Read: Hebrews 13:15-25 Do not forget to do good and to share. —Hebrews 13:16 When I think of all the wonders of God’s magnificent creation, I am especially awed by the giant sequoia tree. These amazing behemoths of the forest can grow to around 300 feet tall with a diameter...

Read: Joshua 1:1-9 Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken. —Joshua 21:45 When actors and actresses make a movie, it’s the director who sees the “big picture” and the overall direction. Actress Marion Cotillard admits she didn’t understand everything the director was doing in...

Read: Proverbs 30:1-9 Give us this day our daily bread. —Matthew 6:11 Upon winning $314 million in a 2002 lottery, a happy business owner expressed noble desires. He wanted to start a charitable foundation, put laid-off workers back on the job, and do nice things for his family. Already wealthy,...

Read: Lamentations 3:1-6, 16-25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. —Lamentations 3:25 When American country singer George Jones died at the age of 81, his fans remembered his remarkable voice and his hard life and personal struggles. While many of his songs reflected his own despair...

Read: Galatians 4:1-7 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! —2 Corinthians 9:15 I love Christmas. The celebration of the birth of Christ and the beauty and wonder of the season make it “the most wonderful time of the year” for me. In recent years, however, the season has...

Read: Isaiah 40:21-31 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things. —Isaiah 40:26 What started as an empty 11-acre field in Belfast, Northern Ireland, ended up as the largest land portrait in the British Isles. Wish, by artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, is made from 30,000 wooden...

Read: Philippians 2:12-18 Shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. —Philippians 2:15-16 Prior to the American Civil War (1861–1865), fugitive slaves found freedom by following the Underground Railroad, a term for the secret routes from the South to the North and the abolitionists who helped...

Read: Matthew 4:18-22 Then [Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me.” —Matthew 4:19 While visiting Jerusalem, a friend of mine saw an old rabbi walking past the Wailing Wall. The interesting thing about the aged rabbi was the five young men walking behind him. They too were walking bent over, limping—just...

Read: Genesis 50:15-21 He comforted them and spoke kindly to them. —Genesis 50:21 The years following World War II were labeled the Cold War as nations exchanged threats and jockeyed for power. The Berlin Wall, built in August 1961, stood for almost 3 decades as one of the most powerful...

Read: Hebrews 5:5-14 Solid food belongs to those who are of full age. —Hebrews 5:14 When I told my young daughter that a 3-month-old baby boy was coming to our house for a visit, she was delighted. With a child’s sense of hospitality, she suggested that we share some of...

Read: Revelation 22:1-5 There shall be no more curse. —Revelation 22:3 Amy had battled cancer for 5 years. Then the doctor told her that the treatments were failing and she had just a few weeks to live. Wanting some understanding and assurance about eternity, Amy asked her pastor, “What will...

Read: Job 39:19-25 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:14 Think for a moment of the power, beauty, and majesty of a galloping horse—his head held high, his mane flying in the wind, and his legs working in unison to provide speed, power, and...