Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:25-34“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”— Matthew 6:33Did you play hide-and-seek as a child? I did, and I play it now with my grandchildren. (They are easy to find when they’re under a blanket on the couch.)
Scripture Reading — Mark 12:28-34“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”— Mark 12:30As Jesus answers a question about the greatest commandment, he quotes from Deuteronomy 6 in the Old Testament. He emphasizes that lovin
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-10You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .— 1 Peter 2:9We are often our own worst critics. I find that many of my inner thoughts tend to be negative about myself. “Kent, what were you thinking?” “You keep doing that.
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-10You are a chosen people . . . a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .— 1 Peter 2:9While God is busy preparing the new creation, he is working on a special project. He is building a chosen people, a holy nation, the “special possession” that Peter talks about
Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:9-11“How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”— Revelation 6:10Are you waiting for anything these days? Maybe a longplanned vacation or an important birthday? Or maybe you’re waiting for healing after
Scripture Reading — Romans 16:13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.— Romans 16:13Today let’s look at one more set of people whom Paul mentions in Romans 16: Rufus and his mother.First, Rufus: Paul’s comment about Rufus is that he is “chosen in the Lord.
Scripture Reading — Romans 16:12Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. . . . [And] Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.— Romans 16:12For the past few days we’ve looked through Paul’s greetings to helpers, coworkers, and other saints here in Romans
Scripture Reading — Romans 16:7Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me . . . are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.— Romans 16:7The text that has shaped our month’s devotions (2 Corinthians 5:17) has an important, little phrase that sho
Scripture Reading — Romans 16:1-5They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.— Romans 16:4What level of risk are you comfortable with? Are you willing to invest your money in something that could make a great profit but could also make a signi
Scripture Reading — Romans 16:1-16I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.— Romans 16:1“Don’t call it ‘just a list.’” That was the advice of preaching professor Fred Craddock as he spoke about Romans 16. This collection of Paul’s friends, with names that are unfamilia
Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10Timothy has . . . brought good news about your faith and love.— 1 Thessalonians 3:6Paul was overjoyed! He had sent his disciple, Timothy, back to the city of Thessalonica to check on the church they had recently planted there. And Timothy had returned with a
Scripture Reading — Acts 16:11-15The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.— Acts 16:14I would love to have been there, watching Lydia turn into a new creation. As our story begins, she has no idea who Jesus is. She worships and prays to God, but she doesn’t know Jesus, God’s Son, the S
