Read: Matthew 27:45–54 Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1 Young Isaac Watts found the music in his church sadly lacking, and his father challenged him to create something better. Isaac did. His hymn “When I Survey...

Read: Colossians 1:15–20 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross. 1 Peter 2:24 One of the earliest Christian poems in English literature is “The Dream of the Rood.” The word rood comes from the Old English word rod or pole and refers to the cross on...

Read: Nehemiah 2:11–18 Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. Nehemiah 2:17 When Edward Klee returned to Berlin after being away for many years, the city he remembered and loved was no longer there. It had changed dramatically, and so had...

Read: John 8:48–59 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:58 Jeralean Talley died in June 2015 as the world’s oldest living person—116 years of age. In 1995, the city of Jerusalem celebrated its 3,000th birthday. One hundred sixteen is old for a...

Read: Romans 8:31–39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:35 We serve a God who loves us more than our work. Oh, it’s true that God wants us to work to feed...

Read: Exodus 17:8–15 Aaron and Hur held [Moses’s] hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. Exodus 17:12 Stories in the Bible can make us stop and wonder. For instance, when Moses led God’s people into the Promised Land and the Amalekites...

Read: Romans 7:14–25 The trouble is with me, for I am all too human. Romans 7:14 NLT British writer Evelyn Waugh wielded his words in a way that accentuated his character flaws. Eventually the novelist converted to Christianity, yet he still struggled. One day a woman asked him, “Mr. Waugh,...

Read: Psalm 29 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. Psalm 29:7 Many years ago a friend and I were fishing a series of beaver ponds when it started to rain. We took cover under a nearby grove of quaking aspen, but the rain continued to fall....

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50–58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 A financial advisor I know describes the reality...

Read: Mark 6:7–12 God is able to bless you abundantly, so that . . . you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 Imagine going on a trip without luggage. No basic necessities. No change of clothing. No money or credit cards. Sounds both unwise and terrifying, doesn’t...

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:4–15 For God . . . made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Much of my career as a writer has revolved around the problem of pain....

Read: Romans 12:1–8 I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1 When I played college basketball, I made a conscious decision at the beginning of each season to walk into that gym and dedicate myself totally to...