life developed a wonderful resource called “The...

Read: Philippians 3:7–12 Not that I have . . . already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12 In 1856, Charles Spurgeon, the great London preacher, founded the Pastors’ College to train men for...

Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12–21 The highest heavens . . . cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 2 Chronicles 6:18 Teen Challenge, a ministry to at-risk youth that started in New York City, was born from an unusual commitment to prayer. Its founder, David Wilkerson, sold...

Read: Ephesians 4:25–32 A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22 Careless driving, rising tempers, and use of foul language among some taxi and minibus drivers are a constant source of traffic fights in our city of Accra, Ghana. But one traffic incident I witnessed took a different turn. A...

Read: Psalm 146 The Lord sets prisoners free. Psalm 146:7 When my wife and I visited the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force near Savannah, Georgia, we were especially moved by the prisoner-of-war exhibit, with its re-creation of a German prisoner-of-war camp’s barracks. Marlene’s dad, Jim, served in...