Read: Ephesians 2:1-10 Even when we were dead . . . [God] made us alive together with Christ. —Ephesians 2:5 Can a man be officially alive after being declared legally dead? That question became international news when a man from Ohio showed up in good health after being reported missing...

Read: Matthew 25:31-40 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. —Matthew 25:36 A friend asked a newly retired man what he was doing now that he was no longer working full-time. “I describe myself...

Read: Genesis 2:18-25 A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. — Genesis 2:24 It was her yellow raincoat that caught my attention, and quickly I became increasingly interested in this cute freshman with long, brown hair. Soon...

Read: Romans 6:1-14 Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. —Romans 6:14 As my wife was babysitting our two young grandsons, they began to argue over a toy. Suddenly, the younger (by 3 years) forcefully ordered his older brother, “Cameron, go...

Read: Psalm 71:5-18 By You I have been upheld from birth . . . . My praise shall be continually of You. —Psalm 71:6 I used to love birthdays. I can still remember standing excitedly on our front porch waiting for my friends to show up for my 5th birthday...

Read: Genesis 45:4-8 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You. —Psalm 31:19 In the weeks after my husband survived a heart attack, we often thanked God for sparing his life. I was asked many times during the next few months how...

Read: Psalm 37:1-8 Trust in the Lord, and do good. —Psalm 37:3 There is much said today about improving our health by developing habits of optimism, whether facing a difficult medical diagnosis or a pile of dirty laundry. Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina,...

Read: Ephesians 1:3-14 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. —Ephesians 1:7 “There are some things money can’t buy—but these days, not many” according to Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can’t Buy. A person can buy a...

Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-6 Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:58 Chinese proverbs are common and often have stories behind them. The proverb “pulling up a crop to help it grow” is about an impatient...

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:7-14 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! —1 Chronicles 16:8 According to a prominent Duke University Medical Center researcher, “If thankfulness were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with [health benefits] for every major organ system.” For some, being thankful means simply living with...

Read: Ephesians 4:5-16 We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. —Ephesians 2:10 My wife, Janet, bought me a new Dreadnought D-35 guitar for my 65th birthday. Originally developed in the early 1900s, the Dreadnought style is larger than most guitars designed during that time, and it’s...

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2 Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. —2 Corinthians 6:2 Beep, beep, beep, beep. The warning sound and flashing lights alerted commuters that the train door was about to close. Yet a few tardy individuals still made a frenzied scramble across...