Read: 1 Peter 3:8–16 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15 At a winter retreat in northern New England, one of the men asked the question, “What was your favorite Christmas gift...

Read: Exodus 1:22–2:10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Psalm 27:10 nlt A baby just hours old was left in a manger in a Christmas nativity outside a New York church. A young, desperate mother had wrapped him warmly and placed him...

Read: John 16:16–24 The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Luke 2:10 When Janet went to teach English in a school overseas, she found the atmosphere gloomy and depressing. People did their jobs, but...

Read: Jonah 3:10–4:11 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Luke 6:32 When war broke out in 1950, fifteen-year-old Kim Chin-Kyung joined the South Korean army to defend his homeland. He soon found, however, that he wasn’t ready for the horrors of combat. As...

Read: Matthew 16:13–20 Who do you say I am? Matthew 16:15 In a 1929 Saturday Evening Post interview, Albert Einstein said, “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....

Read: Romans 3:21–26 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1 When talking about faith in Jesus, we sometimes use words without understanding or explaining them. One of those words is righteous. We say that God has righteousness and that He makes people righteous,...

Read: Jeremiah 7:1–11 Hear the word of the Lord. Jeremiah 7:2 The theme for our adult camp was “Comfort My People.” Speaker after speaker spoke words of assurance. But the last speaker drastically changed the tone. He chose Jeremiah 7:1–11 and the topic “Wake Up from Slumber.” Without mincing words...

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8 Henry Durbanville, a Scottish pastor from another era, told the story of an elderly woman in his parish who lived in a remote...

Read: 1 John 2:3–11 The darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:8 It was a dark morning. Low, steel-colored clouds filled the sky, and the atmosphere was so dim that I needed to turn on the lights in order to read a book. I...

Read: Nahum 1:7–15 Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Nahum 1:15 World news bombards us from the Internet, television, radio, and mobile devices. The majority seems to describe what’s wrong—crime, terrorism, war, and economic problems. Yet there are times when...

Read: Matthew 6:24–34 You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 Early in my career while doing work that I saw as more of a mission than a job, another company offered me a position that would give a significant increase in pay. Our family could surely have benefited...

Read: 1 Kings 18:41–45 The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 nlt God often chooses to move through our prayers to accomplish His work. We see this when God told the prophet Elijah, “I will send rain on the land,” promising...